FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE

GURU NANAK DEV ENGINEERING COLLEGE

LUDHIANA

SEMINAR REPORT ON

FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE

SUBMITTED BY
GURANSH SINGH (2114017)
ANIKET KUMAR (2114009)
In partial fulfillment for the award of degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPTT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
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ABSTRACT
The usefulness of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) in various civil
engineering applications is indisputable. Fiber reinforced concrete has
so far been successfully used in slabs on grade, architectural panels,
precast products, offshore structures, structures in seismic regions, thin
and thick repairs, crash barriers, footings, hydraulic structures and
many other applications. Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) is gaining
attention as an effective way to improve the performance of concrete.
Fibers are currently being specified in tunneling, bridge decks,
pavements, loading docks, thin unbonded overlays, concrete pads, and
concretes slabs. These applications of fiber reinforced concrete are
becoming increasingly popular and are exhibiting excellent
performance. Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing
fibrous material which increases its structural integrity. It contains short
discrete fibers that are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented.
Fibers include steel fibers, glass fibers , synthetic fibers and natural
fibers This study presents understanding strength of fibre reinforced
concrete. Mechanical properties and durability of fiber reinforced
concrete.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction 04
1.1. Definition 04
1.2. Types Of Fibers used 04
1.2.1. Steel fibers 05
1.2.2. Polypropylene and Nylon fibers 12
1.2.3. Glass fibers 14
1.2.4. Asbestos fibers 15
1.2.5. Carbon fibers 15
1.2.6. Organic fibers 16
1.3. Batching, Mixing, Compaction and Finishing 16

2. Need of Fiber reinforced Concrete 17

3. Factors affecting properties of FRC 18
4. Conclusion 22
5. References 23

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1.INTRODUCTION
The presence of micro cracks at the mortar−aggregate interface
is responsible for the inherent weakness of plain concrete. The
weakness can be removed by inclusion of fibers in the mix. The
fibers help to transfer loads at the internal micro cracks. Such a
concrete is called fiber-reinforced concrete. Thus the fiber-
reinforced concrete is a composite material essentially consisting
of conventional concrete or mortar reinforced by fine fibers.

1.1. DEFINITION
Fiber Reinforced Concrete can be defined as a composite
material consisting of mixtures of cement, mortar or concrete
and discontinuous, discrete, uniformly dispersed suitable
fibers. Fiber reinforced concrete are of different types and
properties with many advantages. Fiber is a small piece of
reinforcing material possessing certain characteristics
properties.

1.2. TYPES OF FIBRES USED

The most commonly used man-made fibers have been

steel and polypropylene, principally in concrete, and
glass, principally in cement mortar for thin section
applications.

1.2.1. Steel fibers

1.2.2. Polypropylene fibers
1.2.3. Glass fibers
1.2.4. Asbestos fibers
1.2.5. Carbon fibers
1.2.6. Organic fibers
Properties of some commonly used fibers are given in the table
below :-
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TABLE 1

1.2.1 STEEL FIBERS

.
A number of steel-fiber types are available as reinforcement. Round steel
fibers, the commonly used type, are produced by cutting round wires into
short lengths. The typical diameters lie in the range of 0.25 to 0.75 mm.
Steel fibers having a rectangular cross section are produced by slitting the
sheets about 0.25 mm thick. For improving the mechanical bond between
the fiber and matrix, indented, crimped, machined and hook-ended fibers
are normally produced. The aspect ratio (=length/ diameter) of fibers which
have been employed vary from about 30 to 250. Typical examples of shape
are shown in Fig. 1
Fibers made from mild steel drawn wire conforming to IS: 280−1976 with
the diameter of wire varying from 0.3 to 0.5 mm have been practically used
in India. Round steel fibers are produced by cutting or chopping the wire,
flat sheet fibers having a typical cross section ranging from 0.15 to 0.41
mm in thickness and 0.25 to 0.90 mm in width are produced by slitting
(shearing) flat sheets. Deformed fibers which are loosely bonded with water
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soluble glue in the form of a bundle are also available. Since individual
fibers tend to cluster together, their uniform distribution in the matrix is often
difficult. This may be avoided by adding fiber bundles which separate
during the mixing process. The properties of various types of fibers are
compared in Table 14.8.

Fig.1

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Factors Affecting Workability The factors having a predominant

effect on the workability are aspect ratio (l/d) and fiber volume
concentration. Long thin fibers (l/d > 100) tend to mat together while short
stubby fibers (l/d < 50) cannot interlock and can be dispersed by vibration.
A minimum fiber volume concentration called critical concentration is
needed to increase the strength. The critical concentration is generally
inversely proportional to the aspect ratio. For l/d = 100, a volume
concentration of 0.5 per cent for flexural strengthening and 1.7 per cent for
tensile strengthening is required. However, for a 1.7 per cent concentration,
an adequate workability can be obtained only with cement paste, and
cement-sand mortar; whereas a 0.5 per cent concentration can perfectly be
provided in the concrete. Thus there is a restricted range of practical fiber
reinforced concrete with improved strengths. The performance of hardened
concrete depends upon the specific fiber surface (SFS) which is defined as
the total surface area of all the fibers present within the unit volume of the
composite. The specific fiber surface depends upon the fiber volume
concentration, fiber size and aspect ratio. For a fiber volume concentration
of V f per cent, the specific fiber surface in a unit volume of composite is
given by
SFS = nп (pdl)

where n, l and d are the number, length and diameter of the fibers,
respectively, and p dl is the surface area of each fiber.

Behavior of Hardened Steel-Fiber Concrete The crack-arrest and

crack control mechanism of SFRC results in the improvement of all
properties associated with cracking, such as strengths (tensile, flexural,
shear, torsional, bearing strengths), stiffness, ductility, energy absorption,
and the resistance to freeze−thaw damage, impact, fatigue and thermal
loading. The crack controlling property of fibers has three major effects on
the behavior of concrete composite:

1. Fibers delay the onset of flexural cracking, the increase in tensile strain
at the first crack being as much as 100 per cent. The ultimate strain may be
as large as 20 to 50 times that of plain concrete.
2. The fibers impart a well-defined post-cracking behavior to the composite.
3. The crack-arrest property and consequent increase in ductility imparts a
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greater energy absorbing capacity to the composite prior to failure. With

a 2.5 per cent fiber content the energy absorbing capacity is increased by
more than 10 times as compared to unreinforced concrete. The range of
improvement in the mechanical properties of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete
are given in Table 14.9.

TABLE 2

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The fiber concretes reinforced by conventional steel bars have substantially

improved serviceability conditions obtained by crack and deflection control,
besides increasing flexural strength marginally. These conditions are as
follows.

1. Tensile strength :-The failure in tension of cement-based matrices is

rather brittle and the associated strains are relatively small in magnitude.
The addition of fibers to such matrices, whether in continuous or
discontinuous form, leads to a substantial improvement in the tensile
properties of the FRC in comparison with the properties of the unreinforced
matrix.
The stress-strain or load-elongation response of fiber composites in tension
depends mainly on the volume fraction of fibers. In general, the response
can be divided into two or three stages, respectively, depending on whether
the composite is FRC (fiber volume less than about three per cent) or
Slurry Infiltrated Concrete (SIFCON) where the volume of fibers normally
varies between 5 and 25 per cent. Before cracking, the composite (both
SIFCON and FRC) can be described as an elastic material with a stress-
strain response very similar to that of the unreinforced matrix. After
cracking, i.e., in the stage of bridging the cracked surface, the fibers tend to
pull out under load resulting in a sudden change in the load-elongation or
stress-strain curve. If the maximum post-cracking stress is larger than the
cracking stress, such as in SIFCON, then a second stage of behavior can
be identified as the multiple cracking stage. This corresponds to the portion
of the load-elongation curve that joins the cracking stress point to
the maximum post-cracking stress point (peak point on the curve). Beyond
the peak point, a third stage of behavior exists which is characterized by
failure and or pull out of the fibers across a single critical crack. The post
cracking strength increases with increasing bond strength, aspect ratio and
volume fraction of fibers.
It is now generally accepted that the type and amount of fibers currently
used do not significantly enhance the first cracking tensile strength of the
fiber reinforced composite. Many of the current applications of fiber-
reinforced concrete involve the use of fibers ranging around 1.0 per cent by
volume of concrete. In SIFCON and SIMCON with large volume of aligned
fibers, there is substantial enhancement of the tensile load-carrying
capacity of the matrix. This may be attributed to the fact that fibers
suppress the localization of micro cracks into macro-cracks and
consequently the apparent tensile strength of the matrix increases.

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2. Compressive strength:- The presence of fibers in normal strength

concrete produces only modest increase in compressive strength,
although the increased ductility resulting from the addition may be
advantageous, particularly in over-reinforced concrete beams where a
brittle failure can be changed into a ductile one. On the other hand, the
use of steel fibers in lower strength concrete mixtures increases their
compressive strength significantly compared to plain unreinforced
matrices and is directly related to volume fraction of steel fiber used.
Fibers improve the compressive behavior by enhancing the toughness.
The magnitude of the increase is dependent on the fiber shape and the
content. This increase is more for hooked-end steel fibers in comparison
with straight steel fibers, glass or polypropylene fibers.

3. Flexure As in the case of tension response shown in Fig. 14.8 there

are three stages of the load-deflection response in flexure:

a) A more or less linear response up to point A The strengthening

mechanism in this portion of the behavior involves a transfer of
stress from the matrix to the fibers by interfacial shear. The
imposed stress is shared between the matrix and fibers until the
matrix cracks at what is termed as the first cracking strength or the
proportional limit. This is called the process zone, the distributed
region in front of an advancing crack due to the stress
concentration field.
b) A transition non-linear portion between point A and the maximum
load capacity point B (assuming that the load at B is larger than
the load at A) In this portion (after cracking) the stress in the
matrix is progressively transferred to the fibers. With increasing
load, the fibers tend to gradually pull out from the matrix leading to
a non-linear load-deflection response until the ultimate flexural
load capacity point B is reached. This point is termed as peak
strength. This zone is called the pseudo-plastic zone where matrix
has cracked but fibers bridging the crack provide some resistance
to pullout. The pseudo-plastic zone provides the main contribution
to the fracture energy of fiber-reinforced cement composites.
c) A descending portion following the peak strength until complete
failure of the composite The load-deflection response in this
portion, i.e., the degree at which loss in strength is encountered
with increasing deformation is an important indication of the ability

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of the fiber composite to absorb large amounts of energy before

failure. It is a characteristic that distinguishes fiber-reinforced
concrete from plain concrete. This characteristic is referred to as
toughness. This zone is also called stress free zone because the
fibers have either completely pulled out or failed.
4. Shear strength :-The enhancement of shear strength of fiber
reinforced high strength concrete is of the order of 60 per cent with steel
and 15 percent with polypropylene fibers, whereas fibers reinforced
normal strength concrete attains an enhancement of 35 per cent with
steel fibers and no increase with polypropylene fibers when compared to
the strengths of their respective unreinforced plain concretes. The
enhancement of performance of fibers in high strength concrete is
attributed to the improved bond characteristics associated with the use
of fibers in conjunction with high-strength concrete. For the concrete with
steel fibers, significant increases in ultimate load and ductility is
achieved. With polypropylene fibers, a lower increase in ultimate load is
obtained when compared to the increase due to steel fibers. Ductility of
the polypropylene fiber reinforced specimens is greater than that of steel
fiber reinforced concrete. Combination of fibers and conventional
stirrups, results in slight increases in the ultimate load but offers major
improvements in ductility as compared to the corresponding plain
concrete with conventional stirrups
5. Modulus of elasticity The dynamic modulus of elasticity of FRC
containing steel fibers up to about two per cent by volume of concrete
varies within five per cent of the unreinforced matrix. Hence, the
conventional solutions for the static elastic modulus can also be applied
for the dynamic modulus of fi be reinforced concrete
6. Creep and shrinkage The factors that influence the shrinkage strain
in plain concrete also influence the shrinkage strain in fiber reinforced
concrete; namely, temperature and relative humidity, material properties,
the duration of curing and the size of the structure. The addition of
fibers, particularly steel, to concrete have beneficial effects in
counterbalancing the movements arising from volume changes taking
place in concrete, and tends to stabilize the movements earlier when
compared to plain concrete. The primary advantage of fibers in relation
to shrinkage is their effect in reducing the adverse width of shrinkage
cracks. Shrinkage cracks arise when the concrete is restrained from
shrinkage movements. The presence of steel fibers delays the formation
of first crack, enables the concrete to accommodate more than one

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crack and reduces the crack width substantially. Polypropylene fibers

are much less effective in reducing crack widths than steel fibers. High
strength concretes with silica fume undergo early cracking when
deformation is restrained. This phenomenon, which occurs even when
concrete is protected against any evaporation, is attributed to
autogenous shrinkage because of the exceptionally low water–cement
ratio. This phenomenon can be corrected by the use of fibers.

1.2.2 POLYPROPYLENE FIBERS

Polypropylene is one of the cheapest and abundantly available polymers.
Polypropylene-fibers are resistant to most chemicals and it would be the
cementing matrix which would deteriorate first under aggressive chemical
attack. Its melting point is high (about 165°C), so that a working
temperature as high as 100°C may be sustained for short periods without
detriment to the fiber properties. Polypropylene short fibers in small volume
fractions between 0.5 to 1.0 per cent have been commercially used in
concrete to achieve considerable improvement in impact strength of the

hardened concrete. They have low modulus of elasticity. Polypropylene

fibers are available in two forms: monofilaments produced from spinnarets,
and film fibers produced by extrusions. The fi lm fibers are commonly used

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and are obtained from fibrillated fi lm twisted into twine and chopped,
usually into 25−50 mm lengths for use in concrete. The fibrillated fi lm may
also be opened to produce continuous networks for use in thin sheet
manufacture. Fibrillated fi lm may also be woven to produce flat meshes
which may be used as thin cement sheet reinforcement.
Polypropylene fibers being hydrophobic can be easily mixed as they
do not need lengthy contact during mixing and only need to be evenly
dispersed in the mix. These are therefore added shortly before the end of
mixing the normal constituents. Prolonged mixing may lead to undesirable
shredding of fibers. There is no physicochemical bond between fiber and
the matrix, only a mechanical bond is formed as cement paste penetrates
the mesh structure between individual fabrics of chopped length or
continuous network.

Properties of fresh PFR concrete The compacting factor test has

been reported to be most suitable. The inclusion of polypropylene fibers
reduces the workability considerably, e.g., a normal concrete mix of
medium workability (CF about 0.88) may reduce to a low workability mix
(CF about 0.75) following the addition of one per cent of chopped 35 mm
polypropylene fibers. Polypropylene monofilaments can be used in small
volume fractions of about 0.1 to 0.2 per cent to alter rheological properties
of the material, e.g., highly air-entrained concretes can be stabilized by
fibers.

Properties of hardened PFR concrete The tensile strength of

concrete is essentially unaltered by the presence of a small volume of short
polypropylene fibers. Although the change in flexural strength of
polypropylene reinforced-concrete is marginal, the post-cracking behavior
has shown its ability to continue to absorb energy as fibers-pullout. The
energy absorbing capacity has been found to increase with the length of
fibers, e.g., the 75 mm polypropylene fibers may result in an energy
absorption comparable to that of the less efficient of steel fibers; and at a
considerably lower cost.

Durability Polypropylene may deteriorate under attack from ultraviolet

radiation or by thermal oxidation process. The cement matrix appears to
prevent the former. To combat thermal oxidation, sophisticated stabilizers
have been developed to delay degradation, and enhance durability.

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1.2.3 GLASS FIBERS

Glass fibers are made up form 200 to 400 individual fi laments which are
lightly bonded to make up a strand. These stands can be chopped into
various lengths or combined to make cloth, mat or tape. Using the
conventional mixing technique for normal concrete, it is not possible to mix
more than about two per cent (by volume) of fibers of up to a length of 25
mm.
The major application of glass fiber has been in reinforcing the
cement or mortar matrices used in production of thin-sheet products. The
commonly used varieties of glass-fibers are E-glass used in the
reinforcement of plastics, and AR-glass. E-glass have inadequate
resistance to alkalies present in Portland cements whereas AR-glass
have improved alkali-resistant characteristics. Sometimes polymers are
also added in the mixes to improve some physical properties such as
moisture movement.
The process of manufacture of glass-fiber cement products may
involve spraying, premixing or incorporation of continuous rovings. In the
spray-suction process, the glass-fiber strand is chopped into lengths
between 10 and 50 mm and blown in spray simultaneously with the mortar
slurry on to a mold or flat bed followed by suction to remove excess water.
On the other hand, in the technique involving premixing, short strands
(about 25 mm in length) are mixed into mortar paste or slurry before
further processing by casting into open molds, pumping into closed molds,
etc. Care must be taken to avoid fiber tangling and matting together, and to
minimize the fiber damage during mixing.
In the process incorporating continuous rovings, the rovings are
impregnated with cement slurry by passing them through a cement bath
before they are wound on to an appropriate mandrel. Additional slurry and
chopped fibers can be sprayed on to the mandrel and compaction can be
achieved by the application of roller pressure combined with suction.

Properties of hardened GFR concrete The behavior of glass-fiber

cement sheets under tensile force is typified by multiple cracking of the
matrix. Longer fibers improve the ultimate failure stress. In wet
environments, significant reduction in strength takes place. The material
may become brittle on ageing.
One of the most important improvements in the property achieved by
glass fiber is the spectacular improvement in impact strength. With the
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addition of just 5 per cent glass fibers, an improvement in the impact

strength of up to 1500 per cent can be registered as compared to plain
concrete. With a two per cent fiber content (up to 25 mm in length), the
flexural strength is almost doubled. The second important improvement is
in the resistance to thermal shock. Ductility also improves with an
increase in strength and modulus of rupture.
The flexural strength of water stored and weathered specimens
reduces with time and nearly equals that of the matrix alone. The reduction
in energy absorption is similar to that in flexural strength. The long-term
durability of glass fiber-reinforced cement can be improved by the addition
of 15 per cent polymer to the mortar matrix. The increase in matrix cost is
balanced by the use of cheaper E-glass fibers.

1.2.4 ASBESTOS FIBERS

The naturally available inexpensive mineral fiber, asbestos, has
been successfully combined with Portland cement paste to form a widely
used product called asbestos cement. Asbestos fibers have thermal,
mechanical and chemical resistance making them suitable for sheet
products, pipes, tiles and corrugated roofing elements. Asbestos-cement
products contain about 8 to 16 per cent (by volume) of asbestos-fibers. The
flexural strength of asbestos cement board is approximately two to four
times that of unreinforced matrix. However, due to relatively short length
(10 mm), the fibers have low impact strength. There are health hazards
associated with the use of asbestos cement. Its use is banned in most of
countries. In the near future, it is likely that glass fiber-reinforced concrete
will replace asbestos completely.

1.2.5 CARBON FIBRES

Carbon fibers form the most recent and probably the most spectacular
addition to the range of fibers available for commercial use. Carbon fibers
come under the high E-type fibers. These are expensive. Their strength
and stiffness characteristics have been found to be superior even to those
of steel. But they are more vulnerable to damage than even glass fibers,
and hence are generally treated with resin coating.

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1.2.6 ORGANIC FIBRES

Organic fibers, such as polypropylene or natural fibers may be chemically
more inert than either steel or glass fibers. They are also cheaper,
especially if natural. The polypropylene-fiber concrete has been described
earlier. A large volume of vegetable fibers (7 per cent, 50 mm length) may
be used to obtain a multiple cracking composite. The problem of mixing
and uniform dispersion may be solved by adding a superplasticizer.
Polypropylene, nylon and other organic fibers due to their low
modulus of elasticity are not effective in crack control, and also the organic
fibers may decay. However, these fibers improve impact resistance.

1.3. Batching, Mixing, Compaction and Finishing

The fibers are usually added to the aggregates before the introduction
of cement and water into the mixer. For laboratory testing, fibers can
be added in small amounts to the rotating drum charged with cement,
aggregate and water. For large batches, the fibers are blown into the
previously charged rotating drum.
A fiber mix generally requires more time and vibration to move
the mix and to compact it into the forms. Surface vibration of forms and
exposed surface is preferable to prevent segregation. The properties of
fiber reinforced concrete depend upon fiber alignment. More energy is
required to compact fiber concrete than conventional concrete. Some
of the precautions taken while mixing, placing and compacting fiber
reinforced concrete are as follows:
1. While mixing small quantities of fiber reinforced concrete by
hand, there is a possibility of steel fibers shooting up and hitting
the eyes of the worker or even pricking the hand. To avoid these
hazards, the hands should be protected by gloves and the eyes
with safety glasses.
2. A pan mixer of the counter-flow type should be used for mixing
fiber reinforced concrete.
3. For uniform distribution of steel fibers, a dispenser should be
used. While dispensing the fibers into concrete, the rate at which
the fibers are fed to the mixer should be synchronized with rate
of mixing.
4. Forks and rakes can prove helpful for handling low slump mixes.

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5. Standard screeding methods and trowels can be used for

finishing fiber concrete. A textured surface can be obtained by
using a stiff brush.
Standard workability tests, such as the slump, compacting factor
and Vee-Bee tests are suitable for conventional concrete but not for
mixes containing fibers. For instance, the slump of a mix, even with a
low fiber content, can be zero though the mix responds well when
vibrated. A workability test should provide the condition of flow on
vibration, because FRC responds well to conventional vibrating table
as it does not easily segregate from the mix due to its low specific
gravity.

2. Need of fiber reinforced concrete

Fibers are usually used in concrete to control plastic shrinkage
cracking and drying shrinkage cracking. They also lower the
permeability of concrete and thus reduce the bleeding of water. Some
types of fibers produce greater impact, abrasion and shatter resistance
in concrete. Generally, fibers do not increase the flexural strength of
concrete, so it can not replace moment resisting or structural steel
reinforcement. Some fibers reduce the strength of concrete. The
amount of fibers added to a concrete mix is measured as a percentage
of the total volume of the composite (concrete and fibers) termed
volume fraction (Vf). Vf typically ranges from 0.1 to 3%. Aspect ratio
(l/d) is calculated by dividing fiber length (l) by its diameter (d). Fibers
with a non-circular cross-section use an equivalent diameter for the
calculation of aspect ratio. If the modulus of elasticity of the fiber is
higher than the matrix (concrete or mortar binder), they help to carry
the load by increasing the tensile strength of the material. An increase
in the aspect ratio of the fiber usually segments the flexural strength
and toughness of the matrix
a) It increases the tensile strength of the concrete.
b) It reduces the air voids and water voids the inherent porosity of
gel.
c) It increases the durability of the concrete.

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d) Fibers such as graphite and glass have excellent resistance to

creep, while the same is not true for most resins. Therefore, the
orientation and volume of fibers have a significant influence on
the creep performance of reinforcement bars/tendons.
e) Reinforced concrete itself is a composite material, where the
reinforcement acts as the strengthening fiber and the concrete as
the matrix. It is therefore imperative that the behavior under
thermal stresses for the two materials be similar so that the
differential deformations of concrete and the reinforcement are
minimized.
f) It has been recognized that the addition of small, closely spaced
and uniformly dispersed fibers to concrete would act as crack
arrester and would substantially improve its static and dynamic
properties

3. Factors affecting properties of FRC

Fiber reinforced concrete is the composite material containing fibers

in the cement matrix in an orderly manner or randomly distributed
manner. Its properties would obviously, depends upon the efficient
transfer of stress between matrix and the fibers. The factors are
briefly discussed below:

1. Relative Fiber Matrix Stiffness

The modulus of elasticity of matrix must be much lower than that of
fiber for efficient stress transfer. Low modulus of fiber such as nylons and
polypropylene are, therefore, unlikely to give strength improvement, but the
help in the absorption of large energy and therefore, impart greater degree
of toughness and resistance to impart. High modulus fibers such as steel,
glass and carbon impart strength and stiffness to the composite. Interfacial
bond between the matrix and the fiber also determine the effectiveness of

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stress transfer, from the matrix to the fiber. A good bond is essential for
improving tensile strength of the composite.

2. Volume of Fibers
The strength of the composite largely depends on the quantity of
fibers used in it. Fig 1 and 2 show the effect of volume on the
toughness and strength. It can see from Fig 1 that the increase in the
volume of fibers, increase approximately linearly, the tensile strength
and toughness of the composite. Use of higher percentage of fiber is
likely to cause segregation and harshness of concrete and mortar.

Fig.1: Effect of volume of

fibers in flexure

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Fig.2: Effect of volume of

fibers in tension

3. Aspect Ratio of the Fiber

Another important factor which influences the properties and behavior
of the composite is the aspect ratio of the fiber. It has been reported
that up to aspect ratio of 75, increase on the aspect ratio increases
the ultimate concrete linearly. Beyond 75, relative strength and
toughness is reduced. Table below shows the effect of aspect ratio
on strength and toughness.

Type of Aspect Relative Relative

concrete ratio strength toughness

Plain 1
0 1
concrete

With 25 1.5 2.0

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Randomly 50 1.6 8.0

Dispersed 10.5
75 1.7
fibers

100 1.5 8.5

4. Orientation of Fibers
One of the differences between conventional reinforcement and fiber
reinforcement is that in conventional reinforcement, bars are oriented
in the direction desired while fibers are randomly oriented. To see the
effect of randomness, mortar specimens reinforced with 0.5% volume
of fibers were tested. In one set specimens, fibers were aligned in the
direction of the load, in another in the direction perpendicular to that
of the load, and in the third randomly distributed. It was observed that
the fibers aligned parallel to the applied load offered more tensile
strength and toughness than randomly distributed or perpendicular
fibers.

5. Workability and Compaction of Concrete

Incorporation of steel fiber decreases the workability considerably.
This situation adversely affects the consolidation of fresh mix. Even
prolonged external vibration fails to compact the concrete. The fiber
volume at which this situation is reached depends on the length and
diameter of the fiber. Another consequence of poor workability is non-
uniform distribution of the fibers. Generally, the workability and
compaction standard of the mix is improved through increased water/
cement ratio or by the use of some kind of water reducing
admixtures.

6. Size of Coarse Aggregate

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The maximum size of the coarse aggregate should be restricted to

10mm, to avoid an appreciable reduction in the strength of the
composite. Fibers also in effect, act as aggregate. Although they have a
simple geometry, their influence on the properties of fresh concrete is
complex. The inter-particle friction between fibers and between fibers
and aggregates controls the orientation and distribution of the fibers and
consequently the properties of the composite. Friction-reducing
admixtures and admixtures that improve the cohesiveness of the mix
can significantly improve the mix.

7. Mixing
Mixing of fiber reinforced concrete needs careful conditions
to avoid balling of fibers, segregation and in general the difficulty of
mixing the materials uniformly. Increase in the aspect ratio, volume
percentage and size and quantity of coarse aggregate intensify the
difficulties and balling tendency. Steel fiber content in excess of 2%
by volume and aspect ratio of more than 100 are difficult to mix. It
is important that the fibers are dispersed uniformly throughout the
mix; this can be done by the addition of the fibers before the water is
added. When mixing in a laboratory mixer, introducing the fibers
through a wire mesh basket will help even distribution of fibers. For field
use, other suitable methods must be adopted.

4. Conclusion
The study reveals that the incorporation of fibers enhances the
mechanical characteristics of concrete such as tensile strength,
flexural strength, and ductility performance. Furthermore, the addition
of fibers reduces the shrinkage and creep deformation of concrete.
Fibers like steel have some negative effects on concrete because it
significantly reduces the workability. In addition, it has been observed
that other parameters of fibers such as aspect ratio, length of fiber,
shape of fiber, have a significant effect on the creep behavior of fiber-
reinforced concrete. It has been shown that a Medium aspect ratio

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 FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE

provides excellent performance regardless of the fiber content. The

addition of synthetic fibers such as polypropylene has more influence
on energy absorption and crack control than enhancing load-bearing
capacity.
5. References

 https://theconstructor.org/concrete/fiber-reinforced-
concrete/150/
 Concrete technology by M.S. Shetty
 Concrete technology by Dr. M L Gambhir

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