Seminar Report on

Fibre Reinforced Concrete

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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ABSTRACT
In conventional concrete, micro-cracks develop before structure
is loaded because of drying shrinkage and other causes of
volume change. When the structure is loaded, the micro cracks
open up and propagate because of development of such micro-
cracks, results in inelastic deformation in concrete. Fibre
reinforced concrete (FRC) is cementing concrete reinforced
mixture with more or less randomly distributed small fibres. In
the FRC, a number of small fibres are dispersed and distributed
randomly in the concrete at the time of mixing, and thus
improve concrete properties in all directions. The fibers help to
transfer load to the internal micro cracks. FRC is cement based
composite material that has been developed in recent years. It
has been successfully used in construction with its excellent
flexural-tensile strength, resistance to spitting, impact resistance
and excellent permeability and frost resistance. It is an effective
way to increase toughness, shock resistance and resistance to
plastic shrinkage cracking of the mortar. These fibers have many
benefits. Steel fibers can improve the structural strength to
reduce in the heavy steel reinforcement requirement. Freeze
thaw resistance of the concrete is improved. Durability of the
concrete is improved to reduce in the crack widths.
Polypropylene and Nylon fibers are used to improve the impact
resistance. Many developments have been made in the fiber
reinforced concrete. Key words: Fiber Reinforced Concrete; Steel
Fiber; Glass Fiber; Natural Fiber; Aspect Ratio; Mechanicaland
Structural Properties.

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 Contents

➢ Introduction
➢ What is fiber reinforced concrete?
➢ Need of Fibre Reinforced Concrete
➢ History of Reinforced Concrete
➢ Toughening Mechanism
➢ Factors Affecting the properties of FRC
➢ Comparison of mix proportion
➢ Types of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
➢ Effects of fiber reinforced concretes
➢ Uses of fiber reinforced concrete
➢ Benefits
➢ Application of FRC
➢ Conclusion
➢ References

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Introduction
Concrete made from Portland cement, is relatively strong in
compression but weak in tension and tends to be brittle. The
weakness in tension can be overcome by the use of conventional
steel bars reinforcement and to some extent by the mixing of a
sufficient volume of certain fibers. The use of fibers also
recalibrates the behaviour of the fiber-matrix composite after it
has cracked through improving its toughness (Nataraja M.C.,
Dhang N) .This thesis is aims to provide information on the
properties and applications of the more commonly available
fibers and their uses to produce concrete with certain
characteristics.
A new kind of fibre reinforced concrete is developed
which is made from cellulose fibers. A fibre is a small discrete
reinforcing material produced from various materials like steel,
plastic, glass, carbon and natural materials in various shapes and
size.
A numerical parameter describing a fibre as its aspect ratio,
which is defined as the fibre length, divided by an equivalent
fibre diameter. Typical aspect ratio[l/d] range from 30 to 150 for
length dimensions of 0.1 to 7.62 cm typical fibre diameters are
0.25 to 0.76 mm for steel and 0.02 to 0.5 mm for plastic.
The plain concrete fails suddenly when the deflection
corresponding to the ultimate flexural strength is exceeded, on
the other hand fiber reinforced concrete continue to sustain
considerable loads even at deflections considerably in excess of
the fracture deflection of the plain concrete.

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What is Fiber Reinforced Concrete.?

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 – each of which lend varying properties to the
concrete. In addition, the character of fiber-reinforced concrete
changes with varying concretes, fiber materials, geometries,
distribution, orientation, and densities.
Fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) is a new structural material
which is gaining increasing importance. Addition of fiber
reinforcement in discrete form improves many engineering
properties of concrete.
Continuous meshes, woven fabrics and long wire or rods are not
considered to be discrete fibre.

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Why we need FRC ??
Plain unreinforced concrete is a brittle material with a low tensile
strength and low strain capacity .so when they are exposed to
heavy load cracks appear and they collapse.
But it has been recognised that the addition of small, closely
spaced and uniformly dispersed fibres to concrete would act as
crack arrester and would substantially improves its static and
dynamic properties. The uniformly/randomly distributed
discontinuous fibres bridges across the cracks that develop
provides some post cracking ductility and protect it from
sudden collapse.
According to Griffith theory the concrete has low tensile strength
due to existence of cracks. So, the reinforced fibre helps in
increasing the tensile strength of concrete by bridging the cracks
with the fibre.

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History of reinforced concrete

Fibers have been used for concrete reinforcement since

prehistoric times though technology has improved significantly,
as is applicable for other fields.
In the early age, straw and mortar were used for producing mud
bricks, and horsehair was used for their reinforcement. As the
fiber technology developed, cement was reinforced by asbestos
fibers in the early twentieth century.
During the middle of the twentieth century, extensive research
was in progress for the use of composite materials for concrete
reinforcement. Later, the use of asbestos for concrete
reinforcement was discouraged due to the detection of health
risks.
New materials like steel, glass, and synthetic fibers replaced
asbestos for reinforcement. Active research is still in progress on
this important technology. Fiber Reinforced Concrete is
considered to be one of the greatest advancements in the
construction engineering during the twentieth century.

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Toughening mechanism
• Toughness is the ability of a material to absorb energy
and plastically deformed without fracturing.

• It can also be defined as resistance to fracture of a

material when stressed.

• Plain concrete fails suddenly once the deflection

corresponding to the ultimate flexural strength is
exceeded; on the other hand, fiber-reinforced concrete
continue to sustain considerable loads even at
deflections considerably in excess of the fracture
deflection of the plain concrete.

• Examination of fractured specimens of fiber-

reinforced concrete shows that failure takes place
primarily due to fiber pull-out or debonding. Thus,
unlike plain concrete, a fiber-reinforced concrete
specimen does not break immediately after initiation
of the first crack.

• This has the effect of increasing the work of fracture,

which is referred to as toughness and is represented
by the area under the load-deflection curve.

• In FRC crack density is increased, but the crack size is

decreased.

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Effect of Fibre reinforcement on Stress and
strain on concrete

Impact of Reinforced fibre during cracking

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Factors affecting the 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 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 show the effect of volume on the
toughness and strength. It can see from Fig. that the increase in
the volume of fibers, increase approximately linearly, the
tensile strength and toughness of the composite.

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Use of higher percentage of fiber is likely to cause segregation
and harshness of concrete and mortar.

.
3. Aspect Ratio of the Fiber
Another important factor which influences the properties and
behaviour 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 1.1 shows the
effect of aspect ratio on strength and toughness.

Aspect
Type of concrete Relative strength Relative toughness
ratio

Plain concrete 0 1 1

With 25 1.5 2.0

Randomly 50 1.6 8.0

Dispersed fibers 75 1.7 10.5

100 1.5 8.5

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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.

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6. Size of Coarse Aggregate
Maximum size of the coarse aggregate should be restricted to
10mm, to avoid appreciable reduction in 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.

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 Comparison of mix proportion
between plain concrete and fibre
reinforced concrete

Material Plain concrete Fiber reinforced

concrete

Cement 446 Kg 519 Kg

Water (W/C=0.45) 201 Lit. 234 Lit.

Fine aggregate 854 Kg 761 Kg

Coarse aggregate 682 Kg 608 Kg

Fibers (2% by -- 157 Kg

volume)

The 14-days flexural strength, 8 Mpa, of the fiber reinforced

was about 20% higher than that of plain concrete.

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Types of FRC :-
1. STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE steel fibre reinforce
concrete is a composite material which is made up from cement
concrete mix and steel fibres as a reinforcing. The steel fibres, which
are uniformly distributed in the cementations mix .This mix, have
various volume fractions, geometries, orientations and material
properties. It has been shown in the research that fibres with low
volume fractions
The types of steel fibers are defined by ASTM A820:-
• Type I: cold-drawn wire
•Type II; cut sheet
• Type III: melt-extracted
• Type IV: mill cut
• Type V: modified cold-drawn wire
Generally SFRC is very ductile and particularly well suited for
structures which are required to exhibit:- • High fatigue strength
resistance to impact, blast and shock loads
• Shrinkage control of concrete
• Tensile strength, very high flexural, shear
• Erosion and abrasion resistance to splitting
• Temperature resistance, high thermal
• Earth quake resistance

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The degree of improvement gained in any specific property exhibited
by SFRC is dependent on a number of factors that include:-
• Concrete mix and its age
• Steel fiber content, volume fraction
• Fiber geometry, its aspect ratio (length to diameter ratio) and bond
characteristics volume fraction

2. GLASS FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE -

Glass fibre–reinforced concrete is (GFRC) basically a concrete
composition which is composed of material like cement, sand,
water, and admixtures, in which short length discrete glass
fibers are dispersed. Inclusion of these fibres in these composite
resultsin improved tensile strength andimpact strength of the
material.GFRC has been used for a period of 30 years in several
construction elements but at that time it was not so popular,
mainly in non-structural ones, like facing panels (about 80% of
the GRC production), used in piping for sanitation network
systems, decorative non-recoverable formwork, and other

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products. At the beginning age of the GFRC development, one
of the most considerable problems was the durability of the glass
fiber, which becomes more brittle with time, due to the alkalinity
of the cement mortar. After some research,
significantimprovement have been made, andpresently, the
problem is practically solved with the new types of alkali-
resistant (AR resistance) glass fibers and with mortar additives
that prevent the processes that lead to the embrittlement of
GFRC.

3. POLYMER FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE:-

Civil structures made of steel reinforced concrete normally
suffer from corrosion of the steel by the salt, which results in the
failure of those structures. Constant maintenance and repairing
is needed to enhance the life cycle of those civil structures. There
are many ways to minimize the failure of the concrete structures

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made of steel reinforce concrete. The custom approach is to
adhesively bond polymer fiber composites onto the structure.
This also helps to increase the toughness and tensile strength
and improve the cracking and deformation characteristics of the
resultant composite. But this method adds another layer, which
is prone to degradation. These fiber polymer composites have
been shown to suffer from degradation when exposed to marine
environment due to surface blistering. As a result, the adhesive
bond strength is reduced, which results in the de-lamination of
the composite.

4. NATURAL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

–The first use of fibers in reinforced concrete has been dated to
1870‟s. Since then, researchers around the world have been
interested in improving the tensile properties of concrete by
adding, iron and other wastes. Local interest has been
demonstrated through research work performed. In addition to
industrial fibers, natural organic and mineral fibers have been
also investigated in reinforced concrete. Wood, sisal, jute,

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bamboo, coconut, asbestos and rockwool, are examples that
have been used and investigated.

5.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 here thermal mechanical & chemical resistance making
them suitable for sheet product pipes, tiles and corrugated
roofing elements. Asbestos cement board is approximately two
or four times that of unreinforced matrix. However, due to
relatively short length (10mm) the fiber have low impact
strength.

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6. Carbon Fibers:
Carbon fibers from the most recent & probability the most
spectacular addition to the range of fiber available for
commercial use. Carbon fiber comes under the very high
modulus of elasticity and flexural strength. These are
expansive. Their strength & stiffness characteristics have been
found to be superior even to those of steel. But they are more
vulnerable to damage than even glass fiber, and hence are
generally treated with resign coating.

7. Organic Fibers:
Organic fiber such as polypropylene or natural fiber may be
chemically more inert than either steel or glass fibers. They are
also cheaper, especially if natural. A large volume of vegetable
fiber may be used to obtain a multiple cracking composite. The
problem of mixing and uniform dispersion may be solved by
adding a super plasticizer.

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Effects of FRC
Fibers are usually used in concrete to control cracking due
to plastic shrinkage and to drying shrinkage. They also reduce
the permeability of concrete and thus reduce 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, and so cannot replace moment–
resisting or structural steel reinforcement. Indeed, some fibers
actually reduce the strength of concrete.
The amount of fibers added to a concrete mix is expressed 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%. The 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 fiber's modulus of elasticity is higher than the matrix
(concrete or mortar binder), they help to carry the load by
increasing the tensile strength of the material. Increasing the
aspect ratio of the fiber usually segments the flexural strength
and toughness of the matrix.
Some recent research indicated that using fibers in concrete has
limited effect on the impact resistance of the materials. This
finding is very important since traditionally, people think that
ductility increases when concrete is reinforced with fibers. The
results also indicated that the use of micro fibers offers better
impact resistance to that of longer fibers.[1]
As for pavements, the most prevalent use for FRC is at toll plazas
where nonmetallic fibers are used in lieu of metallic
reinforcement since they can disrupt electronic toll readers
signals.

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Uses of FRC
It is used on account of the advantages of increased static and
dynamic tensile strength and better fatigue strength.
It has been tried on overlays of air-field, road pavements,
industrial footings, bridge decks, canal lining, explosive
resistant structures, refractory linings,etc.
Used for the fabrication of precast products like pipes, boats,
beams, stair case steps, wall panels, roof panels, manhole
covers etc.
It is also being tried for the manufacture of prefabricated
formwork moulds of “U” shape for casting lintels and small
beams.

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Benefits of FRC

Polypropylene and Nylon fibers can :

• Improve mix cohesion, improving pumpability over long
distances
• Improve freeze-thaw resistance
• Improve resistance to explosive spalling in case of a severe
fire
• Improve impact resistance– and abrasion–resistance
• Increase resistance to plastic shrinkage during curing
• Improve structural strength
• Reduce steel reinforcement requirements
• Improve ductility
• Reduce crack widths and control the crack widths tightly,
thus improving durability

Steel fibers can:

• Improve structural strength
• Reduce steel reinforcement requirements
• Reduce crack widths and control the crack widths tightly,
thus improving durability
• Improve impact– and abrasion–resistance
• Improve freeze-thaw resistance

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Blends of both steel and polymeric fibers are often used in
construction projects in order to combine the benefits of both
products; structural improvements provided by steel fibers and
the resistance to explosive spalling and plastic shrinkage
improvements provided by polymeric fibers.
In certain specific circumstances, steel fiber or macro synthetic
fibers can entirely replace traditional steel reinforcement bar
("rebar") in reinforced concrete. This is most common in
industrial flooring but also in some other precasting
applications. Typically, these are corroborated with laboratory
testing to confirm that performance requirements are met. Care
should be taken to ensure that local design code requirements
are also met, which may impose minimum quantities of steel
reinforcement within the concrete. There are increasing
numbers of tunnelling projects using precast lining segments
reinforced only with steel fibre.

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 Application of FRC in India and
Abroad

➢ More than 400 tones of Steel Fibers have been used recently
in the construction of a road overlay for a project at
Mathura (UP).
➢ A 3.9 km long district heating tunnel, caring heating
pipelines from a power plant on the island Amager into the
center of Copenhagen, is lined with SFC segments without
any conventional steel bar reinforcement.
➢ steel fibers are used without rebars to carry flexural loads
is a parking garage at Heathrow Airport. It is a structure
with 10 cm thick slab.
➢ Precast fiber reinforced concrete manhole covers and
frames are being widely used in India.

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Conclusion:-
The efficient utilisation of fibrous concrete involves improved
static and dynamic properties like tensile strength, energy
absorbing characteristics, Impact strength and fatigue strength.
Also provides a isotropic strength properties not common in the
conventional concrete. It will, however be wrong to say that
fibrous concrete will provide a universal solution to the
problems associated with plain concrete. Hence it is not likely to
replace the conventional structural concrete in total.
Superior crack resistance and greater ductility with distinct post
cracking behavior are some of the important static properties of
FRC. The enormous increase in impact resistance and fatigue
resistance allow the new material to be used in some specified
applications where conventional concrete is at a disadvantage.
A new approach in design and in the utilization of this material,
to account for both increase in performance and economics is
therefore, needed.

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References:-
➢ K.Srinivasa Rao, S.Rakesh kumar, A.Laxmi Narayana,
Comparison of Performance of Standard Concrete and Fibre
Reinforced Standard Concrete Exposed To Elevated
Temperatures, American Journal of Engineering Research
(AJER), e-ISSN: 2320-0847 p-ISSN : 2320-0936, Volume-02,
Issue-03, 2013, pp-20-26
➢ Abid A. Shah, Y. Ribakov, Recent trends in steel fibered high-
strength concrete, Elsevier, Materials and Design 32 (2011),
pp 4122–4151
➢ ACI Committee 544. 1990. State-of-the-Art Report on Fiber
Reinforced Concrete.ACI Manual of Concrete Practice, Part 5,
American Concrete Institute, Detroit,MI, 22 pp
➢ P.K. Mehta and P.J.M. Monteiro, Concrete: Microstructure,
Properties, and Materials, Third Edition, Fourth Reprint
2011, pp 502-522
➢ ACI Committee 544, Report 544.IR-82, Concr. Int., Vol. 4,
No. 5, p. 11, 1982
➢ Hanna, A.N., PCA Report RD 049.01P, Portland Cement
Association, Skokie, IL, 1977
➢ Ezio Cadoni ,Alberto Meda ,Giovanni A. Plizzari, Tensile
behaviour of FRC under high strain-rate,RILEM, Materials
and Structures (2009) 42:1283–1294
➢ Marco di Prisco, Giovanni Plizzari, Lucie Vandewalle,
Fiber Reinforced Concrete: New Design Prespectives,
RILEM, Materials and Structures (2009) 42:1261-1281

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