Advanced Composite Materials

ISSN: 0924-3046 (Print) 1568-5519 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tacm20

Fiber reinforced concrete: developments and

applications to buildings

H. Nakagawa , S. Akihama , T. Suenaga , Y. Taniguchi & K. Yoda

To cite this article: H. Nakagawa , S. Akihama , T. Suenaga , Y. Taniguchi & K. Yoda (1993)
Fiber reinforced concrete: developments and applications to buildings, Advanced Composite
Materials, 3:2, 123-131, DOI: 10.1163/156855193X00124

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1163/156855193X00124

Published online: 02 Apr 2012.

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Fiber reinforced concrete: developments and applications
to buildings

H. NAKAGAWA1, S. AKIHAMA2, T. SUENAGA 1, Y. TANIGUCHI1 and

1
K. YODA
1KajimaTechnicalResearch Institute, 19-1, Tobitakyu 2-Chome, Chofu-shi, Tokyo 182, Japan
2FRC Corporation, 3-2, Toyo 6-Chome, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135, Japan

Receivedand accepted 2 October 1992

Abstract-This report introduces the properties and applications of three newly developed fiber
reinforced concretes. CFRC is a concrete made with carbon fibers distributed uniformly throughout
cement mortar. CFRC has better tensile and flexural properties, toughness, and durability than
conventional concrete. New GRC is made with cement which is less alkaline and less contractile, and
alkali-resistantglass fiber with high zirconia content. New GRC has made it possible to produce larger
interior and exterior panels. 3D-FRC is a concrete reinforced with three-dimensionalfabric which is
made by weavingfiber rovingsin three directions. Continuous-fiberFRCs such as 3D-FRC feature more
efficientreinforcementand produce stronger membersthan do short-fiberFRCs. These FRCs have been
applied to secondary structural members such as curtain walls. FRCs are expected to become more
common in the future.

Keywords: fiber reinforced concrete; carbon fiber; alkali-resistantglass fiber; three-dimensionalfabric;

curtain wall

1. INTRODUCTION

The idea of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC), i.e. reinforcing brittle matrices with
fibrous materials, has long been used. However, only since the early 1970s when
steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) was put to practical use have such materials
commonly become known as FRC. It is only quite recently (with the development
and extensive use of carbon and aramid fibers) that FRC has begun to attract
significant attention as a new material.
FRCs can be broadly classified into two groups: those made with short fibers and
those made with continuous fibers. The former are most commonly used and
manufacturing methods for these materials have been established. However, the
recently prominent problems of reinforced concrete (RC) deterioration, as a result
of salt corrosion and for other reasons, has prompted numerous studies on the use
of continuous fiber impregnated within a resin matrix as an alternative to steel bar
and prestressed wire. Continuous-fiber FRC has been used in structures, though so
far only a few.
This report introduces the properties of carbon fiber reinforced concrete (CFRC),
new glass fiber reinforced cement (New GRC) and three-dimensional fabric
reinforced concrete (3D-FRC) made with continuous fiber which have been
researched and developed by Kajima Corporation. Examples of applications of
these materials are also presented.
124

2. CARBON FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE (CFRC)

CFRC is a concrete made with carbon fibers 3-10 mm long distributed uniformly
throughout the cement mortar, with a fiber content of 1-4°7o by volume. CFRC has
better tensile and flexural properties, toughness, and durability than conventional
concrete, because the mechanical properties of carbon fiber make it well suited for
reinforcing concrete [1 , 2]. Additionally, carbon fiber resists deterioration caused
by heat, is stable and does not deteriorate even in a highly alkaline environment.
Figure 1 shows the relationship between modulus of rupture (MOR) and fiber
volume for CFRCs containing carbon fibers of differing tensile strength. Figure 2
shows the representative flexural stress-deflection curves of CFRCs at a fiber
volume of Vf = 2070. They indicate that stronger fiber and higher fiber volume
produce CFRCs of greater flexural properties: MOR, limit of proportionality
(LOP) and flexural toughness.
Though CFRC had been assumed to be impractical for use as a construction
material because carbon fiber was expensive, stable supplies of relatively cheap,
general-purpose pitch-based carbon fiber later became available. In 1983, for the
first time in the world, it was applied on a vast scale (roughly 10 000 m2) for
external tile panels of the Al Shaheed Monument domes in Iraq (see Fig. 3). CFRC

Figure 1. Relationship between MOR and fiber volume.

 125

was subsequently used, mostly for external curtain wall panels, in the ARK Mori
2
Building (see Fig. 4) and other structures. As of today, a total of about 1 70 000 m
of CFRC curtain walls has been installed.

Figure 2. Flexural stress-deflection curves of CFRCs (Vf=

Figure 3. Al Shaheed Monument Domes in Iraq.

126

_,.....-_- ......,
-- ....... .
Figure 4. ARK Mori building in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

3. NEW GLASS FIBER REINFORCED CEMENT (NEW GRC)

Over 10 years have passed since GRC was introduced to Japan from the UK. It is
now commonly used in Japan in the form of thin and light interior and exterior
panels. Because conventional GRC deteriorates as it ages, experiences more than
twice the drying shrinkage of ordinary concrete and for other reasons, 'New GRC'
has been developed. The new material is made with cement which is less alkaline
(pH 11-12) and less contractile, and with alkali-resistant glass fiber with high
zirconia content [3]. This has made it possible to produce larger interior and
exterior panels, and has led to the increased use of GRC in curtain walls and
elsewhere.
 127

Figure 5. Relationship between relative MOR and number of days of immersion in 80°C water.

Figure 6. Relationship between change in the length and drying age.

128

Figure 5 shows the results of experiments performed to compare the durability

of New GRC and conventional GRC. Relative MORs before and after several days
of immersion in 80°C water are shown, with MOR on the day of immersion indexed
as one. The graph reveals that whereas the MOR of conventional GRC is halved
by the fourth day of immersion, New GRC maintains 80% of its original MOR
even at the 10th day. Figure 6 illustrates the relationship between the drying
shrinkage of the two GRCs during ageing under dry conditions. By the age of 180
days, New GRC shrinks by a factor of 3 x 10-4, which is only about one-fifth that
of conventional GRC (14 x 10-4).

4. THREE-DIMENSIONALFABRIC REINFORCED CONCRETE (3D-FRC)

The three-dimensional fabric used for 3D-FRC has a solid lattice in which rovings
made of various kinds of fiber are woven on three axes. The kinds of fiber used for
the rovings, the number of strands and intervals between rovings can be adjusted
according to the stress a 3D-FRC member is expected to experience. Continuous-
fiber FRCs such as 3D-FRC feature more efficient reinforcement and produce
stronger members than do short-fiber FRCs [4].
Figure 7 shows load-deflection curves of 3D-FRC beams made with a mortar
matrix. They indicate that the flexural properties of 3D-FRCs depend on the
properties of the fiber they contain, by revealing that the use of 3D-FRC made with
carbon fiber high in strength and elasticity produces members with high MOR and
flexural rigidity, whereas when high-elongation aramid fiber is used members able
to withstand large amounts of deflection can be produced. This figure also shows

Figure 7. Load-deflection curves of 3D-FRC beams.

 129

a calculated curve for an RC beam of the same sectional area as the 3D-FRC and
a tension reinforcement ratio of P, = 1070. The curves indicate that 3D-FRC made
with one-third the reinforcement of RC can have three to four times the MOR of
RC.
The first practical application of 3D-FRC to a structure was in the partition
panels of the chlorine storehouse at the Higashi Murayama Water Purification
Plant, in 1988. After being used elsewhere for roof-top structures (see Figs 8 and
9) and permanent forms, in 1991 3D-FRC was adopted for about 1500 m2 of
curtain wall at Sea Fort Square in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo (see Fig. 10). Though only
about 5000 m? of 3D-FRC panels have so far been installed, its use in structures

....., ,
Figure 8. Suidobashi building, Tokyo Demal Coliege (CFRC curtain walls and 3D-FRC parapet
panels).
130

Figure 9. Geometry of a 3D-FRC parapet panel.

.......,.. ''I
Figure 10. Sea Fort Square in Shinagawa-ku,Tokyo.

that require light and very durable members such as those at the seashore or deep
underground seem likely to increase in the future.

5. CONCLUSION
This paper introduced the characteristics of three kinds of FRC and provided
examples of applications of these materials. The use of FRC, particularly for
 131

secondary structural members such as curtain walls, is expected to become more

common in the future. Because research and development of primary structural
members reinforced with fiber has just begun, the use of fiber in such members is
now limited to auxiliary functions in combination with other reinforcing materials
such as reinforcing bars. Many problems, such as the development of standardized
methods for evaluating performance, meeting governmental regulations and cost
reduction, must be solved before FRC can be applied to primary members. Even
so, it seems that primary structural applications will be realized in the near future
since public-sector and private-sector groups are engaged in closely coordinated and
intensive R&D efforts on the subject.

Acknowledgments
The authors express their deep gratitude to the Japan Society for Composite
Materials for awarding them the prize in technology. The authors are determined
to continue working for the expanded use of composite materials and this honor
will only spur them to greater efforts in the future. The authors are also grateful
to all those who contributed advice and cooperation during the preparation of the
paper which led to the prize.

REFERENCES
1. S. Akihama, T. Suenaga, H. Nakagawa and K. Suzuki, Influencesof fiber strength and polymer
impregnation on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced cement composites,
Developmentsin Fiber Reinforced Cement and Concrete, RILEM Symposium1986, 1, pp. 84-92
(1986).
2. S. Akihama, M. Kobayashi, T. Suenaga, H. Nakagawa and K. Suzuki, Effect of CFRC specimen
geometry on flexural behavior, Developmentsin Fiber Reinforced Cement and Concrete, RILEM
Symposium1986, 1, pp. 93-101 (1986).
3. S. Akihama, T. Suenaga, M. Tanaka and M. Hayashi, Properties of GFRC with low alkaline
cement, Fiber Reinforced Concrete Symposium,ACI, 1986Fall Convention in Baltimore, SP105-
11, pp. 189-209 (1986).
4. H. Nakagawa, S. Akihama and T. Suenaga, Mechanical properties of various types of fiber
reinforced concretes, International Conference on Recent Developments in Fiber Reinforced
Cements and Concretes, pp. 523-532 (1989).