Pull-Out Performance of Anchored Carbon-Fiber Bundles in Cementitious Matrix.

In fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) systems, one technique to increase the strengthening efficiency is to utilize the deformability of dry fiber bundles and anchor them at their ends. In this study, the effectiveness of anchored carbon fiber bundles was thoroughly investigated through pull-out tests of 220 specimens and corresponding microstructural analyses. The results show that the peak pull-out load can be increased by up to 165% after anchoring the fiber bundles, and the dominant failure mode shifts from fiber pull-out to fiber rupture. Parametric analyses show that a larger anchorage angle and a larger total embedded length help to increase the pull-out strength, while a proper combination of the bonded length and the anchorage length is essential for high strengthening efficiency. Further microstructure analyses suggest that these improvements are primarily attributed to the additional constraint at the anchorage point, and the anchorage length is critical for the pull-out behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]