ALL ABOUT Fiber reinforced concrete
Many have heard the word of fibrous concrete fashion, which we have now and we'll talk. It is clear that adding fiber to the concrete we obtain fiber reinforced concrete, the main feature of which is that used as the reinforcement fiber trim (fibreglass), evenly distributed throughout the volume of concrete. What is fiber "under the microscope?"
The most interesting is that it consists of all kinds of waste - of fibers made of metal, pieces of thin steel wire, nails, industrial waste, as well as glass, polymers (mainly propylene), etc., which if it enters the concrete, evenly distributed throughout the volume of the mixture.
Fiberglass and functionally designed for reinforcement, among other things, helping to improve the quality of the concrete, increasing not only its crack resistance, but also contributing to deformability. Compatibility of concrete and fiber is mainly due to adhesion to the surface and available at the ends of fiber anchors.
Thus fiber concrete can produce products, structures without the need to reinforce their special nets or cages. And this, in turn, simplifies the technology and significantly lowers costs.
Recommendations for the use of fiber-reinforced concrete
1. In the constructions of buildings and structures, for which the reduction of its weight has regular essential
2. To reduce the crack opening
3. To ensure water resistance of concrete
4. To increase the shock resistance
5. For abrasion resistance and bursting
6. To improve durability.
Fiber reinforced concrete has the following technical advantages over the widely-cast concrete products:
- Increased Fracture
- Impact strength
- Improved fracture toughness
- Good abrasion resistance
- High frost
- Reduced shrinkage and creep
- Enables the use of more efficient designs than when using conventional reinforcement (eg thin-walled structures or structures without backbone or network distribution / transverse reinforcement)
- Reduces labor costs for reinforcement of
- Increases the degree of mechanization of the production of reinforced concrete structures (examples: a monolithic and precast floors of industrial and public buildings in prefabricated thin shells, road and airport surfaces, ribbed slabs roofs and ceilings, precast columns, monolithic heads of capacitive structures, beams, etc.
- Opens the possibility of new, much more productive methods for forming the reinforced structures.
If you are using, such as glass fibers, fibrous concrete called FRC.
Fashionable today use fiber-reinforced concrete for monolithic structures, has been a renaissance for lightweight facade panels, in architecture - many elements and decorative molding, decorative columns, arches and beams.
What are the advantages of using cast stone and FRC? Here, in our opinion, the most obvious of them:
• fibrous concrete and artificial stone can produce not only finely crafted terrain, but also sculptural and architectural forms, and many other small details. This greatly increases the possibility of choice. In this design of products is almost unlimited, as compared with the design of products from natural stone.
• Ability to create multiple color concepts opens the door to imagination of designers and architects to more accurately perform conceived and created the most appropriate color schemes, including giving products of antiquity and aged appearance.
• Indicators of frost fiber-reinforced concrete and artificial stone are close to 200 cycles, and this means that the durability and strength are not inferior to natural stone. They can operate in harsh climatic conditions.
• Do not have a practical background radiation, unlike many natural materials. This means that products from fiber-reinforced concrete and cast stone more environmentally friendly and acceptable for use.
• Process natural stone – is very complicated and costly hard. Another thing to work with fibrous concrete and cast stone. Their use in the manufacture of fountains, sculptures and small architectural forms - very pleasant and simple process. And that much - very inexpensive.
• With regard to the installation, as compared to natural analogues, fibrous concrete and cultured stone - is a lightweight material, installation of which differ simplicity, and the decision about the type of fastening products from them a stone taken individually, depending on the characteristics of the building material of the wall on which they are attached (for example, a brick or concrete, polystyrene or aero Crete, etc.)
FRC mixture in the manufacture of products applied to the shuttering form or matrix, which can be manufactured from a variety of materials. These matrices should provide the required turnover; maintain dimensional accuracy and quality surface finish. Materials for matrices made of steel, plywood, fiberglass, rubber, and sometimes even from the very FRC.
However, when there are products that are curved, geometric shapes, they are almost impossible to do in hard matrices. Because the stripping of such products cause serious damage to the matrix and it is usually no longer suitable for reuse. And sometimes damaged and the product itself, which actually disadvantageous to anyone. For this purpose, practical to use collapsible rigid matrix, but we have noticed that during the seizure of the mixture of cement or gypsum binders appear tension, which are removed only by the appearance of cracks in the product. Often they do not affect product design, but lead to loss of trade dress infringement, and thus its purchasing value.
The solution was found when we used flexible forms of urethane, similar to those applied in the production technology of cultured stone.
And finally we have a little of the applicable equipment for the application of fiber-reinforced concrete.
To date, most quality equipment is the equipment of the English Company «POWER-SPRAYS», which occupies a leading position in the global market. Once at the site http://www.power-sprays.co.uk, you can get acquainted with their design features and prices.
Company «POWER-SPRAYS, Ltd» was founded in 1962 and today is engaged in the design and manufacture of specialized equipment for the manufacture of products and designs from the GRC. For more than 100 countries use this equipment POWER-SPRAYS for the production of GRC. This equipment meets the highest technical quality standards by first-class team of design engineers the highest qualification, whose headquarters is located in Bristol (England). Such equipment for the production of GRC is very reliable and technologically, which allows it to compete is not the first decade of the most responsible in carrying out orders in the design of the most prestigious buildings and structures not only in Europe but also in CIS.