Experimental and Analytical Investigations on Bond Behavior of Basalt-FRCM Systems

The results of an experimental investigation into the behavior of fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites made of basalt textile coupled to different inorganic matrices are presented and compared. Single- and double-lap shear tests have been carried out to assess the bond behavior of the FRCMsystems adopting four different inorganic matrices: a commercial lime mortar, specifically designed for the basalt textile, and three conventional mortars mixed in the laboratory. Experimental tests on the four types of FRCM systems confirmed that the debonding mechanism always occurs at the textile-matrix interface, and single-lap shear test, easier to be carried out, provides results with low variability. Moreover, in the framework of Mode-II fracture mechanics, analytical modeling was carried out exploiting four different local laws that were calibrated to the experimental results. Good agreement was found between some of the adopted local laws and experimental tests.