Advancing construction techniques: Textile reinforced concrete shells and high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete beams for partially prefabricated elevated slabs

Innovative high-performance cementitious materials lead the way for the development of advanced structural systems, characterized by improved durability, mechanical performance, and construction efficiency. In this paper, we introduce a partially precast unidirectional ribbed slab system, featuring very high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (VHPFRC) I-beams, textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) stay-in-place formworks, and ordinary steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) finishes. Engineered to maximize the advantages of these innovative materials, the system achieves a lightweight configuration, minimizing the need for on-site steel reinforcement placement. After outlining the conceptual design of the proposed structural system, the paper thoroughly examines the characterization of materials and details the prototyping procedures employed. The theoretical framework is substantiated by an extensive experimental campaign on individual components, offering insights into the full-scale response of the precast elements, and is supplemented by simplified sectional analyses aimed at estimating the flexural behavior of the full composite slab. Additionally, a preliminary assessment of the environmental sustainability of the solution is provided.