NEW MATERIALS FOR OLD MARKETS STEEL FIBRE CONCRETE Advantages, application and developments

JRGEN SKAARUP

Abstract With growing experience in production and placing, and acquired knowledge from large-scale research programs, Steel Fibre Concrete is, through standardisation, developing into a welldocumented structural building material. New products such as additives for producing selfcompacting concrete can also be incorporated into Steel Fibre Concrete with positive results, enabling very fast pouring and easy finishing. With good preparation and a sufficiently low friction between concrete and sub base, very large slab sizes can be poured, as well as joint free floors. Automated dosing equipment makes it possible to get the exact and necessary quantity of fibre, consequently minimising the material and labour cost and making the Steel Fibre Concrete even more attractive to the potential user. All this supports the expanding market for Steel Fibre Concrete!

Keywords Steel fibre concrete, self-compacting concrete, standardisation, floors.

Biographical notes Jrgen Skaarup, civil engineer, concrete technologist and project manager of Fibre Concrete, and in general dealing with research, development and education at the ready-mixed concrete company 4K-Beton A/S, Denmark. 4K-BETON A/S is part of the RMC-Group. Active in the concrete industry since 1981, he has been serving as Technical Manager for more than 13 years for the largest ready-mixed concrete producer in Bahrain, Haji Hassan Readymix, and for 4K-Beton A/S in Denmark. Chairman of the S328-U5 committee Fibre concrete under The Danish Standardisation Organisation and member of other national and international Committees dealing with concrete technology and standardisation

1. INTRODUCTION The use of fibres as reinforcement in cementitious material is well known. The technology was introduced industrially in the beginning of the century primarily for production of the asbestos cement sheets, Eternit. Also glass fibre reinforced cement and mortar has been produced for decades. It is characteristic for both products that they are produced using highly specialised equipment. Steel fibre concrete is also a very old invention, the first patent was granted in 1874, but more than100 years passed before steel fibre concrete was introduced as a standard readymixed concrete option in Denmark in the beginning of the 1990. Steel fibre reinforced concrete is produced using moderate amounts of fibres, standard production equipment and the ordinary or only slightly modified technologies. The characteristics of steel fibre concrete are the good strength and durability properties from the normal concrete combined with considerably increased fracture toughness. The increased fracture toughness has an effect on several material and structural properties. Observations indicate that fibre reinforcement limits crack widths of beams and slabs and ensures a more favourable crack distribution and improved overall safety of the structural element. 4K-BETON A/S, a member of the RMC Group, started production of fibre reinforced concrete in the late 1980s and took up regular production of steel fibre concrete in 1994, a production that has been increasing ever since.

2. MARKET SITUATION 2.1 Market situation In the ERMCO Congress in Lisbon we predicted that the 1998 production of fibre concrete in Denmark as a whole would total approximately 2% of the ready-mixed concrete production. Steel fibre concrete would count for 85 % of the total fibre concrete production. We also foresaw a steep increase in production of steel fibre concrete in the years to follow. Both forecasts were fortunately correct and nothing indicates that the development has stopped yet. A market analysis based on the official figures for the development in the total gross floor area in the Danish Building sector indicates that the use of steel fibre concrete for pavements and floorings could easily be tripled. The actual figures for the period from 1994 to 2000 inclusive the forecast for 2001 are listed below: Commenced gross floor area in Denmark (106 m2)

1994 Total gross floor area Industrial Buildings Agricultural Building Residential buildings Administration & Office Other Buildings 5.070 0.760 0.110 2.040 0.620 0.530

1995 5.856 8.800 1.334 2.237 0.802 0.603

1996 7.351 0.764 1.800 3.090 1.039 0.658

1997 8.364 0.961 2.124 3.433 1.121 0.725

1998 9.040 1.050 2.430 3.805 1.120 0.635

1999 8.750 1.125 2.225 3.865 1.150 0.385

2000 8.050 1.100 1.800 3.325 1.150 0.675

2001 7.740 1.050 1.750 3.165 1.100 0.675

Potential fibre concrete production, year 2000

Surface 2 6 m x 10

Avg. thickness (cm)

% potential fibre reinf. concrete 75 20 20 50 50

% of fibre concrete steel 90 50 20 25 50 polyp. 10 50 80 75 50

m of fibre concrete steel 111375 21600 13300 14375 13500 polyp. 12375 21600 53200 43125 13500

Industrial Buildings Agricultural Building Residential buildings Administration & Office Other Buildings

1.100 1.800 3.325 1.150 0.675

15 12 10 10 8

Example: Industrial buildings, 1,100,000 m2 of 15 cm's floor thickness equals 165,000 m3, 75% of this is, in our opinion, the potential volume of fibre reinforced concrete in industrial floor slabs that can be replaced with fibre concrete. This equals 123,750 m3, 90% of this is our estimate for the volume of steel fibre concrete, which makes the total potential volume of steel fibre concrete in this category 113,375 m3.

Estimated fibre concrete market

1994 Steel fibre concrete 3 market in 1000 m PP- fibre concrete market 3 in 1000 m 116.9 88.5

1995 136.1 103.8

1996 137.5 131.7

1997 165.0 147.8

1998 177.4 156.6

1999 178.1 152.0

2000 174.2 143.8

2001 167.2 138.2

Potential production / Production 250

Thousand m3

200 150 100 50 0 1994

Actual Production Potential Production

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

Year
3

Production - Steel Fibre Concrete 70,0

3 3 Production m * 10

60,0 50,0 40,0 30,0 20,0 10,0 0,0 1994

Production 4K-Beton A/S Total Production Denmark

1995

1996

1997 Year

1998

1999

2000

The natural expansion of the market into replacement of the secondary reinforcement in beams walls etc. would add considerably to the potential volume of steel fibre concrete. This, however, depends on the design methods! A design method very close to methods used for ordinary reinforced concrete known to the consultants will give the necessary belief in steel fibre concrete. The coming Danish standard for fibre concrete will most probably be based upon such conventional methods.

3. STANDARDISATION 3.1 European recommendations No European country has yet design-standards for fibre concrete. Many European countries have already recommendations regulating the design, and the use of fibre concrete, and a few have tests-standards. Characterising all the recommendations is the use of the more or less empirical methods. These methods are not based on true material parameters, the results of the testing to verify design depend on the fibre content, the type of fibre and the strength of the concrete and on the dimensions of the specimens tested. Preferably test specimens for example should be the same height as the structure itself. Consequently no material parameter could be drawn from the huge amount of results of this testing, and it is not possible to build up a databank of standard parameters for use in other projects, apart from imperial equations and experience.

3.2 MUP 2 Project & Conventional Concrete Method It was the aim of the group of people involved in the state funded project MUP 2 (the second Materials Technology Development Program) project Design methods for fibre reinforced cement based composite materials to: 1. Suggest a design method or methods suitable for Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete. 2. Set up relationships between toughness parameters and fibre reinforcement. 3. Evaluate test methods, either existing or develop new practical methods. Furthermore the workability, durability and fire resistance of Fibre Reinforced Concrete was to be evaluated. It was the intention that the results of the project would enable a rational approach rather than an empirical one to be applied in the design of Fibre Reinforced Concrete structures and materials. Their recommendations would then be dealt with in the committee S328 U05, the Danish standardisation committee for fibre concrete, and be the basis of the coming Danish Standard for Fibre Concrete. The overall conclusions of the final report were. Regarding Design method: An excellent but also very expensive and difficult way of describing Fibre Reinforced Concrete would be the direct tension test, giving the stress-crack opening relationship directly. A simpler and less expensive way is in terms of a toughness class and a strength class: 1. The toughness class is associated with the stress-crack opening relationship. 2. The strength class with the tensile strength. Verification of the assumed toughness class could most accurately and more easily be done by using the three point bending test using a notched beam. For the interpretation of the test, a simple mathematical model has been presented. Verification of strength should be done independent of verification of toughness class, i.e. by using splitting tensile test on similar concrete without fibres. Designs tools according to above guidelines have been experimentally verified!!

Regarding workability: In order to characterise workability of Fibre Reinforced Concrete the normally used methods was found not to be sufficient, and a two-parameter workability test has been developed. The two-parameter workability test has been proven to predict and control execution properties.

Regarding durability: It has been found that all cracks even micro cracks act as an extra surface from which chlorides penetrate into the concrete Generally fibres have a positive effect on the durability of concrete, the lower the w/c-ratio the more positive the effect. Visual inspection showed no signs of corrosion neither on the steel fibres nor on the reinforcement bars even though the chloride level was very high. Fibres do not have any influence on frost resistance. 3.3 Conclusion regarding standardisation 5

Work has still to be done before the standard can be finished, in order to include: A suitable method for determination of tensile strength should be agreed on or developed. Reproducibility and reliability of the direct tension and 3 point bending test should be investigated. Time dependency of the method under fatigue, creep, relaxation and aggressive environmental conditions. Further development of the design models based on the stress-crack opening relationship and toughness class.

When the work is finished, we have a standard that the consultants and designers have so much belief in, that the promotion of steel fibre concrete for the replacement of all secondary reinforcement in the structures can be started, a standard working with similar theories as the well-known present standards for ordinary reinforced concrete. The verification of the basic assumptions of the design will be easily dealt with through a few standard tests that can be carried out at the plant laboratory in line with what we are already doing today to verify our production of ordinary ready mixed concrete.

4. Self Compacting Steel fibre concrete With the development of the new generation super plasticising additives for Self Compacting Concrete, SCC, it was a challenge to use these in the development of new easy to place floor screeds, Self Compacting Steel fibre concrete, SCS. For approximately two years we have been supplying this type of concrete with various amounts of steel fibres for all types of flooring. The calculation of the content of steel fibre has been done according to the usual Swedish recommendation, with no modifications due to the use of self-compacting concrete. The very good workability properties of the normal SCC, seems effected only minimally by the addition of steel fibre to the mix. In many parts of the world, the design of SCC is done according to the "Japanese method" or other methods trying to establish stability within the mix using a large amount of fines in the recipe. Even with high dosages of plasticisers that necessarily leads to a mix with a high water demand and a low coarse aggregate content. We are of the opinion that concrete for flooring purposes should contain as high a content of coarse aggregates as possible, not less that approximately 950 - 1100 kg/m3. We believe that this is a golden rule for all concrete, and for flooring concrete in particular, in order to avoid problems arising from shrinkage, wear etc. Consequently we in Denmark are trying to maintain as low a content of cement, puzzolans and fines as possible, very close to the contents in normal slump concrete. This also makes it possible to supply concrete within the normal strength classes. We do believe that the reason for the success of SCC (5 to 10 % of the total production of ready mixed concrete) as a whole in Denmark is due to the above general proportioning rules that only result in relatively small extra costs in production of SCC / SCS.

A good example of Self Compacting Steel fibre concrete that is according to the above given guidelines is: SCS, 30 MPa Mix Design

Standard / Name Cement Fly ash Water Aggregates, fine Aggregates, coarse Admixture Admixture Steel fibres 0 - 4 mm 4 - 16 mm Super plasticiser Air entrainer CEM I 52,5 ( MS/LA/2) EN 450

Product

Content 3 kg/m 257 86

Drinking water natural sand natural gravel Glenium 27 Fosroc 316AEA Dramix RL45/50 BN

147 696 992 3,98 0,12 15

This SCS was supplied for an 800m2 storage / production hall floor. No joints were cut, and nearly 2 years after casting there is no visible crack between the ground bean and the in-filled floor concrete. The casting was done in 5 hours by only 4 persons, the concrete was pumped in place and screeded manually with a 2 m straight edge, and cured with a curing compound.

Concrete properties

Fresh concrete W/C-ratio Slump Flow (table) Air Content Density Concrete temp. 0,55 245 mm 620 mm 7,3 % 2206 kg/m 12 C
o 3

Hardened concrete 3 day strength Density 28 day strength Density 16 MPa 2225 kg/m 33 MPa 2236 kg/m
3 3

After a few days the surface was slightly grinded, and finally approximately 2 months later given an epoxy coating. The concrete was producing an excellent floor concrete with very little shrinkage and still no visible cracks approximately two years later.

5. PRODUCTION

5.1 Fibre dosing One of the major expenses producing steel fibre concrete, apart from the fibres itself, is normally dozing the fibres. It is expensive in more than one way: 1. The cost involved dozing the fibres manually in the central mixer, dumping them onto the belt taking the aggregates to the mixer or putting them straight into the back of the truck after loading the concrete. 2. When manual dosing is done, the fibres normally come in 20kg cardboard boxes, limiting the optimising of the fibre content pr m3 to a multipla of full boxes. The packing itself, and the excess fibre content (most likely), and spillage is expensive. 3. Dosing using automated equipment is the optimal way, the capital cost of the equipment and installation is paid back by less cost for manpower, dosage of the correct quantity of fibres and the possibility of optimisation of the fibre content. When steel fibre concrete is sold according to properties rather than on the basis of kg fibres pr m3 , the third option becomes interesting, when the production of fibre concrete is standardised and covered by quality management systems it becomes mandatory.

AUTOMATED FIBRE DOSING

Vibrating spiral feeder Chute

Weighing belt

Fibre dosing

6. REFERENCES 8

Praktisk anvendelse af fiberbeton The Danish concrete assosiation, Publication no. 43, 1993 Hansen, E.J. de Place: Holdbarhed af fiberarmeret beton og revnet beton - state-of-the-art, MUP2 - Designmetoder for Fiberarmeret Cementbaserede Kompositmaterialer. BKM, DTU. 1997. Fiberbeton - Statusrapport MUP1 Cementbaserede Kompositmaterialer, november 1993. Stlfiberbeton rekommendationer fr konstruktion, utfrende och prvning. Betongrapport nr 4 Svenska Betonfreningen, Stokholm, 1995 Retningslinier for fremstilling af fiberbeton, Jens Frandsen og Hans Grn Srensen, 4KBeton A/S, 1995. Introduktion til Fiberbeton & Fiberbeton MUP2 - Designmetoder for Fiberarmeret Cementbaserede Kompositmaterialer. BKM, DTU, TI. 1998 Design methods for Fibre Reinforced Concrete, Final Report, MUP2 - Designmetoder for Fiberarmeret Cementbaserede Konpositmaterialer. Department of Structural Engineering and Materials, Technical University of Denmark.