Development and characterisation of ultra low-carbon AR-glass textile reinforced concrete composites

Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) composites exhibit exceptional mechanical and durability properties, making them ideal for restoring existing structures or for manufacturing thin, lightweight new structural elements with reduced embodied carbon and increased durability. This potential can be amplified if strategies are developed to reduce the embodied carbon of TRC ingredients and to reduce the clinker content of its matrix. To enable this, the present study explores efficiency, economy, and embodied carbon of ultra low-carbon TRCs made of AR-Glass and composite cements incorporating GGBS, limestone powder and silica fume for up to 75 % of the total binder content. The fresh and hardened properties, bond properties, flexural performance, environmental impact and cost of the developed TRCs are explored as a function of mix composition. The results confirm that the developed ternary and quaternary concrete mixtures exhibit optimal properties alongside sustainability and cost-effectiveness, with ~71 % lower costs and ~40 % carbon emission reductions compared to those reported in previous literature at the same load-carrying capacity. • Develops ultra low-carbon TRCs from AR-Glass and composite cements that include up to 75 % SCMs and are less reliance on GGBS. • Evaluates the impact of ingredients on the properties, cost and embodied carbon of TRCs. • Demonstrates 71 % and 40 % reduction in cost and embodied carbon at the same load-carrying capacity compared to the literature.