CMR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Kandlakoya (V), Medchal Road, Hyderabad-501 401

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

Seminar report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Degree
under JNTUH B.Tech.

By

K. VAMSHI KRISHNA 17R05A0115

Department of Civil Engineering

CMR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
UGC Autonomous
Approved by AICTE, NBA Accredited & Permanently Affiliated
to JNT University, Hyderabad
Year: 2020-2021
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 Department of Civil Engineering

CMR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

UGC Autonomous
Approved by AICTE, NBA Accredited & Permanently Affiliated to JNT
University, Hyderabad
Year: 2020-2021

Certificate

This is to certify that the Seminar report entitled FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE is being submitted by

Mr. K. VAMSHI KRISHNA, bearing 17R05A0115, in partial fulfillment for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of

Technology in Civil Engineering to the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University is a record of bonafide work

carried out by him/them under my guidance and supervision.

The results embodied in this project report have not been submitted to any other University or Institute for the

award of any Degree.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are extremely grateful to Dr M. Janga Reddy, Director CMR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

and Prof. A. Krishna Rao, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, CMR Institute of Technology.

We Express our Sincere thanks to all the Faculty members of Department of Civil Engineering for their
Constant encouragement throughout the Degree course.

Our Sincere thanks to Dr B. SATYANARAYANA principal, CMR Institute of Technology, Hyderabad,

for providing all the necessary facilities to complete this dissertation.

We Express our deep sense of Gratitude to Prof. A. Krishna Rao, Head of the Civil Engineering
Department, for his encouragement and thus ensuring timely completion of the Project work.

We extend our thanks to the Technical staff for their kind support in bringing the Project work to the
present form.

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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 fiber reinforced concrete. Mechanical

properties and durability of fiber reinforced concrete.

KEYWORDS: Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete, tensile strength, compressive strength

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 CONTENTS
Title i
Certificate ii
Acknowledgement iii
Abstract iv
Contents v
1. Introduction 1
1.1 General 1
1.2 History of Reinforced Concrete 2
1.3 Mixture Compositions and Placing 3
1.3.1 Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete 5
1.3.2 Glass Reinforced Concrete 5
1.3.3 Synthetic Reinforced Concrete 6
1.3.4 Natural Fiber Reinforced Concrete 7
1.3.5 Asbestos Fiber Reinforced Concrete 7
1.3.6 Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete 8
2. Experimental Study 9
2.1 Materials Used 9
2.2 Casting of Specimens 10
2.3 Curing of Specimens 12
2.4 Cube Compression Test 12
Tables 13
Bar Chats 15
v
Conclusion and Reference 16

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 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL
Compared to other building materials such as metals and polymers, concrete is significantly
more brittle and exhibits a poor tensile strength. Based on fracture toughness values, steel is at
least 100 times more resistant to crack growth than concrete. Concrete in service thus cracks
easily and this cracking creates easy access routes for deleterious agents resulting in early
saturation, freeze-thaw damage, scaling, discoloration and steel corrosion.

The concerns with the inferior fracture toughness of concrete are alleviated to a large extent by
reinforcing it with fibers of various materials. The resulting material with a random distribution
of short, discontinuous fibers is termed fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) and is slowly becoming a
well accepted mainstream construction material. Significant progress has been made in the last
thirty years towards understanding the short and long-term performances of fiber reinforced
cementitious materials, and this has resulted in a number of novel and innovative applications.

Concrete is one of the most versatile building materials. It can be cast to fit any structural
shape from a cylindrical water storage tank to a rectangular beam or column in a high rise
building. The advantages of using concrete include high compressive strength, good fire
resistance high water resistance, low maintenance, and long service life.

The disadvantages of using concrete include poor tensile strength, low strain of fracture
and formwork requirement. The major disadvantage is that concrete develops micro cracks
during curing. It is the rapid propagation of these micro cracks under applied stress that is
responsible for the low tensile strength of the material. Hence fibers are added to concrete to
overcome these disadvantages.

The addition of fibers in the matrix has many important effects. Most notable among the
improved mechanical characteristics of Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) are its superior fracture
strength, toughness, impact resistance, flexural strength resistance to fatigue, improving fatigue
performance is one of the primary reasons for the extensive use
of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC)in pavements, bridge decks, offshore structures and
machine foundation, where the composite is subjected to cyclically varying load during its
lifetime.

The main reasons for adding steel fibers to concrete matrix is to improve the post-
cracking response of the concrete, i.e., to improve its energy absorption capacity and apparent
ductility and to provide crack resistance and crack control. Also, it helps to maintain structural
integrity and cohesiveness in the material. The initial researches combined with the large volume
of follow up research have led to the development of a wide variety of material formulations that
fit the definition of Fiber Reinforced Concrete.

Steel fiber’s tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, stiffness modulus and mechanical deformations
provide an excellent means of internal mechanical interlock. This provides a user friendly
product with increased ductility that can be used in applications of high impact and fatigue
loading without the fear of brittle concrete failure. Thus, SFRC exhibits better performance not
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only under static and quasi-statically applied loads but also under fatigue, impact, and impulsive
loading

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 1.2HISTORY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE:

A French gardener by name Joseph Monier first invented the reinforced concrete in the year 1849. If
not for this reinforced concrete most of the modern buildings would not have been standing
today. Reinforced concrete can be used to produce frames, columns, foundation, beams etc.
Reinforcement material used should have excellent bonding characteristic, high tensile strength
and good thermal compatibility. Reinforcement requires that there shall be smooth transmission
of load from the concrete to the interface between concrete and reinforcement material and then
on to reinforcement material. Thus the concrete and the material reinforced shall have the same
strain.

1.3 MIXTURE COMPOSITIONS AND PLACING

Mixing of FRC can be accomplished by many methods [2]. The mix should have a uniform
dispersion of the fibers in order to prevent segregation or balling of the fibers during mixing.
Most balling occurs during the fiber addition process. Increase of aspect ratio, volume percentage
of fiber, and size and quantity of coarse aggregate will intensify the balling tendencies and
decrease the workability. To coat the large surface area of the fibers with paste, experience
indicated that a water cement ratio between 0.4 and 0.6, and minimum cement content of 400
kg/m [3] are required.

Compared to conventional concrete, fiber reinforced concrete mixes are generally characterized by
higher cement factor, higher fine aggregate content and smaller size coarse aggregate. A fiber
mix generally requires more vibration to consolidate the mix. External vibration is preferable to
prevent fiber segregation. Metal trowels, tube floats, and rotating power floats can be used to
finish the surface. Mechanical Properties of FRC Addition of fibers to concrete influences its
mechanical properties which significantly depend on the type and percentage of fiber. Fibers
with end anchorage and Properties and Applications of Fiber Reinforced Concrete High aspect
ratio were found to have improved effectiveness. It was shown that for the same length and
diameter, crimped-end fibers can achieve the same properties as straight fibers using 40 percent
less fibers[S]. In determining the mechanical properties of FRC, the same equipment and
procedure as used for conventional concrete can also be used. Below are cited some properties of
FRC determined by different researchers

.Compressive Strength:

The presence of fibers may alter the failure mode of cylinders, but the fiber effect will be minor on
the improvement of compressive strength values (0 to 15 percent).

Modulus of Elasticity;
Modulus of elasticity of FRC increases slightly with an increase in the fibers content. It was
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 found that for each 1 percent increase in fiber content by volume there is an increase of 3 percent
in the modulus of elasticity.

Flexure:
The flexural strength was reported to be increased by 2.5 times using 4 percent fibers.

Toughness

For FRC, toughness is about 10 to 40 times that of plain concrete.

Splitting Tensile Strength:

The presence of 3 percent fiber by volume was reported to increase the splitting tensile strength of
mortar about 2.5 times that of the unreinforced one.

Fatigue Strength:

The addition of fibers increases fatigue strength of about 90 percent and 70 percent of the static
strength at 2 x 106 cycles for non-reverse and full reversal of loading, respectively.

Impact Resistance:

The impact strength for fibrous concrete is generally 5 to 10 times that of plain concrete
depending on the volume of fiber.

Corrosion of Steel Fibers:

A l year exposure of steel fibrous mortar to outdoor weathering in an industrial atmosphere showed
no adverse effect on the strength properties. Corrosion was found to be confined only to fibers
actually exposed on the surface. Steel fibrous mortar continuously immerse in seawater for 10
years exhibited a 15 percent loss compared to 40 percent strength decrease of plain mortar.

Structural Behavior of FRC

Fibers combined with reinforcing bars in structural members will be widely used in the future. The
following are some of the structural behaviour.

Flexure

The use of fibers in reinforced concrete flexure members increases ductility, tensile strength,
moment capacity, and stiffness. The fibers improve crack control and preserve post cracking
structural integrity of members.
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Torsion;

The use of fibers eliminate the sudden failure characteristic of plain concrete beams. It increases
stiffness, torsional strength, ductility, rotational capacity, and the number of cracks with less
crack width.

Shear;

Addition of fibers increases shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams up to 100 percent. Addition
of randomly distributed fibers increases shear-friction strength, the first crack strength, and
ultimate strength.

Column:

The increase of fiber content slightly increases the ductility of axially loaded specimen. The use
of fibers helps in reducing the explosive type failure for columns.

High Strength Concrete:

Fibers increases the ductility of high strength concrete. The use of high strength concrete and steel
produces slender members. Fiber addition will help in controlling cracks and deflections.

Cracking and Deflection:

Tests have shown that fiber reinforcement effectively controls cracking and deflection, in
addition to strength improvement. In conventionally reinforced concrete beams, fiber addition
increases stiffness, and reduces deflection.

Necessity;

The use of concrete as a structural material is limited to certain extent by deficiencies like brittleness,
poor tensile strength and poor resistance to impact strength, fatigue, low ductility and low
durability. It is also very much limited to receive dynamic stresses caused due to explosions. The
brittleness is compensated in structural member by the introduction of reinforcement (or) pre-
stressing steel in the tensile zone. However it does not improve the basic property of concrete. It
is merely a method of using two materials for the required performance.

The main problem of low tensile strength and the requirements of high strength still remain and it is
to be improved by different types of reinforcing materials. Further concrete is also deficient in
ductility, resistance to fatigue and impact. The importance of rendering requisite quantities in
concrete is increasing with its varied and challenging applications in pre-cast and pre-fabricated
building elements. The development in the requisite characteristics of concrete will solve the
testing problems of structural engineers by the addition of fibers and admixtures. The role of
fibers are essentially to arrest any advancing cracks by applying punching forces at the rack tips,
thus delaying their propagation across the matrix. The ultimate cracking strain of the composite
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 is thus increased to many times greater than that of unreinforced matrix. Admixtures like fly ash,
silica fume, granulated blast furnace slag and metakaolin can be used for such purposes.

However addition of fibers and mineral admixtures posses certain problems regarding mixing,
as fibers tends to form balls and workability tends to decrease during mixing.

1.3.1 STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

Steel fiber-reinforced concrete is basically a cheaper and easier to use form of rebar reinforced
concrete. Rebar reinforced concrete uses steel bars that are laid within the liquid cement, which
requires a great deal of prep work but make for a much stronger concrete. Steel fiber-reinforced
concrete uses thin steel wires mixed in with the cement. This imparts the concrete with
greater structural strength, reduces cracking and helps protect against extreme cold. Steel fiber
is often used in conjunction with rebar or one of the other fiber types.

FIG 1.1STEEL FIBERS

1.3.2 GLASS REINFORCED CONCRETE

o Glass fiber-reinforced concrete uses fiberglass, much like you would find in fiberglass insulation,
to reinforce the concrete. The glass fiber helps insulate the concrete in addition to making it
stronger. Glass fiber also helps prevent the concrete from cracking over time due to mechanical
or thermal stress. In addition, the glass fiber does not interfere with radio signals like the steel
fiber reinforcement does.

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 FIG 1.2 GLASS FIBRES

 Very high tensile strength 1020 to 4080 N/mm2.

 Shows comparable improvement indurability to conventional E-glass fiber.

1.3.3 SYNTHETIC REINFORCED CONCRETE

Synthetic fiber-reinforced concrete uses plastic and nylon fibers to improve the concrete's strength. In
addition, the synthetic fibers have a number of benefits over the other fibers. While they are not
as strong as steel, they do help improve the cement pumpability by keeping it from sticking in the
pipes. The synthetic fibers do not expand in heat or contract in the cold which helps prevent
cracking. Finally synthetic fibers help keep the concrete from spalling during impacts or fires.

FIG1.3 SYNTHETIC FIBRES

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1.3.4 NATURAL FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE

Historically, fiber-reinforced concrete have used natural fibers, such as hay or hair. While
these fibers help the concrete's strength they can also make it weaker if too much is used. In
addition if the natural fibers are rotting when they are mixed in then the rot can continue while in
the concrete. This eventually leads to the concrete crumbling from the inside, which is why
natural fibers are no longer used in construction.

1.3.5 ASBESTOS FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

 Mineral fiber, most successful of all as it can be mixed with portland cement.

 Tensile strength of asbestos varies between 560 to 980 N/mm2.

 Asbestos cement paste has considerably higher flexural strength than Portland cement
paste.

 For unimportant concrete work, organic fibers like coir, jute and cane splits are also used.

FIG 1.4 ASBESTOS FIBRES

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1.3.6 CARBON FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

 Posses very high tensile strength 2110 to 2815 N/mm2 and Young’s modulus.

 Cement composite consisting of carbon fibers show very high modulus of elasticity and flexural
strength.

FIG 1.5 CARBON FIBRES

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2. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY:

2.1 The materials used and their specifications are as follows

2.1.1 CEMENT: Ordinary Portland cement was used and its specific gravity is 3.15*. The
brand used was “UltraTech” with P53 grade. The cement was confirming to IS 269-1976

2.1.2 FINE AGGREGATE: River sand was used and tests were conducted as per IS 2386
(PART I) . Specific gravity offline aggregate is 2.65.Water absorption 0.99%Dry loose bulk
density 1502 Kg/m3

2.1.3 COARSE AGGREGATE: Crushed granite stone aggregates of maximum size of 20

mm was used tests were conducted as per IS 2386 (part III) of 1963.Specific gravity of coarse
aggregate is 2.73. Water absorption 0.25%. Dry loose bulk density 1500 Kg/m3

2.1.4 WATER: As per IS 456-2000 recommendations, potable water was used for mixing
of concrete.

2.1.5 STEEL FIBRES

2.1.5.1. HOOKED END STEEL FIBRES

Hooked end steel fibers commercially called as Dramix steel fibers manufactured by Bekaert
Corporation were used which had a length of 30 mm and a diameter of 0.55 mm resulting in an
aspect ratio of about55 and conforms to American standard ASTM A820 and Belgium standard
1857. The tensile strength of fiber is in the range of 1100 N/mm2

2.1.5.2. CORRUGATED STEEL FIBRES

Corrugated steel fibers from Stewols & Co were used which had a length of 25 mm and a
diameter of 0.45 mm resulting in an aspect ratio of about55 and conforms to American standard
ASTM A820.The tensile strength of fiber is in the range of 1200 N/mm2.

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 Fig. 1.6 Steel fibers used in the experiment

2.2CASTING OF SPECIMENS
The materials were weighed accurately using a digital the mixture machine and mixed
thoroughly for three minutes. Steel fibers were mechanically sprinkled inside the mixture machine
after thorough mixing of the ingredients of concrete. For preparing the specimen for compressive,
tensile, and flexure strength permanent steel moulds were used.

Fig. 1.7 Casting of cubes

Steel Moulds

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 Wooden moulds were fabricated to cast the test specimens for panel testing. Six wooden
moulds were fabricated to facilitate simultaneous casting of test panels. Two different
thicknesses were adopted for the panels; the panel sizes adopted were 500×500×50mm
and500×500×100mm.

Before mixing the concrete the moulds were kept ready. The sides and the bottom of the
all the mould were properly oiled for easy demoulding . The panel was kept at an angle of 45°
and then the concrete was splashed over the panel from a distance of one meter. Then the top
surface was given a smooth finish.

Fig. 1.8 Casting by wooden pane

SFRC using hooked fibre

Fig. 1.9 SFRC using corrugated fibre

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2.3CURING OF SPECIMENS

The test specimens were stored in place free from vibration and kept at a temperature of
27˚±2˚C for 24 hours ± ½ hour from the time of addition of water to the dry ingredients. After
this period, the specimen were marked and removed from the moulds and immediately
submerged in clean fresh water and kept there until taken out prior to test. The specimens were
allowed to become dry before testing. The panels were cured by dry curing method, i.e. moist
gunny bags were covered over the panels.

Fig. 1.10 Use of Admixture

2.4CUBE COMPRESSION TEST

M25 cube made of steel fiber reinforced concrete is used in compression test

Fig. 1.11Cube before test Fig. 1.12 Cube after test

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TABLE 1: COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
AVERAGE COMPRESSION
STRENGTH IN KN/ Sq MM
Specimen 3 days 7days 28 days
type
PCC 25.27 39.59 59.89

HSFRC 24.50 37.29 58.24

0.5%
CSFRC 27.38 39.76 58.43
0.5%
HSFRC 1% 26.32 38.48 59.01
CSFRC 1% 40.35 32.17 60

TABLE 2: TENSILE STRENGTH

AVERAGE TENSILE STRENGTH IN

KN/Sq MM
PCC 2.55 3.54 4.81

HSFRC 0.5% 2.9 4.76 5.19

CSFRC 0.5% 3.4 5.02 4.83

HSFRC 1% 4.01 5.66 6.37

CSFRC 1% 3.82 5.29 6.27

Fig. 1.13 shows compressive strength for fiber reinforced concrete. It can be clearly seen that strength at 28 days
for CSFRC 1% is better than other cases hence recommended.

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.

Fig. 1.13 Graphical representation of Compressive Strength of fibre reinforced concrete

Fig 1.14 Graphical representation of Tensile Strength of fiber reinforced concrete

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 Fig. 1.14 shows tensile strength for fibre reinforced concrete. It can be clearly seen that strength
at 28 days for HSFRC 1% is better than other cases hence recommended. HSFRC seen to given
better strength at 3rd day and 7th day as well.

BAR CHART FOR COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

70

60

50
PCC
40
HSFRC
0.5%
30
CSFRC 0.5%

20 HSFRC 1%

CSFRC 1%
10

0
3 7 28
DAYS DAYS DAYS
CHART 2

BAR CHART FOR SPLIT TENSILE STRENGTH

5 PCC

HSFRC 0.5%
4
CSFRC 0.5%
3
HSFRC
2 0.5%2
1 CSFRC 1%

0
3 7 28
DAYS DAYS DAYS

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 CONCLUSION

A brief state-of-the-art report on fiber reinforced concrete is presented. Our

understanding of fiber-matrix interaction, reinforcement mechanisms and
performance characteristics is fairly advanced. Fiber reinforced concrete is
a promising material to be used in the Middle-East for sustainable and long-
lasting concrete structures. Its performance has already been proven in
other hot and arid climates and in other chemically deleterious
environments.

Fiber reinforced concrete pavements prove to be more efficient than

conventional RC pavements, in several aspects
Compressive strength for fibre reinforced concrete is seen to be improved.
It can be clearly seen that strength at 28 days for CSFRC 1% is better than
other cases hence recommended.

Tensile strength for fibre reinforced concrete is increased. Strength at 28

days for HSFRC is better than other cases when compared. HSFRC seen
to given better strength at 3rd day and 7th day as well.

REFERENCES:

1. 1. R.N. Swamy, “Testing and Test methods of Fiber Cement

Composites”, Published 1978, (pp 42-43).

2. Surendra P. Shah , James I. Daniel, Darmawan Ludirdja,

“Toughness of Glass Fiber reinforced concrete panels
subjected to accelerated aging”, PCI Journal, September-
October 1987, (pp 83-88).
3. Arnon Bentur and Sidney mindess , “ Fiber reinforced
cementetious composites” , Second edition 2007, chapter 8
4. Amit rana “ some studies on steel fibre reinforced concrete” , Vol 3,2013.
5. Abdul Ghaffar, Amit S.Chavan, Dr.R.S. Tatwawadi, “ Steel Fibre
Reinforced Concrete “, International Journal of Engineering Trends
and Technology (IJETT).
6. Alan J Bookes, “ Cladding of Buildings”, Third Edition published 2002.

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