Fibre Reinforced Concrete

CE 342 Concrete Technology

Prof. Ravindra Gettu
IIT Madras
 Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (FRC)

Definition:
Conventional fibre performance concrete
is that which has a homogeneous
distribution of randomly-oriented short
fibres.
The fibres are generally
• much shorter than the dimensions of
the concrete element
• stronger and can elongate more than
the matrix under tension
• introduced in the matrix during the
mixing of the concrete
FRC: General
Matrices
In addition to concrete, FRC matrices can be made up of
• Hardened cement paste without/with admixtures
• Cement mortar

Fibres
• Metallic (steel, stainless steel)
• Polymeric (polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, polyester, etc.)
• Carbon
• Mineral (glass, basalt)
• Naturally-occurring (sisal, cellulose, jute, coconut, etc.)
FRC: Historical Perspective
• Straw and hair have been used
for centuries in mud bricks
• Patent of Alfsen in France for
using fibres to increase tensile
strength of concrete (1918)
• Patent of Martin for the use of
Barn swallow nest (made of
smooth and deformed steel mud, straw, leaves, feathers)
fibres in concrete (1926)
Wide usage of fibre
• Patent of Constantinesco for the
reinforced concrete
use of fibres in concrete to
increase the toughness (1943); began in the 1960s.
military applications and
machinery foundations
FRC: Function of the Fibre
Comparison of the tensile
response of different fibre-
reinforced cement-based
composites
FRC: Fibre-Matrix Interaction
Uncracked matrix

Cracked matrix

or

fibre pullout fibre rupture

with/without
interface crack
FRC: Fibre-Matrix Interaction
In a bond test, fibre rupture occurs
• when bond strength is high
• when embedment length is large
• when fibre tensile strength is
low
FRC: Fibre-Matrix Interaction
In a composite with strong fibres in a brittle matrix, post-
crack load-carrying capacity increases with fibre volume
fraction.

Increasing fibre content

FRC: Fibre-Matrix Interaction
For low volume fractions of fibres (Vf < 1%) , single
(or few) cracks occur at failure.
For high volume fractions of fibres (Vf > 5%),
multiple cracks occur.

Cement mortar with 12%

volume fraction of fibrillated
continuous uniaxial
polypropylene fibres.

At tensile strain of 1%.

FRC: Fibre-Matrix Interaction
Depends on
• Condition of the matrix (cracked or uncracked)
• Matrix composition
• Type of fibre (mechanical characteristics)
• Geometry of the fibre
• Surface characteristics of the fibre
• Distribution of the fibre in the matrix
• Volume fraction of fibres
• Durability and long-terms effects
FRC: Types of Fibres
Fibre Diameter Unit Elastic Tensile Elongation
(microns) weight modulus strength limit
(gm/cc) (GPa) (MPa) (%)
Steel 5-1000 7.8 200 500-2000 0.5-3.5
AR-Glass 9-15 2.6-2.8 70-85 1700-4000 2-3.6
Polypropylene 20-200 0.9 3.5-5 300-750 8-15
Aramid 10-12 1.4 60-130 3200-3600 2.0-4.5
Carbon 7-100 1.8-2.1 230-640 2600-5500 0.4-2.1
Nylon 20 1.2 4-5 900-1000 13-20
Sisal 10-50 1.5 13-26 280-900 3-5
Hardened
1.8-2.4 10-45 2-4 0.01
cement paste
FRC: Polypropylene Fibres
fibrillated or
monofilament
FRC: Polypropylene Fibres
Used for
• Controlling plastic shrinkage cracking
• Increasing post-crack load-carrying capacity
• Increasing fire resistance (especially in high-strength
concrete tunnel linings)

Applications include
• Industrial slabs and pavements
• Mine walls and waste disposal covers (shotcrete)
• Repair or plastering mortar
• Thin sheet and extruded products
FRC: Glass Fibres
E- and A-glass fibres lose their strength in a typical cement-based
matrix. Therefore, only alkali-resistant AR-glass is widely used.
FRC: Glass Fibres
Used for
• Controlling crack widths
• Increasing post-crack load-carrying capacity

Applications include
• Panels for architectural cladding and other thin-sheet
products
• Extruded products
• Repair or plastering mortar
FRC: Steel Fibres
Steel fibres can be
• of low- or high-carbon steel, or
stainless steel.
• produced by cold-drawing, shaving
or melt-extraction.
• smooth or deformed (crimped)
• of round or irregular cross-section
FRC: Steel Fibres - Collated

Zerbino
FRC: Steel fibres
Used for
• Limiting crack propagation

• Increasing ductility and energy dissipation during

failure

• Distributing cracking (i.e., finer micro- instead of

localized macro-cracking)

• Increasing abrasion, impact and fatigue resistance

• Decreasing shrinkage cracking

FRC: Steel fibres
Applications include
• Shotcrete for tunnel and other linings, and repair
of structural elements
• Pavements and industrial floors (as primary
reinforcement and for controlling shrinkage
cracks)
• Pipes
• Thin-walled elements
• Some structural applications
Steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC)
Main Applications Today

For providing resistance against

shrinkage cracking, and impact
and local compressive loads in
floors and pavements.

For improving the post-crack

load-carrying capacity of
shotcrete.

Why are not there more structural applications?

• Lack of standards regarding SFRC structural design
• Incomplete material characterization
• Insufficient standard test methods
Steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC)
Recent developments:
• Proposal for European test standards
• European structural design code being checked
• Thin-walled elements are being used more
commonly in Japan and Europe

Due to these and ongoing research, promising

applications can be expected in:
• Slender structural elements
• Elements where crack widths have to be limited
• Structures where brittle failure has to be avoided
and/or more energy dissipation capacity is required
 SFRC PANELS FOR BUILDING WALLS (Germany)
Fabrication
Two thin SFRC panels separated by lattice girders.
The space in between is filled with plain concrete on site.
 SFRC PANELS FOR BUILDING WALLS (Germany)
Installation on site

With SFRC, the lattice girder separation could be increased,

conventional reinforcement was eliminated in the panels
and a higher casting rate could be implemented for the plain
concrete on site.
 PRECAST PIPES FOR WATER SUPPLY (Spain)

Concrete pipes with a 3-layer wall

External reinforced concrete layer, steel layer in the middle
& SFRC interior layer

With SFRC, shrinkage cracking in the

interior layer was practically
eliminated.
SFRC STRUCTURAL ARCHES (United Kingdom)

Berlin-type retaining walls

Made up of SFRC arches with U-shaped or rectangular
cross-sections placed between king posts
 FRC Shell Structures
City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia (Spain).
White fiber-reinforced shotcrete

Requisites:
• Mouldability
• Shell thickness of 5 cm
• Flexural strength and toughness
 FRC Tunnel Lining Segments
• Subway train
line under
construction
in Barcelona
(Spain).

• Elements with
conventional
and fiber
reinforcement.
 Why Use Steel Fibre-Reinforced Concrete in
Tunnel Linings ?

• Higher crack resistance at early ages (during

demolding, handling and storage).

• Fewer problems of chipping and local crushing due

to impact (during transportation and placing of the
segments).

• Improved resistance against cracking induced by

concentrated compressive stresses (due to uneven
contact between segments, between rings or
between actuator plates and segment).
 FRC Tunnel Lining Segments
Details of Section 4

Excavation: 12 m
diameter.
Lining: 7 identical
segments + half-size key.
Internal diameter: 10.9 m.
Lining thickness: 350 mm.
Ring width: 1.80 m.
Designed with SFRC
reinforced with
conventional rebars (60
350 10900 350
kg/m3 of rebars, 30 kg/m3
of fibres, 50 MPa
11600
concrete)
Casting and Stacking of the Segments
Construction of the Lining
 Selection of the Concrete Composition

• Requirements
• 28-day characteristic compressive strength of at least 40
MPa.
• Early-age (4-6 hours) mean compressive strength of at
least 25 MPa.
• 28-day mean equivalent flexural strength of at least 2.9
MPa.

• Practical Considerations
• Adequate “placeability” with 30 kg/m3 of steel fibers.
• Maximum cement content of 400 kg/m3.
• Cement and aggregates should be those normally used
in the prefabrication plant.
 Composition and Properties
Component kg/m3
Cement CEM I 52.5R 400
Sand 0/5 mm 745
Gravel 5/14 mm 558 Property Test result
Grava 12/22 mm 559 Slump after 20 minutes
3 cm
Water 132.2 from casting
Density of fresh concrete 2430 kg/m3
Superplasticizer 4.8
62,8 MPa
28-day cylinder strength
(±2,4%)
Compressive at 4+0,5 18,7 MPa
strength with hours (±3,7%)
accelerated at 5+0,5 25,0 MPa
curing hours (±3,1%)
at 6+0,5 28,2 MPa
hours (±2,4%)
 Selection of Fiber Type

Toughness
Characterization
50
Dramix 80/60
Tests with
• Belgian standard was chosen Dramix 65/60
3 of fibres
45 kg/mWirand 1.0/50
for determining the equivalent 40 Novocon 1060
flexural strength (deflection Duoloc 47×1.0

limit of 1.5 mm).

Load (kN)
30

• Toughness evaluated with

Carga
different fibers. 20

• Fibers had lengths of 50-60

mm and diameters of 0.75-1.0 10
mm.
0

0 1 2 3 4
Flecha (mm)
Midspan deflection (mm)
 FRC for Metro Line 9 in Barcelona
From Badalona through the Collserola hills to the Airport.
Total length of 43 km with 46 stations. Tunnel depth = 0-90 m

Project duration: 2002-14

Estimated cost: 2.2 million euros
 Shotcrete - Rohtang Road Tunnel

Fiber type : Dramix RC 65/35 BN

Concrete grade : M 35
Length : 14 km
Lining thickness : 100 mm
Year : 2011, Ongoing
The tunnel creates an all-weather route to
Location : Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh Leh, Lahaul and Spiti valleys in Himachal Pradesh.

Courtesy: BEKAERT
 Precast Boundary Wall - Navi Mumbai SEZ
Pvt. Ltd

Fibre type : Dramix RC-80/60-CN

Concrete grade : M 35
Project : Navi Mumbai SEZ The NMSEZ project involved developing
Length : 68 km onsite production through concrete batching plant,
Location : Navi Mumbai,Maharashtra which resulted in undisrupted supply of concrete
to site helping completion in 7 months

Courtesy: BEKAERT
Precast Elements – Storm Water Drains

NHAI 4-LANE
HIGHWAY
PROJECT.
JHAMTHA
TO KANHAN
RING ROAD;
NEAR
NAGPUR

Courtesy: PRECISION WIRE INDUSTRIES

 Container Terminal – Toyota

Fibre type : Dramix RC 80/ 60 BN

Concrete grade : M 40
Thickness : 300 mm
Project : Toyota Container Terminal
Area : 17,200 sqm
With 110 Tons Axle load. Toyota stacks
Location : Bengaluru, Karnatka
4 Containers of 26 Tons each
with a Kalmar Reach Stacker.

Courtesy: BEKAERT
 Slab on grade – BMW India Pvt. Ltd.

Fibre type : Dramix RC 80/60 BN

Concrete grade : M 20
Area : 12,500 sqm BMW, a German automobile manufacturing company is
Project : BMW India Pvt Ltd constructing an assembly building. Dramix® steel fibre
Thickness of slab : 150 mm dosage 10kg/m3 was chosen as reinforcement.
Location : Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Courtesy: BEKAERT
 Fibre-Reinforced Concrete Pavements

Reduced cracking, settlement and joint spacing.

Road at Guest House Dining Hall at IITM; M35 Road at JEE/GATE Offices at IITM; M30 concrete
concrete (with 30% fly ash), 25 kg/m3 of 50 (with 15% fly ash), 15 kg/m3 of 60 mm × 0.75 mm
mm × 1 mm steel fibres collated steel fibres
 Pavement designed and laid
at IIT Madras
• Existing asphalt pavement was distressed
• White topping of average thickness 120 mm designed
 Pavement designed and laid
at IIT Madras
• Existing asphalt pavement was distressed
• White topping of average thickness 120
mm designed
• Project details
– Total length – 218 m
– Casting done in January 2011
– Average temperature - 33C
• Initial stretch – 124 m
• Second stretch laid after two days – 94 m
 Design Details
• Design axle load – 10 t
• Grade of concrete M35
• Design thickness – minimum 120 mm
• Required design flexural strength of SFRC = 0.7 MPa
• Chose fibre details
– Fibre type – Hooked end steel fibres, 60 mm length, l/d= 80
– Fibre dosage – 15 kg/m3
– Specification for the fibre concrete
• Equivalent flexural strength – 1.68 MPa
• Re,3 = 42 %
Laying of pavement
SFRC: Important Considerations
Fibre parameters:
• Length, l
• Diameter, d, or aspect ratio, l/d
• Volume fraction, Vf

For a concrete where cracking occurs

along the aggregate-mortar interfaces
(i.e., in usual concretes), an effective
fibre should be much longer than the
maximum aggregate size (dmax).

 l ≥ 2.5 dmax

For a concrete where cracking occurs through the aggregates (e.g., HSC), fibre
length is not important as Vf (which is normally higher than in usual concrete).
SFRC: Important Considerations
Mixing and placing:
• Mixing time should be longer (i.e., 2-3 more minutes)
than usual to get a homogeneous fibre distribution
• High slump can lead to segregation of the fibres
• Excessive vibration can lead to segregation and
preferential orientation of the fibres
• In flowing concrete, fibres are usually oriented along
the direction of flow
FRC: Fresh state
Balling of fibres can occur during mixing due to an
inappropriate combination of fibre dosage, aspect
ratio and/or length

Collated fibres (i.e., fibres held together by water-

soluble glue) can reduce the problem of balling
 SFRC: Fresh State
Incorporation of fibres can lead to lower workability
Fibras l/d = 100 en Fibras l/d = 100 en
Hormigones
Hormigones con agregados de con agregados de
hormigones con diferente
hormigones con diferente l =19 mm
l/d=100 19 mm de tamaño máximo
19 mm de tamaño máximo
tamaño máximo de agregados
tamaño máximo de agregados
Different fibre length Different aspect ratio

(sec)(s)

(sec)(s)
(sec)(s)

(sec)(s)

invertido

invertido
invertido

invertido
Conocone

Conocone

Conocone

Conocone
19 mm 19 mm l/d = 100 l/d = 100
Inverted

Inverted

Inverted

Inverted
10 mm 10 mm l/d = 75 l/d = 75

20 40 60 80 20100 40
20
80 40
100 60 60 20 100
80 40 60 80 100
3 3)
( kg/3Contenido de fibras 3
Contenido
(kg/ (kg/3)m 3 )
Contenido de fibras
Fiber content ( Contenido
(kg/mkg/Fiber
3m de fibras
) ) content (kg/m m
) Fiber content (kg/m Fiber de fibras
3)m ) content (kg/m

Implications
 Slightly higher paste/mortar content (about 10% more)
 Need for superplasticizer
 Slump of the matrix (without the fibers) should be 3-5 cm more
than that expected in SFRC
SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Stress (load)-displacement response
• Strength is not affected for low volume fractions of fibers
• Sharp post-peak drop is avoided
• Post-peak ductility increases with an increase in the
dosage and effectiveness of the fibers

stress Toughening
(load) effect of the
FRC
fibers in
concrete
Usual
concrete

displacement
 SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Response under compression
Loading platten
Stress-(nominal) strain curve
Displacement
100 extensometer

Strain gauges
80
Circumferential
extensometer
Tensión (MPa)

60
HSCconwith 3 Specimen
HAR 8080 kg/m
kg/m.cu.
offibras
steel metálicas
fibers
Stress

de
40 HSC
HAR

20 Hormigón
NSC
Convencional

0
0 3000 6000 9000 12000
Deformación axial
Axial (microdeformaciones)
strain (microstrains)
 SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Response under uniaxial tension
Stress-crack opening response
4
(MPa)

3
s (MPa)

Tensión (MPa)
2
Stress

C 70/40
C 70/20
Stress,

C 70/00
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2

Crack CMOD
opening,(mm)
w (mm)
 SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Evaluation of concrete in existing structures
Tests on cores
3
Vertical core
H orizontal
R eference cylinder
Filling Vertical
direction 2

s(MPa)
1

0
Horizontal core 0 500 1000 1500 2000
w ( m )
 SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Response under direct shear (push-off test) 260 mm
75 mm
deep
notch
12 C70/40
Shear stress,  (MPa)

150 mm
C70/20
C70/00 Loading
8 bar

Vertical
LVDT

4
Horizontal
LVDT

0
0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 0 0.25
Vertical displacement (mm)
Maximum stress and post-peak strength increase with fibre content
 SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Flexural Toughness: Conventional Approaches
Third-point loaded beam
150 mm 150 mm

45
Tests of 30 MPa concrete
75 mm 40

35
40 kg/m3
350 mm 30
Load (kN)
25
30 kg/m3

20

20 kg/m3
15 40

Load (kN)
30

10 20
10
INITIAL PART
5 0
0 50 100
Deflection (microns)
0

0 1000 2000 3000 4000

Deflection (m)
SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Flexural Toughness: Conventional Approaches
Non-dimensional indices: ASTM, Spanish standards
In = area up to a certain deflection divided by the area up to first-
crack such that the index is equal to n for elastic-plastic response
 SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Flexural Toughness: Conventional Approaches
Absolute toughness & Equivalent flexural strength: Belgian,
Japanese, Spanish, Dutch and German standards

Bn = area under load-deflection

curve up to dn (i.e., deflection
equal to the span/n)
Equivalent flexural strength
sn = {Bn/dn} {1.5 span/bd 2}
where b & d = beam width &
depth
 SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour
Flexural toughness based on notched beam response
Notched beam
Measurements:

• Load-deflection curve
• Load-crack mouth Clip gage
opening displacement
(P-CMOD) curve LVDT

40
40
40 kg/m3 1 40 kg/m3
deflection (mm)

30
0.8
load (kN)

30

load (kN)
20 0.6
20 kg/m3 20 kg/m3
0.4 20
10
Plain 0.2
10 Plain
0 0
0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
deflection (mm) CMOD (mm) 0
0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
CMOD (mm)
Toughness measures: equivalent flexural strength(s), residual strength(s)
Proposed by RILEM, adopted by CEN (as European standard)
SFRC: Mechanical Behaviour

Time-dependent response
• Restrained plastic shrinkage cracking can be
decreased by the incorporation of polymeric and steel
fibres
• Restrained drying shrinkage crack widths are reduced
with steel fibres
• Impact and fatigue resistance of SFRC is higher than
in plain concrete
SIFCON: Slurry-Infiltrated Fibre Concrete
Properties
• Contains 5-20% volume fraction of steel fibres.
• Cast by preplacing fibres in mould and then filling the
voids with a cement-based slurry. (The fibres tend to be
oriented perpendicular to the casting direction.)
• Unit weight = 1900-3200 kg/m3
• Compressive strength = 60-210 MPa
• Tensile strength = 4-14 MPa
• Ductility can reach values of 1000 times that of the plain
matrix
Applications
• Safety vaults
• Explosion resistant containers
• Repair and rehabilitation
UHPC: Ultra-High Strength Concrete
RPC: Reactive Powder Concrete
Properties
• w/c ≤ 0.2
• High binder content (e.g., a cement dosage of
1000 kg/m3; silica fume dosage of 30%)
• Aggregate grain size is limited to 0.5 mm.
• Short steel fibres of 5-13 mm length at high
dosages (e.g., 2-6% volume fractions) are used.
• Compressive strength can be as high as 230 MPa
• Flexural strength can be as high as 50 MPa
• Elastic modulus = 50-60 MPa
Applications
• Thin and slender precast structural elements
• Strong and compact products
 References
• Fiber-Reinforced Cement Composites, P.N.Balaguru &
S.P.Shah, McGraw Hill, New York, 1992
• Les bétons de fibres métalliques, P.Rossi, Presses Ponts
et Chaussées, Paris, 1998
• The Science and Technology of Civil Engineering
Materials, J.F. Young, S. Mindess, R.J. Gray & A. Bentur,
Prentice Hall, 1998
• http://www.ductal-lafarge.com/
• ACI Materials Journal
• Intnl. Journal of Cement Composites
• Materials and Structures Journal
• Concrete International Journal, ACI