Software-supported Design of Concrete Reinforcement Made of Basalt Fibers

High greenhouse gas emissions and refurbishment costs associated with steel reinforcements in concrete structures pose a significant challenge. Non-metallic reinforcements made of basalt could present a potential alternative. In the following study, this alternative is examined using tunnel lining segments (Tübbinge) employed in continuous tunnelling. Initially, three-point bending tests with steel reinforcement on a laboratory scale, taken from the literature, were numerically validated using the Sofistik software to adjust parameters for simple geometries. Based on these findings, two different steel-reinforced concrete segments of the Koralmtunnel were subsequently modelled and calculated. The different model structures, with parameters validated through experimental data, were then redesigned in the Sofistik simulation using basalt reinforcement. The numerical analyses provide initial representations of the greenhouse gas savings potential in basalt-reinforced concrete elements such as tunnel linings. © The Author(s) 2024.