5/3/2019

Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design & Practice

This Webinar is sponsored by ACI. The ideas expressed, however, are those
of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of ACI or its
committees. The audience is expected to exercise judgment as to the
appropriate application of the information.
Please adjust your audio level at this time.

WEBINAR 17

• For continuing education credit, attendance for the entire duration of the
webinar will earn you a certificate of completion for 1 PDH (0.1 CEU). Your
certificate will be available in ACI University under the Certificates tab
within two days.

• For those who cannot join us live; the on-demand recording and quiz will
be made available about a week after the LIVE presentation. Successful
completion of the quiz will earn the certificate.

• Certificates will be available in ACI University under the Certificates tab.

• Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be

addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

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American Concrete Institute is a Registered Provider with The American

Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES).
Credit(s) earned on completion of this online course will be reported to
AIA/CES for AIA members.

The online course based on this webinar is registered with AIA/CES for
continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that
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of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using,
distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

The American Institute of Architects has approved this course for

1 AIA/CES LU Learning Unit.

The American Institute of Architects has approved

this course for 1 AIA/CES LU learning unit.
ACI is an AIA/CES registered provider.

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Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design & Practice

Course Description:
ACI 544.4R-18: “Guide for Design with Fiber-Reinforced Concrete” is a recent publication
with state-of-the-art information on concrete fibers. This course will review the properties
of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) and the related ACI guides on design, specification
and practice. The new developments in the materials technology and the addition of field
experience have expanded the applications of FRC. Fibers are made with different
materials and can provide different levels of crack control and tensile/flexural capacity for
a concrete section, depending on the type, dosage, and performance. Standard tests are
used for characterizing the performance of FRC and the results are used for design in
various non-structural and structural applications. Some of the applications of FRC
include slabs-on-ground, slabs-on-pile, topping slabs, structural connections, precast
segments and shotcrete.

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Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design & Practice

Learning Objectives:
• Recognize various fibers types and their effects on FRC performance.

• Explain how FRC design (flexure, shear, hybrid) is based on the

performance of the composite material and not individual fibers.

• Identify structural and non-structural FRC applications.

• Summarize strategies for specifying and practicing FRC.

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Amir Bonakdar, PhD, PE

Amir Bonakdar, PhD, PE is the business development
manager for Euclid Chemical in western United States.
He has a Master’s degree in structural engineering from
the University of Tehran (2006) and a PhD from Arizona
State University (2010). After graduation, Amir served as
an engineering instructor and researcher at the
university; working on implementing state-of-the-art
research on fiber-reinforced concrete and concrete
durability. He is a registered professional engineer in the
State of Arizona and an active member of ACI and SEA
Arizona and Southern California chapters. He is a
subcommittee chair for ACI-544.C, voting member of ACI
544 (fiber-reinforced concrete), voting member of ACI
360 (slabs-on-ground) and an associate member of ACI
201 (concrete durability).

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Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design & Practice

Amir Bonakdar, PhD, PE
The Euclid Chemical Company
May 7, 2019

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Presentation Outlines

• ACI Publications on FRC

• ACI 544.4R-18

• Characteristics of FRC

• Design Concepts & Guides

• Design for Specific Applications

• Construction Practices

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CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE

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History of Fiber Reinforcement

• Fibers are used in concrete for a similar reason straws were used in
mud bricks thousands of years ago: post-crack strength.

• Macrofibers provide additional tensile and flexural capacity.

• Fibers support the integrity and durability of concrete after cracking.

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Causes of Concrete Cracking

• Low strength from improper curing

• Low strength from excess water
• Shrinkage cracking
• Freeze thaw cycles
• Chloride attack
• Alkali silica reaction
• Sulfate attack
• Acid attack
• Carbonation
• Fatigue
• Overloading

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Plastic Shrinkage Cracks

• Plastic shrinkage is the most common reason for cracking when

concrete is fresh (plastic).

• Water evaporates  volume change (shrinkage), this produces tensile

stresses in fresh concrete that are too high  cracking

• Microfibers are very effective in eliminating these cracks.

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Advantages of Fibers

During construction After construction (in service)

• Reduced labor and costs • Three dimensional reinforcement
• Reduced construction time • Shorter and thinner cracks
• Increased safety • Less spalling and chipping
• Potential reduction in thickness • Increase in long-term durability

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ACI Publications on Fibers

544.1R Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

544.2R Measurement of Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
544.3R Guide for specifying, proportioning, mixing, placing, and finishing FRC
544.4R Guide to Design with Fiber Reinforced Concrete
544.5R Report on the Physical Properties and Durability of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
544.7R Report on Design and Construction of Fiber-Reinforced Precast Concrete Tunnel Segments
544.8R Report on Indirect Method to Obtain Stress-Strain Response of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
544.9R Report on Measuring Mechanical Properties of Hardened Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
506R Guide to Shotcrete
506.1R State-of-the-art report on Fiber-Reinforced Shotcrete
506.2 Specification for Shotcrete
440R State-of-the-art report on Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (FRP)
302.1R Guide for concrete floor and slab construction
325.10R State-of-the-art report on roller compacted concrete pavement
207.5R Roller compacted mass concrete
330R Guide for design and construction of concrete parking lots
330.1 Standard specification for plain concrete parking lot
332.1R Guide to Residential Concrete Construction
360R Design of slabs-on-grade
116R Cement and concrete terminology
318 Building code requirements for structural concrete (shear reinforcement only)

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ACI-318 (shear – steel fibers)

ACI 318 (Building Code) allows for using steel fibers as the shear
reinforcement in flexural members.

New developments under way

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Alternative Design Methods

ACI 318, Section 1.4: “Approval of Special Systems of Design and
Construction”:

“Sponsors of any system of design or construction within the scope of

this code, the adequacy of which has been shown by successful use or
by analysis or test, but which does not conform to or is not covered by
this code, shall have the right to present the data on which their design
is based to the building official or to a board of examiners appointed by
the building official. This board shall be composed of competent
engineers and shall have the authority to investigate the data so
submitted, to require tests, and to formulate rules governing design
and construction of such systems to meet the intent of this code.
These rules, when approved by building official and promulgated, shall
be of the same force and effect as the provisions of this code.”

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ACI 544.4R-88

Older Version: 30 years ago!

ACI 544.4R-88

Design Considerations for

Steel Fiber Reinforced
Concrete

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ACI 544.4R-18

Brand new version:

ACI 544.4R-18

Guide to Design with Fiber

Reinforced Concrete

4 year effort of 20 members:

academia, industry, engineering

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Document Scope

This guide is intended for designers who are familiar with

concrete containing conventional steel reinforcement, but
who may need more guidance on the design and
specification for FRC. In this document, fibers are treated
as reinforcement in concrete and not as admixture.

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Table of Contents

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CHAPTER 3:
CHARACTERISTICS OF FRC

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Types of Fibers

• Synthetic microfibers: “secondary”

reinforcement; shorter and finer strands, plastic
shrinkage crack control only. They can be
monofilament or fibrillated (0.5-1.5 pcy)

• Synthetic macrofibers: longer and coarser

strands, shrinkage crack control and limited
structural applications. Dosage rates should be
calculated by engineering requirements and
equations (3-10 pcy)

• Steel fibers: longer and coarser pieces,

extended structural applications. Dosage rates
should be calculated by engineering
requirements and equations (15-100 pcy)

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Mechanical Performance of FRC

Schematics of the mechanism in Crack control (bridging) in FRC

which fiber reinforcement works. beam under flexural loading

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Standard test methods for FRC

• Performing a direct tension test is ideal and desirable for FRC;

however, a proper tension test is extremely difficult for cement-based
materials because of the potential slippage or crushing of concrete.

• As an accepted alternative, flexural tests are conducted and the

results are used for back-calculating the tensile properties (typically
tensile strength is 1/3 of flexural strength).

• These flexural tests are designed to obtain the complete pre- and
post-crack response of FRC.

• Two beam tests are presented in this document:

ASTM C1609/C1609M-12 and BS EN 14651:2005.

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Standard test methods for FRC

ASTM C1609: Flexural Performance of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Peak strength (fr)

150  T150 D
RTD,150 
f P  b  h2

Residual strength (fe3)

Schematics of a typical ASTM C1609/C1609M-12 test result (strain-

softening FRC) and FRC beam under four-point flexural test.
Re3 = fe3 / fr

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Fiber Dosage vs Performance

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Standard test methods for FRC

3FR ,i .L
f R ,i 
2b.hsp2

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Fiber Dosage vs Performance

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CHAPTER 4:
DESIGN CONCEPTS AND GUIDES

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Tensile Stress-Strain Response for FRC

Schematics of a typical stress-strain diagram for FRC in uniaxial tension

and compression, according to RILEM TC 162-TDF (2003) and
Vandewalle et al. (2003).

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Design of FRC for flexure (stress block)

futFRC  0.37 f150

D

a
Schematics of stress block for a cracked M n  RC  As  f y  ( d  )
RC and FRC flexural member. 2
bh 2
M n  FRC  f150
D

6

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Solved Examples

Example: Assume a 6” slab-on-ground exposed to tensile shrinkage

and temperature stresses. Consider various reinforcement ratios of
0.05%, 0.1% and 0.15% and find the required flexural residual strength
fe,3 for FRC to provide the same level of crack control as grade 60 steel.
Tensile force provided by steel:
As
Fts  .Fy   .Fy  60,000 
b.h

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Solved Examples

Example: Assume an 8” (200 mm) precast panel reinforced with

#4@16” placed in mid-section to provide post-crack moment capacity.
Find the value of 𝑓 for FRC to provide the same level of post-crack
flexural strength as rebar. Assume 5,000 psi concrete and grade 60
steel and a moment capacity factor of 0.9 for steel.

a 8 0.17 
 .M n  RC   . As .Fy .(d  )  0.9  0.147  60,000      31,120 lb  in
2 2 2 
As .Fy 0.147  60,000
a   0.17 in
0.85 f 'c .b 0.85  5,000 12
b.h 2
 .M n  FRC   .M n  RC  31,120 lb  in   . f150
D

6
6M n  FRC 6  31,120
 f150
D
   270 psi (1.86 MPa)
 .b.h 2 0.9 12  8 2

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Design of FRC - hybrid reinforcement

Hybrid reinforcement (using bars plus fibers) could be a viable option

for the design and construction of concrete members with high levels of
reinforcement and steel congestion.

M n  HFRC  M n  RC  M n  FRC

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Design of FRC for Shear

• ACI 318-14 recognizes the use of steel fibers as shear

reinforcement in place of stirrups in flexural members with provisions
based on limited full scale testing. More work in under way.

• Model Code 2010 has summarized the shear design considerations

for SFRC with some equations.

 1

 0.18   f  3 
VFRC  26.8   k s 100  1  7.5 ut  FRC  f c   0.15 cp b.d
  c 
  ft   
 

• Recent experiments have shown the feasibility of using synthetic

macrofibers as full or partial shear reinforcement.

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CHAPTER 5:
DESIGN FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS

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Slabs-on-ground

• Slabs-on-ground are one of the main applications of fibers as the

sole method of reinforcement in concrete.

• Various types of slabs-on-ground such as residential and

commercial floors as well as roads and pavements may experience
cracking before ultimate loads are applied. Such causes include
drying shrinkage, thermal variations, environmental exposures.

• The three-dimensional reinforcement that is provided by steel or

synthetic macrofibers improves the crack resistance of concrete,
specifically near the surface, resulting in a longer service life.

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Why not mesh or bars?

• If placed too low, it doesn’t work!

• If placed too high, it will be exposed!
• Always corrosion issue (deicing salts)!

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ACI 360R-10 - Chapter 11

ACI 360R for slab-on-grade

applications: chapter 11 (FRC
design based on plastic - yield
line theory)

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SOG Example

Distribution Center (FedEx)

Rialto, CA

5 pcy synthetic fiber

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Pavement Example

Airport Runway (O’Hare)

Rialto, CA

66-85 pcy steel fiber

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Canal Lining Example

Canal Lining
Phoenix, AZ

7.5 pcy synthetic fiber

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Topping Slab Example

Topping slab (LAFC)
Los Angeles, CA

3 pcy synthetic fiber

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Slabs with Extended Joint Spacing

• Fibers have been used successfully in the construction of concrete

slabs-on-ground and topping slabs with fewer control joints.

• When fibers are used at sufficiently high dosages, the fibers will
bridge the cracks at the onset of formation. (Design for crack width
control).

• Another approach for extending the joint spacing in floors is by the

combined use of fibers and low shrinkage concrete.

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Example of Extended Joint Spacing

FRC warehouse with extended joint spacing using synthetic

macrofibers at 7.5 pcy and low shrinkage concrete

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Example of Extended Joint Spacing

Seamless 538,000 ft2 FRC pavement using high aspect ratio steel
fibers at a dosage of 42 lb/yd3 plus wire mesh
(Port of Brisbane, Australia).

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Elevated floors/slabs-on-piles

• Design and construction methods of steel fiber-reinforced concrete

slabs-on-piles have been fully discussed in ACI 544.6R-15.

• Applications of pile-supported slabs are quite common for areas

where soil-structure interaction may create differential settlement,
cracking, or long-term serviceability problems.

• High dosages of steel fibers, typically between 85 and 170 lb/yd3 (50
and 100 kg/m3) have been used as the primary reinforcement for
such elevated slabs.

• Steel bars are used in the slabs, between columns, for preventing
collapse under special circumstances such as earthquake, impact or
explosion and referred to as anti-progressive collapse bars.

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Example of Elevated slabs-on-piles

Construction of a multi-story building with SFRC elevated slabs. Note that the
only bars in the suspended slabs are between columns as anti-progressive
collapse reinforcement and the slab itself is reinforced with steel fibers only.

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Composite steel decks

• The steel reinforcement that is used for controlling shrinkage

/temperature cracks in the concrete portion of a composite metal
steel can be replaced by steel or synthetic macrofibers.

• The International Building Code (International Code Council 2015)

refers to ANSI/SDI-C1.0:2014 that allows for using FRC in place of
wire mesh for controlling cracks in concrete under shrinkage and
thermal stresses.

• This document has prescriptive dosages for fibers with steel fibers at
a minimum dosage of 25 lb/yd3 (15 kg/m3) and synthetic macrofibers
at a minimum dosage of 4 lb/yd3 (2.4 kg/m3). Changes are coming
for a performance based design for FRC.

WEBINAR 65

Negative Reinforcement

• The concrete deck has

higher potential for
cracking over the
girders as a result of
negative moments.

• Placing a 4 feet wide

steel mesh or rebar over
the girder will help in
controlling such cracks.

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Example of Composite steel decks

Slab on Metal Deck

(Prudential Tower – Newark, NJ)

4 pcy synthetic macrofiber

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Precast units

• Using fibers in precast units is a popular choice by many producers

for its technical and economic benefits.

• Reinforcing with fibers allows for better automation of the production

process, enhanced quality control, and improved characteristics of
the final products.

• A variety of precast units can be made with FRC that include, but
are not limited to, structural segments (deck panels and tunnel
lining), water or waste management units (pipes, septic tanks,
nuclear waste tanks, and flood retention), boxes (burial vaults, storm
shelters, utility boxes, garages, and storage rooms), and decorative
units (sound wall panels, and shades).

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ACI 544.7R

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Example of Precast units

Precast (tunnel segments)

Las Vegas, NV

50-65 pcy hooked-end steel fiber

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Example of Precast units

Precast (septic tanks)

Phoenix, AZ

6 pcy synthetic macrofiber

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Shotcrete

• FRC is also ideal for soil and rock stabilization as well as ground
support in tunneling and mining due to its easy application.

• The advantages of fiber-reinforced shotcrete over shotcrete

reinforced with wire mesh or steel bars include labor and time
savings, materials reduction, and improved safety.

• Fiber-reinforced shotcrete can also be used as a final or permanent

lining for underground structures.

• Swimming pools are another application for fiber-reinforced

shotcrete. It is especially suitable for pools and skate parks with
many curves, as it is shot against excavated soil, eliminating the
cost of forms and steel installation.

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ACI 506.1R

ACI 506 (Shotcrete) allows for using macro fibers (steel and synthetic) for
shotcrete applications such as underground work to replace mesh.

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Example of Shotcrete

Shotcrete (repair)
(Mesa, AZ)

5 pcy synthetic fiber

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Example of Shotcrete

Shotcrete
(rock stabilization)

45 pcy steel fiber

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Crack Control and Durability

• In many areas, the durability of concrete can be significantly

improved by the use of fiber reinforcement (ACI 544.5R-10).

• Thin bridge deck overlays, marine and environmental structures,

and tunnel linings are some of the applications where fiber
reinforcement has successfully been used for improved crack
control and enhanced durability.

• Research and practical experience showing significant reduction in

crack width in environmental structures using hybrid reinforcement
(bars plus fibers).

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Example of Crack Control and Durability

Storm water storage facility
Akron, OH
5 pcy synthetic fiber (plus original rebar)

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Water Flow / Water Tightness

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CHAPTER 6:
CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES

WEBINAR

Using Fibers in Practice

• Details on specifying, proportioning, mixing, placing, and finishing

FRC have been discussed in ACI 544.3R-08.

• A summary of these topics are briefly presented herein as a quick

guide for engineers who will be specifying FRC.

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Mix Design and Workability

• Fibers change the rheology of the concrete, which can result in an

apparent slump loss.

• No additional water should be allowed to make up for the slump loss

as a result of fibers. The w/c ratio should maintain the same and
proper workability should be achieved only with chemicals.

• In many cases, no changes are necessary to conventional concrete

mix design when fibers are added at low dosages. Just a slight
increase in plasticizer would work.

• At higher dosages and depending on the fiber type, some

adjustments to the mix design become necessary. This includes
using more plasticizer, more paste and more fine aggregates.

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Adding Fibers

Synthetic and steel macrofibers being added to the mixer truck.

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Mixing Fibers

• Fibers can be added to the mixer truck upfront with aggregates or at

the end after all other ingredients.

• For optimized performance, fibers should be dispersed uniformly

throughout the concrete.

• Minimum of 5-6 minutes proper mixing in the truck!

• A test or trial mixing is always recommended to ensure that the

mixture will support the fiber type/dosage and that the batching
sequence will not cause any problems.

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Finishing FRC

FRC can be finished with similar tools used for unreinforced concrete.

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Example of proper finishing practice

(next slides)

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Specifying FRC

• Not all fibers are the same, that is why it is important to specify fibers
based on their “performance” in “fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC)”.

• Parameters related to the residual strength of FRC (Re,3 and fe,3) can be
used for specifications. The values depend on the design and specifics
of the project.

• ASTM C1116-10 is the standard specification for fiber-reinforced

concrete and provides four types of FRC with steel, glass, synthetic and
natural fibers. This specification has detailed information and guidance
for testing, specifying, purchasing, and using fibers. It refers to other
ASTM documents such as C1609 (beam test).

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Specifying FRC

Reinforcement Purpose
Shrinkage/Temperature Crack Post-Crack Tensile/Flexural
Control Capacity

Synthetic microfiber
Fiber Type Steel and synthetic macrofiber
Steel and synthetic macrofiber

Test Method ASTM C1579 or ASTM C1581* ASTM C1609 or ASTM C1550 **
Test / Spec Flexural residual strength or
% in crack width reduction
Parameter toughness

* Prescriptive (dosage based) language may be used instead.

** Equivalent BS tests are EN 14651 and EN 14488

Summary of fiber reinforcement tests and parameters

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Example of FRC Spec

FIBER REINFORCEMENT
• Synthetic macrofibers: Fibers shall comply with ASTM C 1116 type 3,
1.5-2.0 inches in length and aspect ratio of 50 to 90. Use a fiber
dosage to provide a minimum post-crack residual strength (fe3) of 200
psi when tested according to ASTM C1609. Acceptable
product/dosage: XXX . Contact fiber manufacturer for mix design,
pumping, placing and finishing practices.

FIBER REINFORCEMENT
• Steel fibers: Fibers shall comply with ASTM C 1116 type 1 and ASTM
A820 type 1, 2.0-2.5 inches in length and aspect ratio of 60 to 80. Use
a fiber dosage to provide a minimum post-crack residual strength (fR,3)
of 400 psi when tested according to RILEM EN14651. Acceptable
product/dosage: XXX . Contact fiber manufacturer for mix design,
pumping, placing and finishing practices.

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Example of FRC on the Notes/Plans

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Example of FRC on the Notes/Plans

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Questions?
Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: Design & Practice
This webinar is sponsored by the American Concrete Institute (ACI).
Thank you to our presenter: Amir Bonakdar.
Please use the question feature to submit your questions.
To earn continuing education for this webinar go to www.ACIUniversity.com.

WEBINAR 95

www.ACIUniversity.com

Upcoming
Webinars
May Performance – Based Specifications for Concrete
June An Introduction to Low-Density Cellular Concrete and Advanced
Engineered Foam Technology: Not Just a Product—A Solution
July Ethics and Safety
September High-Strength Reinforcement
October Presidents Series: Topic TBA, Speaker Michael Schneider

WEBINAR 96

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Recorded
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