ArcelorMittal

TAB-Raft Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete

Method Statement

1 Concrete and fibres

Concrete mix to use 0-10mm and 0-20 mm blend (the proportions will depend on the
gradation of the local materials) or 0/16mm aggregates. Concrete grade C35 with
350 kg/m3 CEM I or CEM III cement and W/C ≤ 0.50 using Super-Plasticizer so that
the slump shall be between 180 and 225 mm (S4 type EN206/BS8500) at pump.
The concrete mix design includes standard materials available to all batching plants
in the United Kingdom. Steel fibre reinforced concrete can be made available
anywhere where ready mixed concrete is available. The aggregate grading shall be
close to the upper limit of ArcelorMittal’s recommendation envelope to ensure a
stable mix that does not segregate. Based upon the grading of each constituent of
concrete, 40kg/m³ of HE+ 1/50 ArcelorMittal steel fibres (complying to BS 14889-1)
shall be added at the batching plant. When steel fibres are added directly into the
truck mixer, the following procedure should be followed:
1. Prior to any introduction of any constituent material of concrete, empty a number
B of boxes of 25 kg steel fibres into the empty drum of the truck mixer, so that:
 40 ⋅ V 
B = 1 + INT  
 25 
where V is the volume of concrete to be loaded into the mixer.
Before emptying the fibres into the truck mixer, the B boxes must be counted and
put separately behind the truck discharge, so that no mistake is made in the
number of boxes dosed. Boxes must be handled with protective gloves and all
procedures in accordance with the concrete plant health & safety regulations must
be respected.
The truck driver shall confirm the added fibre quantity on the delivery ticket by
signing the delivery ticket next to the B box.
 Example:
7 m³ of concrete will be added to the truck mixer.
B = 1 + INT((40x7)/25) = 1+INT(11.2) = 1+11 = 12 boxes of 25 kg of fibres each.
Place 12 boxes separately behind the truck.

2. The concrete plant shall then load the full quantity of concrete on top, while the
drum is at full speed of revolution (12 rpm) as it is usual for any regular concrete
type.
Immediately before discharging the fibre reinforced concrete, mix again with the
drum at 12 rpm for about 1 minute.
In order to check the concrete conformity to specification on the job site, make sure
that the second truck can only be ordered and sent from the batching plant after the
first load is approved. Each concrete delivery ticket shall mention the V and B
numbers.

2 Installation
During installation, the free flowing and stable mix (according to spec), doesn’t need
any poker vibration. The concrete raft form shall be carefully braced along the edges
to ensure that the hanging part of the form above the footing will be rigid.
Method of pouring the fibre reinforced concrete:
Start by pouring the whole perimeter of the raft up to the slab bottom level until the
fresh concrete is in full contact with the waffle insulation. Then continue to pour
inside the ribs and finish by pouring the top slab itself.
Once the pouring is completed, level carefully and finish by skipfloat. Cure as soon
as possible.

3 Control
The normal sequence of quality control is very traditional and includes slump,
volumetric weight and cube strength, in accordance with applicable BS/EN
documents.
For every ten (10) SFRC rafts, two (2) test slabs of 600 mm x 600 mm x100 mm
must be poured into a mould consisting of a timber frame (4 sides) and marine
plywood (base). The plywood base shall be level and both samples can be poured at
the jobsite when the concrete is dumped from the pump or the truck. Once poured,
both slabs are covered by a plastic sheet and left alone for at least 5 days before
shipping them to test lab. When stored outside, the slabs must be protected from
wind, sun and freezing. Tests slabs must tested in a certified concrete lab after 28
days. Test reports and results need to be kept for a minimum duration of 2 years.

AMWS, November 12, 2008