Eco-concretes with carbon-fiber reinforcements

Projektdaten

Titel | Title TP Congreen.Carbon.Research – Planung, Durchführung und Auswertung von relevanten Versuchen zur Erlangung eines Zulassungsszenarios im Verbundvorhaben Congreen.Carbon.System (CCS): Ökobeton als Massenbaustoff für wirtschaftliche und leichtere Betonsysteme | Subproject Congreen.Carbon.Research – Planning, implementation and evaluation of relevant tests to obtain an approval scenario in the joint project Congreen.Carbon.System (CCS): Eco-concrete as a mass building material for economical and lighter concrete systems Förderer | Funding Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) Zeitraum | Period 09/2023 – 08/2026 Teilprojektleiter | Subproject leader Prof. Dr.-Ing. Steffen Marx Bearbeiter | Contributor Dipl.-Ing. Paul Heber Projektpartner | Project partners Implenia Construction GmbH, München | CARBOCON GmbH, Dresden | Kleihues Betonbauteile GmbH & Co. KG, Emsbüren

Short description

The production of cement emits large amounts of CO₂, which contributes to global warming. To address this and reduce CO₂ emissions in the (concrete) construction sector, concrete mixtures with a reduced cement content – so-called eco-concretes – represent a promising solution. However, the lower cement clinker content in these mixtures leads to reduced alkalinity in the concrete. This diminishes the corrosion protection (passivation) required for conventional steel reinforcement.

In contrast, non-metallic reinforcements made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) are inherently corrosion-resistant. This property makes them a suitable permanent reinforcement in eco-concrete components. Furthermore, their corrosion resistance allows for a reduction in concrete cover, which enables more slender components and thus contributes to the conservation of primary resources. Non-metallically reinforced eco-concrete therefore represents a promising CO₂-reducing alternative for the sustainable concrete construction of the future.

Based on this, the research project CCS is developing CFRP-reinforced eco-concrete precast components for railway construction. In addition to saving primary resources and reducing CO₂ emissions, the project aims to produce durable components which can be manufactured quickly and cost-effectively, thereby minimizing the economic impact of construction.

The project began by developing a suitable eco-concrete which reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 54% compared to standard concrete. Due to the novelty of the building material combination, its material behavior was first thoroughly investigated in small-scale component tests. To this end, test series were conducted on the strength development of the eco-concrete as well as on the bond properties with CFRP reinforcement (pull-out and beam-end tests). The results are supplemented and expanded by a comprehensive testing program on large-scale components, which examines the overall load-bearing behavior of the developed CFRP-eco-concrete components. Based on the results obtained in this way, verification and design methods are developed that enable the design, dimensioning, and practical construction implementation of the developed precast components.