Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Mix Preparation and Uses

Reading time: 1 minute

Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC)

Steel fiber reinforced concrete is a composite material having fibers as the additional ingredients, dispersed uniformly at random in small percentages, i.e. between 0.3% and 2.5% by volume in plain concrete. SFRC products are manufactured by adding steel fibers to the ingredients of concrete in the mixer and by transferring the green concrete into moulds. The product is then compacted and cured by the conventional methods. Segregation or balling is one of the problems encountered during mixing and compacting SFRC. This should be avoided for uniform distribution of fibers. The energy required for mixing, conveying, placing and finishing of SFRC is slightly higher. Use of pan mixer and fiber dispenser to assist in better mixing and to reduce the formation of fiber balls is essential. Additional fines and limiting maximum size of aggregates to 20mm occasionally, cement contents of 350 kg to 550 kg per cubic meter are normally needed.

Steel fibers are added to concrete to improve the structural properties, particularly tensile and flexural strength. The extent of improvement in the mechanical properties achieved with SFRC over those of plain concrete depends on several factors, such as shape, size, volume, percentage and distribution of fibers. Plain, straight and round fibers were found to develop very weak bond and hence low flexural strength. For a given shape of fibers, flexural strength of SFRC was found to increase with aspect ratio (ratio of length to equivalent diameter). Even though higher ratios of fibers gave increased flexural strength, workability of green SFRC was found to be adversely affected with increasing aspect ratios. Hence aspect ratio is generally limited to an optimum value to achieve good workability and strength. Grey suggested that aspect ratio of less than 60 are best from the point of handling and mixing of fibers, but an aspect ratio of about 100 is desirable from strength point of view. Schwarz however suggested aspect ratio between 50 and 70 is more practicable value for ready mix concrete. In most of the field applications tried out to date, the size of the fibers varies between 0.25 mm and 1.00mm in diameter and from 12mm to 60mm in length, and the fiber content ranged from 0.3 to 2.5 percent by volume. Higher contests of fiber up to 10% have also been experimented. Addition of steel fibers up to 5% by volume increased the flexural strength to about 2.5 times that of plain concrete. As explained above, mixing steel fibers considerably improves the structural properties of concrete, particularly tensile and flexural strength. Ductility and post cracking strength, resistance to fatigue, spalling and wear and tear of SFRC are higher than in the case of conventional reinforced concrete. SFRC is therefore found to be a versatile material for the manufacture of wide varieties of precast products such as manhole covers, slab elements for bridge decks, highways, runways, and tunnel linings, machine foundation blocks, door and window frames, piles, coal storage bunkers, grain storage bins, stair cases and break waters. Technology for this manufacture of SFRC light, medium and heavy duty manholes covers has been developed in India by Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai. Field experiments with two percent of fiber content indicated that SFRC runway slabs could be about one half the thickness of plain concrete slabs for the same wheel load coverage. Cement Research Institute of India (CRI) also demonstrated the use of SFRC in one of the jet bays at Delhi airport. Other field experiments in which SFRC has been used are the slabs of parking garage at Heathrow airport in London, spillway deflectors in Sweden, mine cribbing in Utah, USA. Read More:  Benefits of Using Steel Fibers in Concrete Fiber Reinforced Concrete – Types, Properties & Advantages of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) – Properties and Applications in Construction Works Factors Affecting Durability of Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) Applications of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Fiber Reinforced Concrete in Pavements