CONTEMPORARY BUILDING

MATERIALS
GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete)

A.SHIFREN
2016701565
Introduction
•Glass fiber reinforced concrete, also known as GFRC or GRC, is a type of
fiber-reinforced concrete. Glass fiber concretes are mainly used in
exterior building facade,panels and as architectural precast concrete.
Somewhat siln­ ilar materials are fiber cement siding and cement boards.
•GFRC is a specialized form of concrete with many applications. It can be
effectively used to create-
•Facade wall panels
•Fireplacesurrounds
•Vanity tops
•Concrete countertop
What is GFRC?
• GFRC is similar to chopped fiberglass, although much weaker. It's made by
combining a mixture of fine sand,cement, polymer (usually an acrylic poly­mer),
water,other admixtures and alkali-resistant glass fibers.

•Glass fiber-reinforced concrete consists of high-strength glass fiber embedded in a

cementitious matrix. In this form, both fibers and matrix retain their physical and
chemical identities, while offering a synergism: a combination of properties that
cannot be achieved with either of the components acting alone.

• In general, fibers are the principal load-carrying members, while the

surrounding matrix keeps them in the desired locations and orientation, acting as a
load transfer mediwn between the fibers and protecting them from environmental
damage. In fact, the fibers provide reinforcement for the matrix and other useful
functions in fiber-reinforced composite materials. Glass fibers can be incorporated
into a matrix either in continuous or discontinuous (chopped) lengths.
• GFRC has been used for the past 30 years to produce many concrete products, especially thin
architectural cladding panels, but also for ornamental concrete such as domes, statues,
planters, and fountains. Recently, decorative concre te artisans havediscovered the benefits of
GFRC for decorative panels (such as fireplace surround ), concrete countertops, and artificial rock
work.
• GRC has been used for over 30 years in several construction elements, mainly nonstructural
ones, like facade panels (about 80% of the GRC production), piping for sanitation network
systems,decorative nonrecoverable formwork etc.
• There is virtually no limit to the shape or profile that can be created in a variety of smooth ,
profiled or textural finishes. Moulds can becreated to replicate the most complex of profiles in
restoration, renovation and new construction.Supportsystems can be adapted to meet the demand
for unitised offsite construction.

Fig1.2 /mages of Zaha Had/d' s Heydar Al/yev

Cultural Centre preand post con­
structi on, using glass reinforced concrete as
a cladding material
 Benefits
There are lots of good reasons to use GFRC for thin sections of concrete:
1) Lighter weight : With GFRC, concrete can be cast in thinner sections and is
therefore as much as 75% lighter than similar pieces cast with tradi tional
concrete. An artificial rock made with GFRC will weigh a small fraction of what a
real rock of similar proportions would weigh, allowing for lighter foundations and
reducedshipping cost.
2) High strength : GFRC can have flexural strength as high as 4000 psi and it
has a very high strength-to-weight ratio.
3) Reinforcement : Since GFRC is reinforced internally, there is no need for other
kinds of reinforcement, which can be difficult to place into complex shapes.
4) Consolidation : For sprayed GFRC, no vibration is needed. For poured,
GFRC, vibration or rollers are easy to use to achieve consolidation.
5) Equipment : Expensive equipment is not needed for poured or vibrated GFRC
with a face coat; for sprayed GFRC, equipment generally costs about SI0,000.
6) Toughness : GFRC doesn't crack easily it can be cut without chipping.
Surface finish: Because it is sprayed on, the surface has no bug holes or voids.
7) Adaptability : Sprayed or poured into a mold, GFRC can adapt to nearly any complex shape,
from rocks to fine ornamental details.
8) Durability : According to AC! 544.IR-96, State of the Art Report on iber Reinforced Concrete, "The
strength of fully aged GFRC composites will decrease to about 40 percent of the initial strength prior
to aging: Michael Driver, division manager with Nippon Electric Glass, a major manufacturer of AR
glass fibers, disagrees. "There' s never a durability issue. Water can't get in there are no cracks and
that's a durable material. GFRC will out last precast concrete, cast stone, even some natural stone.
Durability has been increased through the use of low alkaline cements and pozzolans.
9) Sustainable : Because it uses less cement than equivalent concrete and also often uses
significant qua ntities of recycled materials (as a pozzolan), GFRC qualifies as sustainable.
10) Cost : GFRC as a material, however, is much more expensive than conventional concrete on a
pound for pound basis. But since the cross sections can be so much thinner, that cost is overcome
in most decorative elements.
F,g 2.4 GRC used as clad­ ding on theentlre bulld­ lng. This allows for a lot of
creativity In terms of facade designs
The Fibers in GFRC- How They Work
• The glass fibers used in GFRC help give this unique compound its
strength. Alkali resistant fibers act as the principle tensile load
carrying member while the polymer and concrete matrix binds the
fibers together and helps transfer loads from one fiber to another.
Without fibers GFRC would not possess its strength and would be
more prone to breakage and cracking.

• Understanding the complex fiber network in GFRC is a topic in and of

itself.
GFRC Mix Designs
Many different factors impact the ideal composition for concrete, and GFRC is no
different. Mix design isn’t a concept that can be tackled in one blog post, but here are
some of the basic components in a good GFRC mix:

• Fine Sand – Sand used in GFRC should have an average size passing a #50 sieve to #30
sieve (0.3 mm to 0.6mm). Finer sand tends to inhibit flowability while coarser material
tends to run off of vertical sections and bounce back when being sprayed.
• Cement – Typical proportions use equal parts by weight of sand and cement.
• Polymer - Acrylic polymer is typically preferred over EVA or SBR polymers for GFRC.
Acrylic is non-rewettable, so once it dries out it won’t soften or dissolve, nor will it
yellow from exposure to sunlight. Most acrylic polymers used in GFRC have solids
content ranging from 46% to over 50%. Consider trying Smooth-On’s duo Matrix-C and
Forton’s VF-774, two reliable acrylic polymer choices.
• Water – Common water to cement ratios range from .3 to .35. When determining
how much water to use make sure to take the water content from your acrylic
polymer into account. This can make calculating water to cement ratios difficult
unless the solids content of the polymer is known. With a polymer solids content of
46%, 15 lbs of polymer plus 23 lbs of water are added for every 100 lbs of cement.
• Alkali Resistant Glass Fibers – Fibers are an essential component of GFRC. If you’re
using the spray-up method for casting the fibers will be cut and added to the mix
automatically by your sprayer at the time of application. If you’re using premix or
the hybrid method for casting you’ll mix the fibers in yourself. Fiber content varies
but is typically between 5% to 7% of the overall cementitious weight. Higher fiber
content increases strength but decreases workability.
• Other Admixtures – Some other elements you may choose to include in your GFRC
mix include pozzolans (such as silica fume, metakaolin or VCAS) and
superplasticizers.
Casting GFRC
Commercial GFRC commonly uses two different
methods for casting GFRC: spray up and premix.
Spray-Up
The application process for Spray-up GFRC is very
similar to shotcrete in that the fluid concrete mixture
is sprayed into the forms. The process uses a
specialized spray gun to apply the fluid concrete
mixture and to cut and spray long glass fibers from
a continuous spool at the same time. Spray-up
creates very strong GFRC due to the high fiber load
and long fiber length, but purchasing the equipment
can be very expensive ($20,000 or more).
Pros: Allows for very high fiber loads using long Spray-up GFRC Fibers
fibers resulting in greatest possible strength.
Cons: Requires expensive, specialized equipment
(generally $20,000 or more).
Premix
• Premix mixes shorter fibers into the fluid concrete mixture which is then
poured into molds or sprayed.
• Spray guns for premix don’t need a fiber chopper, but they can still be very
costly.
• Premix also tends to possess less strength than spray-up since the fibers and
shorter and placed more randomly throughout the mix.

Pros: Less expensive than spray-up, although a special spray gun and pump is
required.
Cons: Fiber orientation is more random than when using spray-up and fibers
are shorter resulting in less strength.
Hybrid
•One final option for creating GFRC is using a hybrid method that
uses an inexpensive hopper gun to apply the face coat and a
handpacked or poured backer mix. A thin face without fibers
(called a mist coat or face coat) is sprayed into the molds and the
backer mix is then packed in by hand or poured in much like
ordinary concrete.
•This is the method that most concrete countertop makers use.
•This is an affordable way to get started, but it is critical to
carefully create both the face mix and backer mix to ensure
similar consistency and makeup, and to know when to apply the
backer coat so that it adheres properly to the thin mist coat but
doesn’t tear it.
Spraying GFRC mist coat. A
Pros: Affordable way to get started with GFRC. A hopper and air fibrous backer coat will be
applied by hand.
compressor run about $400-$500, much less than the spray guns
used for spray-up or premix.
Cons: Since the face coat and backer mix are applied at different
times careful attention is needed to ensure the mixes have a
similar makeup to prevent curling.
Manufacture
• Glass fibre Reinforced concrete (GRC) is generally manufactured by either the "spray"
process or the "premix" vibration casting process. The method choscen is normally
dictated by factors such as strength requirements, size of mould, architects
specification etc. As a general rule, larger items, sucll as building cladding panels, are
normally "sprayed" whereas small items are manufactured from "premix"GRc
• Sprayed GRC is generally stronger than premit vibration cast GRC.The reasons for
this are firstly that with sprayed GRC it is possible to achieve a fibre content of 5%-
6% whereas premix GRC is limited to around 3% - 3.5%.Secondly, Sprayed GRC
has a lower water content than Premix GRC.

Fog 3.1 A typical handspray method of casting GRC

GFRC Curing
• The high polymer content of GFRC means that long term moist curing is unnecessary.
• Cover a freshly cast piece with plastic overnight, but as soon as it has gained enough
strength it can be uncovered and processed.
• Many GFRC pieces are stripped 16 to 24 hours after casting.

GFRC Processing
• The composition of your mix and the method used will determine how much processing is
needed once your GFRC countertop is removed from its molds. Grouting may be needed to
fill in bug holes or surface imperfections.
• Any blowback (sand and concrete that doesn’t stick to the forms) needs to be cleaned or
the concrete’s surface will be open and granular.
• Achieving a perfect piece right out of the mold is very difficult and requires great skill.
SMU (Southern Methodist University)
Delta Gamma Sorority House
• SMU (Southern Methodist University)
Delta Gamma Sorority House is on the
east side of the main campus of the
university.
• A critical requirement for the project
was to conform to a strict code of
design compatibility for all buildings
on the campus.
• The AAS team worked closely with the
designer, general contractor, and
mason to realize the design cost-
effectively minimizing risk and delays
DESIGN ASSIST, CONSTRUCTION ASSIST
• Value Engineering – AAS engineering team
suggested using architectural GFRC (glass fiber
reinforced concrete) panels for this project after
an in-depth review of the design requirements.
The selection of GFRC panels minimized structural
support requirements while providing design
flexibility to realize required intricate design
details.
• Design Assist – The AAS team reviewed design
details for the project and provided feedback to
confirm design feasibility. The AAS team
collaborates with the design team using AutoCAD,
Revit, or other BIM software products as required.
• Construction Assist – The design team provided
installation guidelines, answered questions to
detail the anchoring conditions for the GFRC
panels.
GFRC PRODUCTS DESIGN, MANUFACTURING
• Color Matching – The AAS team took control sample
and developed the custom batch mix for the GFRC
panels to precisely match other buildings on the
SMU campus.
• Custom Molds, Manufacturing – The CAD
department took the architect’s design details and
developed drawings. The structural support,
installation anchors, connection details were pre-
engineered during this phase.
• Products Consistency – Different product applications
such as column covers and capitals, cornices,
banding, signage, trim for window surrounds and
entryway, etc. have consistently matching color and
structural properties. AAS uses a fully automated
batch plant along with the rigorous product quality
assurance testing to achieve this on every customer
project.
 High-end Design of Corinthian Columns and

Elevation Cornices | Structural Support Required for

GFRC at Higher Elevation is much
SimplerHigh-end Design of Corinthian
Columns and Cornices | Architectural GFRC
CONSTRUCTION, INSTALLATION SUPPORT
• Construction Planning – The different panels
were manufactured, staged, and delivered with
a thorough detailing of the installation
sequence.
• Installation Support – The AAS project team
explained installation details to the masonry
contractor, enabling a smooth construction
process.
 GFRC Stone is Hollow from inside | Get Integrated
SiteSignage Designed into Architectural GFRC |
Support Structure Framing
Easy Handling of Large Piece
 GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete): High-end
Simple Lightweight Pole Holding GFRC Cornice in Design with Complex shapes, Precise Tolerance, Pre-
Place While being Installed engineered Installation Support Architectural GFRC:
High-end Design | Pre-engineered Installation Support
CONTEMPORARY BUILDING
MATERIALS
Carbon fibres or
Graphite
 Definition
• Carbon fiber is a polymer which is a form of
graphite.
• Graphite is a form of pure carbon. In graphite
the carbon atoms are arranged into big sheets
of hexagonal aromatic rings. The sheets look
like chicken wire.
• Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic is a composite
materials; composite materials consists of two
parts: a matrix and a reinforcement.
• In CFRP, the reinforcement is carbon fiber,
which provides the strength. The matrix is
usually a polymer resin, such as epoxy, to
bind the reinforcements together.
• It is an extremely strong and light fiber-
reinforced plastic.
What is Carbon Fiber ?
• Composed of carbon atoms bonded
together to form a long chain.
• A super strong material that's also
extremely lightweight. It’s five times
stronger than steel , Two times stiffer, and
about Two-Third times less in weight.
• CFRP is a more costly material than its
counterparts in the construction industry,
glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and
aramid fiber_x0002_reinforced polymer
(AFRP), though CFRP is, regarded as
having superior properties.
Properties
• Carbon fiber has very high tensile strength.
• It has low thermal expansion.
• It is a light weight material having low density.
• It is a good conductor of electricity.
• It can wear a high resistance.
• Composites have high stiffness, strength, and toughness at substantially
less weight than metals.
• Composites can be made anisotropic, i.e. have different properties in
different directions, and this can be used to design a more efficient
structure.
Advantages
• It has long working life.
• It’s density is less than density of
steel.
• It is insensitive to change in
temperature.
• It’s compressive strength is greater
than all the reinforcing material.
• definable fatigue endurance limit.
Disadvantages
• It is very costly.
• It is little harmful for the human
body as it causes lungs cancer.
• The carbon fibers can cause
corrosion when CRP parts are
attached to aluminum.
• Despite its high initial strength-
to_x0002_weight ratio, a design
limitation of CFRP is its lack of a
definable fatigue endurance
limit.
Applications
• It is used in industry for
retrofitting to strengthen an
existing structure or as an
alternative reinforcing (or pre- IN COLUMNS
stressing) material instead of
steel from the outset of a
project.
• Increase the load capacity of old
structures (such as columns and
bridges).
IN BRIDGES
• CFRP can also be applied to
enhance shear strengthof
reinforced concrete by wrapping
fabrics or fibers around the
section to be strengthened.
• Wrapping around sections (such as
bridge or building
columns/beams) can also enhance
the ductility of the section, greatly
increasing the resistanceto
collapse under earthquake
loading. cfrp
Other applications
• In aerospace and aircraft
industries.
• Automotive body is also made
up of the carbon fiber.
• Constructing up of wind mill
blades.
• CFRP is used in squash, tennis
and badminton
racquets(strings).
Manufacturing Process
THE TWO SOURCES OF CFRP
• Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and
• Pitch
The manufacturing is done in 3 major steps:
• The Stabilization stage
• The Carbonization stage
• The Graphitization stage
Manufacturing Process
• In the stabilization stage, the PAN fibers are first stretched to align the febrile
networks within each fiber axis, and they are oxidized in air at about 200 to 220°C
while held in tension.
• In carbonization the stabilized fibers are heated until they become transformed
into carbon fibers by the elimination of O,H & N from the precursor fiber.
• The carbonization heat treatment is usually carried out in inert atmosphere in
the 1000 to 1500°C range. During the carbonization process, fibrils or ribbons are
formed within each fiber that greatly increase the tensile strength of the material.
• In the third stage , or graphitization treatment is used if an increase in the
modulus of the elasticity is desired at the expense of high tensile strength.
CONTEMPORARY BUILDING
MATERIALS
Bio-Steel
SILK FROM MILK
BIOSTEEL MEANS:
BioSteel is a trademark name for a
high strength based fiber material
made of the recombinant spider
silk-like protein extracted from
the milk of transgenic goats,
made by Nexia Biotechnologies.
• While the attempt to put spider
genes into goats and extract the
protein from the milk
succeeded, the project so far
failed to spin it into the fiber.
• This and other biopolymers are
being researched to provide
lightweight, strong, and
versatile materials.
• The purified silk proteins are then
dried, dissolved using appropriate
solvents (DOPE formation) and
transformed into microfibers using
wet-spinning fiber production
methodologies.
• The spun fibers so far have tenacities
in the range of 2 - 3 grams/denier
and elongation range of 25-45%.
• Furthermore, the "Biosteel
biopolymer" has been transformed
into nanofibers and nano-meshes
using the electrospinning technique.
SPIDERS
• Spiders => (order Araneae)  Air- SILK
breathing arthropods that have eight
legs. Silk is a natural protein fibre, some
• They are the largest order of arachnids forms of which can be woven into
and rank seventh in total species diversity textiles.
among all other groups of organisms.
• Spider have been around for 400 million
years.
• Silk making machines Silk produced by
spider differ according to its diet.
• Most interesting of spider silk is dragline
silk.
Commercial applications
• Biosteel® enables the versatile properties • The most important applications
of spider silk to be used commercially.
of the new high-performance
• The unique characteristics of spider-silk materials are:
proteins can be adapted in a targeted
manner to manufacture tailormade • Silk particles
products. • Coatings
• Applications for Biosteel® include technical
high-performance textiles, sports articles or • Foams and gels
fabric-carrier textiles. • Nonwovens
• Many studies have also shown that the • Fibers, yarns and fabrics
material is especially suitable for
applications in medical technology, e.g. for
seam material, wound dressings or medical
textiles.
BIOSTEEL- applications
• Biosteel is eco-friendly both in • Biopolymers are polymers
terms of its composition and it produced by living organisms.
production process. • Cellulose, starch, chitin, proteins,
• Promising material for medical peptides , DNA and RNA are all
sutures and fishing lines. examples of biopolymers.
• Aqueous production process is
non polluting and
environmentally friendly in
contrast to the manufacturing of
other synthetic fibre.