Fiber concrete: types, production technology and application

Since ancient times, concrete has been a versatile building material used in construction projects all over the world. Fiber concrete is the result of the fibers being added to concrete mixtures, which has become more and more popular in recent years. With its many applications and improved properties, this novel material is a great option for today’s building requirements.

Different kinds of fibers, each with specific advantages, are mixed into the concrete mixture to create fiber concrete. Common fibers that can increase the tensile strength, durability, and crack resistance of concrete include steel, glass, synthetic, and natural fibers. Builders can select the ideal blend of fibers to fulfill the unique requirements of their projects by being aware of the various kinds that are available.

In order to achieve uniform distribution and maximum performance, fiber concrete is produced by carefully combining the selected fibers with the concrete ingredients. Standard concrete mixing equipment can be used for this process, but careful attention to detail is required to get the desired results. The benefits of the fibers are maximized when mixing concrete properly, making the finished product more durable and strong.

Fiber concrete is used in a wide range of construction projects, including infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, and tunnels as well as residential and commercial buildings. Because of its improved qualities, it is especially well-suited for applications requiring a high degree of strength and durability as well as those exposed to challenging environmental conditions. Building professionals can produce long-lasting and robust structures by utilizing the benefits of fiber concrete.

All things considered, fiber concrete offers better performance and a wide range of applications, making it a noteworthy advancement in construction technology. Fiber concrete is positioned to become more crucial in the development of long-lasting, effective, and sustainable structures as the construction sector develops.

Type	Description
Steel Fiber Concrete	Made with steel fibers, this type enhances strength and durability, ideal for industrial floors and pavements.
Glass Fiber Concrete	Contains glass fibers, offering flexibility and resistance to cracking, suitable for decorative elements and facades.
Polypropylene Fiber Concrete	Utilizes polypropylene fibers, reducing shrinkage and improving water resistance, commonly used in residential slabs and driveways.
Carbon Fiber Concrete	Incorporates carbon fibers for superior strength and lightness, perfect for high-performance structures and repairs.
Production Technology	Fibers are mixed into the concrete during the batching process, ensuring even distribution and optimal performance.
Application	Fiber concrete is used in various construction projects, from highways and bridges to buildings and sculptures, due to its enhanced properties.

Fiber concrete is an adaptable building material that, by adding different kinds of fibers, including steel, glass, synthetic, and natural fibers, improves the qualities of conventional concrete. The strength, longevity, and resistance to cracking of the concrete are increased by these fibers. To ensure optimal performance, production technology entails uniformly mixing the fibers into the concrete matrix. Fiber concrete offers better performance and durability than regular concrete and is utilized in many different applications, such as industrial floors, pavements, and structural components.

Fiber: types of materials and their classification

1907 saw the first demonstration of fiber concrete. Scientist Nekrasov V.P. was Russian. The details of the investigation into the creation of a composite material reinforced with small-diameter wire segments were first highlighted in his articles.

The material’s technical and physical characteristics include its density and thermal conductivity, which are determined by the type of fibers used to reinforce the concrete mixture.

Artificial fibers, or fibers, are used for the concrete mixture’s dispersed reinforcement. Different kinds of organic or mineral-based metallized and non-metallized threads are used for this.

Watch the video in this article to get a deeper understanding of fiber-reinforced concrete.

The main types of fiber

Fiber is classified into six primary categories based on its origin and production techniques; all of these categories must adhere to GOST 14613–83 “Fiber”.

Steel fiber

Steel (metal) fibers can be anchor or wave-shaped. It is shown as 10–50 mm long, bent-end wire segments that are either straight or wavy. (picture)

There are several ways to manufacture metal fibers that are used as raw materials for reinforcement cages: melt molding, electrical methods, or mechanical methods.

The mechanical approach is the most widely used. This process involves cutting steel foil and other comparable materials, drawing on wire in rolling mills, and producing metal threads by hand.

The required diameter of the metal fiber determines which technology is used in its production. The typical method for obtaining ultra-thin threads is to draw through specific diamond filters.

The primary drawbacks are:

1. High final weight of the product.
2. Low corrosion resistance.
3. Low adhesion to the concrete base.

Basalt fiber

Basalt (mineral) fiber is an artificial, inorganic mineral fiber that is made from the molten, volcanically formed mineral known as basalt in special furnaces. GOST 14613–83, "Specifications for Fiber."

All of the following characteristics are present in basalt threads:

• resistance to mechanical loads;
• increased resistance to alkaline and acid reagents;
• not subject to combustion;
• provides three -to -rate concrete hardening.

The range of applications for basalt threads depends on the kinds of products that can be made with them. Concrete made of basalt fibers is the primary product.

Here are some instances of how basaltofibrite is used efficiently on building sites:

• basement panels of multi -storey buildings;
• non -removable formwork of fiber concrete for the clip of strengthening pile foundations;
• wall panels and monolithic walls made of fiber-reinforced concrete, interior partitions;
• small architectural forms in the improvement of city parks – sculptures made of fiber concrete;
• improvement of local areas – fountains made of fiber concrete;
• details of building reconstruction;
• architectural decor of buildings – stucco: rustication, architraves, cornices;
• road slabs, etc.

Fiberglass (mineral) fibers

Fiberglass: what is it?

These are inorganic glass threads made on special installations by extracting molten glass mass from high-strength glass-melting vessels. The process used to extract glass fibers and the chemical makeup of the glass determine the characteristics of the resulting threads.

It is feasible to produce the necessary range of glass threads with a broad range of their mechanical and structural properties thanks to a variety of glass types.

Glass fibers woven continuously and bundled into a specific diameter are used as scattered reinforcement for the necessary concrete grade. The resulting bundle is divided into short fiber segments, each of a chosen length determined by the technological and standard requirements for the grade of concrete produced.

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber is made of carbon fibers that have been chopped and heated to high temperatures from carbon raw materials. characterized by a low elongation coefficient, a high resistance to chemical reactions affecting the material’s properties, and a high resistance to mechanical loads.

• high adhesion;
• not subject to corrosion;
• resistance to alkaline and acid solutions;
• high resistance to elevated temperatures – does not burn.

Glass fiber strength is directly correlated with the modulus of elasticity of carbon fibers, which is substantially higher than that of steel threads.

Although this material has excellent qualities and is highly efficient, its use is restricted by its cost. As a result, carbon fibers are only employed when doing so is financially feasible.

Polypropylene fiber

A different kind of synthetic fibers made by cutting and twisting polypropylene film, with a diameter ranging from 0.02 to 0.038 mm. When these fibers open up in concrete mortar, a mesh structure is formed. Consequently, fiber-reinforced concrete’s composition and chemical and physical properties are improved on a qualitative level. Compared to unreinforced concrete, this material has a higher resistance to impact loads.

• insufficient resistance to stretching or compression;
• poor wettability of the material;
• poor resistance to high temperatures;
• high variation in the choice of high-quality raw materials (polypropylene or waste) – unscrupulous manufacturers significantly exaggerate the characteristics of the product being sold, which significantly affects the properties and class of fiber-reinforced concrete.

Cellulose fiber

This hydrocarbon polymer material is insoluble in water and inert to acids, and it has enhanced heat resistance properties. Polymer coatings that contain cellulose threads have improved vapor permeability. helps squeeze liquid from the lower screed layers onto the surface of fiber-reinforced concrete and slows down shrinkage processes.

In addition to selecting the threads’ chemical composition optimally, the choice of fibers and binder additives that affect the creation of fiber-reinforced concrete also takes into consideration the materials’ functional purpose and justification for long-term use.

Production of reinforced fiber concrete

Industrial production

Fibre-reinforced concrete manufacturing technology is essentially dependent on the well-established composition and sensible combination of raw materials. The uniform distribution of fibers in the concrete mixture and their proper orientation in the solution are dependent on the density of the fiber-reinforced concrete. This condition determines the product’s ability to withstand external mechanical impacts.

Hints: An increase in fibrous filler content in the solution is associated with a decrease in the workability of fiber concrete. In addition to using specialized plasticizers, increasing the volume of concrete mix and the water-cement ratio will increase the workability of concrete mortar.

Using the example of making a slab out of steel fiber concrete, we will talk about how to prepare a fiber concrete mix.

According to technology, the process for making steel fiber concrete mixture entails feeding the mixture from the mixer onto the conveyor belt along with the chopped fibers from the device that cuts them. This guarantees a uniform and metered supply of the concrete mixture’s components to the area where the blade rotors rotate inward toward each other. Here’s a diagram of it.

The technology being described involves cutting steel sections off of a steel strip, which suggests that the rotary unit and the fiber cutting mechanism work in unison. The rotor blades force the fiber concrete mixture into the pallet so that it can be molded into the desired shape. This technology guarantees homogeneous fiber distribution in the final product and excellent compaction of the steel fiber concrete mixture.

Fiber concrete slabs made with the rotary technology mentioned above have higher corrosion resistance, enhanced strength, and resistance to water and frost.

The optimization of the fiber concrete production process is significantly impacted by special additives, or plasticizers, which are added to the concrete solution to improve plasticity and improve the quality of the finished product. Plasticizers are used to manage the concrete’s setting time as well as the mixture’s shrinkage.

Preparation of fiber concrete at the construction site

The preparation of concrete reinforced with metal fibers can be done in a number of ways. Here is a quick guide on how to manually prepare reinforced concrete on a construction site.

Add the necessary amount of fibers that have been sieved after first combining filler and dry sand. The next stage involves adding cement to the dry mixture that has been completed and adding water that has additives—plasticizers. Mix well enough to form a uniform mass of concrete.

After the completed fiber concrete mixture has been poured into molds, allow the concrete to gain some initial strength for three days. The products are subsequently allowed to dry outside. We thus get fiber concrete blocks that aren’t autoclaved and have the best possible performance qualities.

Application of composite fiber concrete

The specifications of regulatory documents SP 52–104–2006 Steel fiber concrete structures must be adhered to in terms of the fiber concrete’s qualitative composition and application. The set of guidelines includes standards for the application of fiber-reinforced concrete structural products as well as design recommendations.

Composite concrete is used in residential construction to create sewer wells, drainage shafts, and monolithic building structures, among other things. Composite technology produces fiber-reinforced concrete floors that are extremely strong and have better thermal insulation qualities.

Fiber concrete is a unique and durable building material that provides more strength and longevity than regular concrete. Synthetic, steel, or natural fibers can all be integrated to greatly increase concrete’s resistance to common problems like shrinkage and cracking. Because of this, fiber concrete is a desirable option for a range of building projects.

Fiber concrete’s production technology is simple, but it’s critical to its functionality. To guarantee that the fibers are uniformly distributed and aligned, the process entails distributing them throughout the concrete mix in an even manner. In order to optimize the material’s mechanical qualities and guarantee constant quality throughout applications, this homogeneity is essential.

Application-wise, fiber concrete is incredibly versatile. It is utilized in a wide range of applications, including large-scale industrial flooring, residential driveways, and infrastructure projects like tunnels and bridges. Because of its resilience to wear and high loads, it’s especially well-suited for high-stress and high-use areas.

All things considered, fiber concrete is a major development in building materials. Because of the way different fibers are integrated, it has special qualities that provide noticeable advantages in terms of strength, longevity, and durability. Future construction projects should see an even greater use of fiber concrete as new fiber materials and technological advancements take place.

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