Effect of early curing and substrate preparation conditions on the physical and mechanical properties of TRM-masonry composites

Textile reinforced mortars (TRMs) are innovative sustainable composite materials that recently received extensive attention for strengthening of masonry structures. Understanding the mechanical performance of these composites has therefore been the subject of many recent studies. However, most of these investigations have focused on the mechanical properties of these composites under controlled laboratory conditions, and their performance under field conditions is still unknown. The critical role of substrate preparation and curing conditions on the performance of these repair systems have never been addressed before. To address this gap, this paper presents an experimental investigation on the role of these factors on the performance of two different TRM systems (a steel-based TRM and a glass-based TRM) commonly used for strengthening masonry structures. The results show the importance of these factors and the need for the identification of standard procedures for the application of these systems aiming the optimization of their performance in the field.