Fiber Reinforced Cementitious

Composites
 Common Usages
• Asbestos: Pipes and roofing sheets
• Glass: Precast panels (non-structural)
• Steel: Pavements, shotcrete, dams etc.
• Fibrillated polypropylene: To control plastic
shrinkage cracking
• Vegetable fibers: Low cost building materials

• Asbestos: Natural silicate minerals (6) – Affects health

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 Types of Fibers
• Materials
– Steel
– Glass
– Carbon
– Polymers: Polyester, Nylon, Polyethylene,
Polypropylene, Acrylic, Aramid
– Natural materials: Coconut coir, Sisal, Bamboo,
Jute, Elephant grass

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 Natural Fibers

Jute: India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand

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 Natural Fibers

Coir: Philippines, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Sri Lanka

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 Natural Fibers

Elephant Grass: Africa

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 Natural Fibers

Sisal: Brazil, Tanzania, China, Kenya, India

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 Natural Fibers

Bamboo:
Found in large number of countries

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 TYPICAL PROPERTIES OF FIBERS
Fiber Dia. (mm) Sp. Gr. E (GPa) Ft (GPa) Elongation
at break (%)
Steel 5-500 7.84 200 0.5-2.0 0.5-3.5
Glass 9-15 2.60 70-80 2-4 2-3.5
Asbestos (silicate minerals) 0.02-0.4 2.6-3.4 164-196 3.1-3.5 2.0-3.0
Fibrillated polypropylene 20-200 0.9 5-77 0.5-0.75 8.0
Aramid (Kevlar) 10 1.45 65-133 3.6 2.1-4.0
Carbon (HS) 9 1.90 230 2.6 1.0
Nylon - 1.10 4.0 0.9 13-15
Cellulose (rep. of Asbestos) - 1.20 10 0.3-0.5 -
Acrylic 18 1.18 14-19.5 0.4-1.0 3
Polyethylene - 0.95 0.3 0.0007 10
Sisal 10-50 1.50 - 0.8 3
Cement matrix - 2.50 10-45 0.0037 0.02
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 Production Techniques
• Premix process: max 2% steel and 0.4% PP
• Spray-up process: prim used for glass (max 6%); thin sheets
• Shotcreting: lining of tunnels and stabilization of rock
slopes
• Pulp type processes: Fibers dispersed in cement slurry
which is then dewatered (9-20%)
• Hand Layup: Layers of fibers like mats or fabric
impregnated with cement slurry; very high fiber content
• Continuous production process: Fiber mats or fabric are
impregnated with cement slurry by passing through
cement bath (>15%)

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 Production Methods and Products
Material Fibers Production Methods Products
Glass fiber Fibers Premix Decorative panels, pipes
reinforced Hand/Automatic spray Cladding panels, shells,
cement roof tiles etc.
Strands Centrifugal casting Pipes
Laying Window frames
Steel fiber RC Fibers Premix, shotcrete Cladding, pipes, slabs
PP fiber Single filament Premix Cladding
reinforced Fibrillated fiber Premix, shotcrete Cladding, piles
cement / RC Open fibrillated fiber PTP Sheets, roof tiles
Krenit fibers PTP Cladding, sheets, ducts, rt
Sisal fiber reinf Fiber Premix Sheets, roof tiles
cement
Ferrocement Continuous fiber Laying Cladding, shells, pipes,
sheets, roof tiles

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• Problem: There is inherent contradiction in fiber
geometry required for fresh and hardened composite:
– Longer fibers of smaller diameter are more efficient in
hardened FRC but fresh concrete difficult to handle
• Solutions:
– Modification of fiber geometry to increase bonding
without increase in length (hooked, deformed, fibrillated)
– Chemical treatment of fibers for dispersion
– Modifying rheological (flow) properties of matrix using SP
– Special production techniques for dispersion

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 Types of Fibers
• Shapes
– Flat / Round
– Straight
– Crimped
– Paddled
– Hooked
– Deformed
– Irregular

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 Shapes of Steel Fibers

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 Hooked Steel Fibers

Steel fibers glued

together before mixing
Separation of fibers occurs
during mixing for ensuring
uniform distribution
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 Types of Fibers

Straight round steel fibers

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 Types of Fibers

Crimped steel fibers

Deformed steel fibers

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 Types of Fibers

Polypropylene fibers

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 Advantages
• Easily placed
– Cast
– Sprayed
– Less labor intensive than placing rebar
• Can be made into thin sheets or irregular
shapes
• Used when placing rebar is difficult
• Improved characteristics
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 Disadvantages
• Fibers distributed through given cross section,
whereas rebars only placed where required.
Efficiency factors as low as 0.4 for 2-D (spray
placement method), or 0.25 for 3-D
placement (casting method)
• Not highly effective in improving compressive
strength
• Small reinforcement ratio when compared to
rebars

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Factors Affecting Properties of FRC

• Physical properties of fibers and matrix

• Interface characteristics

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 GFRC ADVANTAGES
• Light weight
• Limitless opportunities for architectural expression
• Weather Resistance
• Surface can be left uncoated
• Good Fire Rating
• Low cost

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 GFRC APPLICATIONS
• Exterior Ornamentation
• Interior Details
• Landscape Furnishings

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 GFRC DISADVANTAGES
• Used as NON-load bearing only
• Requires separate anchorage system for installation
• Large panels must be reinforced
• Color additives may fade with sunlight
• May have different absorption rate than adjacent historic material

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 GFRC APPLICATIONS

BEFORE AFTER

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 Fiber-Cement Interaction

Elastic: Eqs given by Cox

Uncracked Composite
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 Fiber-Cement Interaction

After Lawrence

tau = Adhesional shear bond strength

taf = Frictional shear bond strength

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 Fiber-Cement Interaction

After Gray and Bartos

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 Fiber-Cement Interaction

Debonding: Elastic + Frictional

Uncracked Composite
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 Fiber-Cement Interaction

(a) Debonding before cracking

(b) No debonding before cracking

Pullout in Cracked Composite

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 Fiber-Cement Interaction

Simplified Pullout Diagram (After Bartos)

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Fiber-Cement Interaction

Volume Change
External Stresses
Poisson’s Effect
Plastic Deformation

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 Fiber-Cement Interaction

After Morton and Groves

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 Efficiency of Fiber Reinforcement

Pu = Fiber breaking load

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 Efficiency of Fiber Reinforcement

Stress profile along fiber

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 Efficiency of Fiber Reinforcement

Orientation Effect

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 Efficiency of Fiber Reinforcement

Influence of local bending

(After Laws)
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 Thank You!

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