IJSTE - International Journal of Science Technology & Engineering | Volume 2 | Issue 5 | November 2015

ISSN (online): 2349-784X

Study on Performance of Fibre Mesh Reinforced

Slabs
Abu Muhammed B
PG Student
Department of Civil Engineering
Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam,
Kerala

Nidhin B. Parappattu
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam,
Kerala

Abstract
Ferrocement has been evolved as a better alternative for reinforced cement concrete in many constructions. Ferrocement is
preferred for the construction of elements carrying smaller loads. In Ferrocement, steel wire mesh is used as reinforcement
material. Corrosion is one of the main disadvantages of steel wire mesh. While considering the durability aspects, the steel wire
mesh is needed to be replaced with suitable mesh reinforcement. Now-a-days, Synthetic fibre reinforcements are used as an
alternative for steel reinforcements. This paper studies the performance of fibre mesh reinforced slabs. Slabs of 1m x 1m x 0.05m
size with different meshes were casted and tested in laboratory. Breaking load capacity was studied in order to compare the
strength of slabs as well as to find the effect of different aperture size.
Keywords: Slabs, Fibre Mesh, Breaking Load Capacity, Aperture Size, Durability
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I. INTRODUCTION
In the recent times, ferrocement has got a wide acceptance in making wall panels and slabs. Ferrocement is a highly versatile
form of reinforced concrete made up of wire mesh, sand, water, and cement, which possesses excellent unique properties such as
good tensile strength, improved toughness, lightness compared to conventional concrete. Ferrocement is a thin construction
element and complicated formwork is not needed for construction.
On the other hand, certain factors affect durability of ferrocement, such as the higher chances of corrosion, production of
hydrogen gas bubbles during hydration in case of galvanised mesh, formation of cracks. Durability is an important concern when
any construction is taken into account. In order to overcome these defects and also to make thin sections, fibre meshes can be
used instead of steel wire meshes.
Fibre mesh reinforced concrete is an innovative composite material made from a concrete matrix and fibre mesh, which
permits the production of extremely light structural elements. Generally used fibre meshes include, Glass mesh, Basalt mesh,
Carbon mesh, Kevlar (Para-Aramid), Polypropylene mesh. The important merits of fibre mesh over steel mesh are, resistant to
corrosion, cover for reinforcements can be avoided if suitable materials such as Kevlar are used, light weight. In order to ensure a
good bonding between fibre mesh and the concrete matrix, very fine grained concretes are usually used for fibre mesh reinforced
concrete.
Studies have shown that fibre mesh can be used as a successful alternative for steel wire mesh in ferrocement facilitating low
cost construction while meeting the desired characteristics and the reducing the risk of corrosion. In a study, the structural
behaviour of plate tension with fibre mesh reinforcement is studied. An ideal case with homogeneous, uniform reinforcement is
used as reference. Experimental investigations for actual plates show a considerable decrease with respect to limit load, limit
strain and stiffness [2]. Another study indicates that the geometric properties of the rovings as well as the filaments have
significance in the bearing capacity of fibre mesh reinforced concrete [3]. Experimental study on composites made from aramid
and HDPE fabric exhibited the best tensile performance in terms of strength and toughness. The PP fabric did not bond strongly
with the cement matrix, resulting in relatively low composite performance. The aramid- PP yarn exhibited behaviour similar to
that of the single aramid composite, when half of the aramid yarns were replaced with the inferior, low cost PP yarns [4]. The
basalt fibre is now being a popular choice for the replacement of steel and carbon fibre due to its high rigidity and low elongation
or extension at break [7]. In a study, based on the direct tensile, the trends in the textile reinforced concretes ultimate stiffness
and strength with respect to the main grid ratio are linear. A new type of reinforcement, called a strengthening net, was coupled
to conventional reinforcement grids to improve the mechanical behaviour of the textile reinforced concrete [10].

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Study on Performance of Fibre Mesh Reinforced Slabs

(IJSTE/ Volume 2 / Issue 5 / 005)

II. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

A. Materials Used:
Fibre mesh reinforced concrete consisted of cement mortar and fibre mesh. Four types of mesh reinforcements were used for
specimen casting. They include welded steel wire mesh, AR- Glass mesh, Basalt mesh, Plastic mesh. The details of mesh
reinforcement are shown in Table I.
Table - 1
Details of Fibre Mesh Used
Type of mesh used Aperture size(mm) Thickness(mm)
Steel Mesh
Basalt Mesh

Glass Mesh
Plastic Mesh

S10

10 x 10

B10

10 x 10

B25

25 x 25

B50

50 x 50

G5

5x5

G10

10 x 10

P10

10 x 10

1
1

0.5
2

The cement mortar imparts the strength to the fibre mesh reinforced concrete. The ratio of cement to fine aggregate was 1:3 and
the water/cement ratio was taken as 0.45
B. Details of Specimen:
A square slab of 1m x 1m with a thickness of 5cm was taken as the specimen. Slabs with different meshes were casted in order to
compare the strength of slabs as well as to find the effect of different aperture size. Specimen with 10mm aperture size is used to
compare the strength. In case of glass mesh, two layer of mesh is used to cast specimen. Two specimens of each were casted.
Timber mould was used for casting slab. In order to reduce water absorption during casting of slabs, the mould was placed on
a flat surface and water was sprinkled on the base. Slabs with steel mesh, basalt mesh and plastic mesh were casted with single
layer of reinforcement while slabs with glass mesh were casted with double layer of reinforcement.
C. Testing of Specimen:
The specimens were tested after 28 days using loading frame of 100 tonne capacity. The slab specimens of size 1m x 1m x
0.05m were prepared and tested with simply supported condition prevailing on all four sides, for finding the breaking load
capacity. Hydraulic jack of 50T capacity was used for testing the slab. Point load was applied at the centre of the slab using
hydraulic jack. Load applied was measured using a dial gauge with 0.1T accuracy.

Fig. 1: Experimental Setup of Slab

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Study on Performance of Fibre Mesh Reinforced Slabs

(IJSTE/ Volume 2 / Issue 5 / 005)

Fig. 2: Crack Pattern in Slab

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In order to compare the strength of slabs with different mesh, breaking load capacity of fibre mesh reinforced slabs with 10mm
aperture size was taken. The breaking load capacity of fibre mesh reinforced slabs with 10mm aperture size obtained after testing
is as given in Table II.
Table - 2
Test Results of Fibre Mesh Reinforced Slabs with 10mm Aperture Size
Designation

Breaking Load

Type of Mesh
tonnes

kN

% increase / decrease in load

S10

Steel Mesh

1.25

12.26

B10

Basalt Mesh

1.4

13.73

12

G10

Glass Mesh

1.2

11.77

-4

P10

Plastic Mesh

1.25

12.26

Fig.3: Graph Showing Breaking Load Of Slabs With 10mm Aperture Size

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Study on Performance of Fibre Mesh Reinforced Slabs

(IJSTE/ Volume 2 / Issue 5 / 005)

Fig. 4: Percentage Increase/Decrease In Load Of Slabs With 10mm Aperture Size

It was noticed that basalt mesh reinforced slab takes more load than other slabs. It has shown an increase in load of 12%
compared to ferrocement slab. Plastic mesh reinforced slab take the same load as that of ferrocement slab. But glass mesh
reinforced slab has shown a decrease in load of 4% compared to ferrocement slab. Slab with glass mesh exhibits brittle failure
while the other types shown ductile failure.
For finding the effect of aperture size, testing was done on slabs with basalt mesh as well as those with glass mesh. In case of
basalt mesh, three varieties (B 10, B25, B50) were taken by keeping the total area of reinforcement in the slab being the same. The
breaking load capacity of basalt mesh reinforced slabs with different aperture size obtained after testing is as given in Table III.
Table - 3
Test Results Of Basalt Mesh Reinforced Slabs With Different Aperture Size
Breaking Load

Designation
B10
B25
B50

tonnes
1.4
1.6
1.75

kN
13.73
15.7
17.17

% increase / decrease in load

0
14.3
25

Fig. 5: Graph Showing Breaking Load Of Slabs With Basalt Mesh

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Study on Performance of Fibre Mesh Reinforced Slabs

(IJSTE/ Volume 2 / Issue 5 / 005)

Fig. 6: Percentage Increase/Decrease In Load Of Slabs With Basalt Mesh

It was noticed that for the same area of reinforcement in slab, as aperture size increases, the breaking load capacity also
increases. As aperture size was increased keeping the area of reinforcement of slab being the same, it has shown a greater
percentage increase in breaking load capacity of slab.
In case of glass mesh, two varieties (G5, G10) were taken by keeping the thickness of reinforcement being the same. The
breaking load capacity of glass mesh reinforced slabs with different aperture size obtained after testing is as given in Table IV.
Table - 4
Test Results Of Glass Mesh Reinforced Slabs With Different Aperture Size
Breaking Load

Designation
G5
G10

tonnes
1.3
1.2

kN
12.75
11.77

% increase / decrease in load

0
-7.7

Fig. 7: Graph Showing Breaking Load Of Slabs With Glass Mesh

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Study on Performance of Fibre Mesh Reinforced Slabs

(IJSTE/ Volume 2 / Issue 5 / 005)

Fig. 8: Percentage Increase/Decrease In Load Of Slabs With Glass Mesh

It was noticed that for the same thickness of reinforcement mesh, as aperture size increases, the breaking load capacity
decreases. When the aperture size of glass mesh was reduced from 10mm to 5mm, it showed about 7.7% reduction in breaking
load capacity of slab.

IV. CONCLUSIONS
Now-a-days, Ferrocement has been evolved as a major construction element due to its unique properties like improved
toughness, thinner sections, and ease of construction. However, durability is an important problem due to corrosion of steel
mesh. In order to overcome these durability problems, steel wire mesh are needed to be replaced with suitable corrosion resistant
meshes, without any compromise in strength. As a solution to this problem, steel wire meshes were replaced with fibre meshes
like basalt, glass, plastic. A study was conducted on the performance of fibre mesh reinforced slabs. The strength of different
slabs was compared and also the effect of mesh size on strength was studied.
For the study, slab specimens were casted and tested in a loading frame with a capacity of 100T. It was observed that, basalt
mesh reinforced slab takes more load than other slabs. Slab with glass mesh exhibits brittle failure while the other types shown
ductile failure. It was also noticed that for the same area of reinforcement in slab, as aperture size increases, the breaking load
capacity increases, while for the same thickness of reinforcement mesh, as aperture size increases, the breaking load capacity
decreases. It can be concluded that steel wire mesh in ferrocement slabs can be successfully replaced with fibre meshes.

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