Applications of fibre reinforced concrete

The Japanese are also active in the application of fibre reinforced plastics to reinforced concrete structures to improve their earthquake resistance. Kabatake et al [22] reported on 14 cases in which chimneys were retrofitted with fibre reinforced plastics and were judged by the Building Disaster Prevention Association of Japan to be one of the most effective retrofitting methods. In this retrofitting programme, carbon fibre tapes impregnated with an epoxy resin were wound and adhered to the exterior of the chimney. Sumida et al [ 23] have described experiences with aramid reinforced... 

High Performance Concretes A State-of-the-Art Report. Summarizes results of a literature review on the mechanical properties of concrete, with particular reference to the highway application of high performance concrete (HPC). Discusses the selection of materials and the manufacture of high performance concrete the behaviour of plastic and hardened concrete the behaviour of fibre-reinforced concrete and the applications of high performance concrete. 250 pages. SHRP-C-317, 10... 

Wood, D. F. (1991) Application of fibre reinforced shotcrete in tunnelling, in Froc. 1st Canadian University-Industry Workshop on Fibre Reinforced Concrete, Quebec City, QC Universite Laval pp. 183-96. 

There are less exotic ways of increasing the strength of cement and concrete. One is to impregnate it with a polymer, which fills the pores and increases the fracture toughness a little. Another is by fibre reinforcement (Chapter 25). Steel-reinforced concrete is a sort of fibre-reinforced composite the reinforcement carries tensile loads and, if prestressed, keeps the concrete in compression. Cement can be reinforced with fine steel wire, or with glass fibres. But these refinements, though simple, greatly increase the cost and mean that they are only viable in special applications. Plain Portland cement is probably the world s cheapest and most successful material. 

The well-known possibilities of the use of textiles and fibres in construction have developed into fields of application ranging from geotextiles to fibre-reinforced concrete, concrete reinforcing armatures made of fibre-reinforced polymers, usually carbon fibre composites (CFCs), textile membranes and sheeting and to constructions made of fibre-reinforced polymers as multi-layer composites. The present book is dedicated to the spectrum of building geotextiles are excluded, since they are less commonly used for building construction and are more common in earthworks, transit structures and landfills. 

The current high cost of carbon fibres somewhat limits their application. Nevertheless, carbon fibre-reinforced concrete has been used in cormgated units for floor constmction, single and double curvature membrane structures, boat hulls, and scaffold boards. The overall cost may be reduced if other fibres are used in combination with carbon fibre. 

The employment of natural fibres, such as cellulose pulp, sisal, bamboo, hemp, flax, jute, ramie fibres, etc., is restricted to countries where these fibres are easily available. They are important constituents of structural elements used for construction of inexpensive buildings in developing regions of the world (Coutts, 2005). In Africa, sisal fibre-reinforced concrete has been nsed extensively for making roof tiles, corrugated sheets, pipes, silos, and gas and water tanks. Subrahmanyam (1984) cited the application of elephant grass... 

Hybrid systems will continue to be the subject of future research on the development of ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete for many applications. However, two other research topics on FRC have emerged in recent years (1) utilization of waste fibres as reinforcement, and (2) development of fibre-reinforced alkali-activated binders (also known as geopolymers). 

This section will briefly present some recent case studies of high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete. The main idea is to highlight the application of different types of fibre into concrete stmctures or elements. 

Barr, B., 1987. The fracture characteristics of FRC materials in shear. Fibre Reinforced Concrete Properties and Applications, SP-105, pp. 27-53. 

Corinaldesi, V., Moriconi, G., 2012. Mechanical and thermal evaluation of ultra high performance fibre reinforced concretes for engineering applications. Construction and Building Materials, 26(1), pp. 289-294. 

Vandewalle, L. (2003) Test and design method for steel fibre reinforced concrete based on the cr-e relation , in Some Aspects of Design and Application of High Performance Cement Based Materials, A. M. Brandt ed., AMAS Warsaw, Lecture Notes 18, pp. 135-190. 

For example, for a high quality matrix with E = 40 GPa and = lOO.lCf and fibres made of mild steel with = 200 MPa, the critical volume fraction is equal to 0.02, assuming that the fibres are fully loaded. In ordinary steel fibre reinforced concrete elements, usually short and randomly dispersed fibres are used. However, because of the low efficiency of such fibres, even if made with high strength steel (which is the case for most present applications), in normal technical conditions the achievement of Vf is nearly impossible. If other methods of concreting are applied, like SIFCON, or when fibres with increased bond and linearized are used, then the efficiency of reinforcement is significantly improved. 

Radomski, W. (1981) Application of the rotating impact machine for testing fibre-reinforced concrete, International Journal of Cement Composites and Lightweight Concrete, 3(1) 3-12. 

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