Much is spoken with regards the technical and design performance of fibre reinforced concrete (frc) and at FCS we pride ourselves on the level of knowledge and expertise we can provide to our customers and their clients.
The technical aspects and engineering performance of frc are generally focused on comparing fibres with traditional reinforcement, in terms of moment capacity and restraint to cracking stresses in slabs and concrete elements.
This replacement of traditional reinforcement has numerous advantages which engineers can adopt in their designs resulting in superior solutions.
However, another aspect is the cost saving that can be achieved by adopting an appropriately designed frc slab or concrete element together with the ease of construction that fibres can bring to the contractor on site or pre-caster.
The cost savings should not just be restricted to consider the cost of fibres in comparison to the reinforcement, as attractive as this may be.
In a typical ground supported slab, other savings should be accounted for including:
- No requirement for a concrete pump on site, frc is discharged directly from the ready-mixed concrete truck. There is no concern over access around mesh fabric reinforcement.
- Optimised joint spacing and detailing, the dimensions of standard mesh sheets can dictate the position and layout of joints and adopting frc means that the joints can be positioned to best suit the overall slab dimensions and design requirements. This can result in fewer joints and more efficient joint details – both which will further save costs.
- Flexibility over method of construction, for external slab construction the use of fibres offers the option of moving away from traditional long strip construction. This could increase pour sizes, reducing the number of days required to construct the slab and therefore labour costs.
- Adopting a fibre reinforced concrete design can lead to an optimised slab thickness in comparison to an existing traditional design, resulting in reduced material requirements. This could also increase the area of pour size that could be undertaken, further reducing construction time.
Fibre Concrete Solutions has broad experience of fibres and their addition to a range of concrete types and applications. This experience means the Vertex, Nexus and APEX range of fibres can be used in a wide range of applications and Fibre Concrete Solutions are able to offer tailored options to meet your needs.
With all concrete applications, Fibre Concrete Solutions understands you may have specific requirements or challenges. If in any doubt, please contact Fibre Concrete Solutions for advice and assistance.
