FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

CE 613: Mtech Seminar Report Submitted By: DEBASHIS WADADAR Roll No 113040029 Under the supervision of: PROF. PRAKASH NANTHAGOPALAN

Department Of Civil Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai, Mumbai 400076. September, 2011
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, I would like to thank The Almighty for being as kind on me during the process of completing this report as He always has been during my best and worst days. My family members, specially my parents, deserve big thanks. The values and beliefs they inculcated have inspired me throughout my life.

I express my sincere gratitude to my guide and mentor, Prof Prakash Nanthagopalan , Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay, for his kind and valuable guidance during the preparation of this report. I take this opportunity to thank him for devoting his precious time for the preparation of the report and the critical suggestions he gave me for its improvement. The others who have helped me during the process are my friends. They have been my pillars of strength in every situation.

I am thankful to the librarians of the Central library, for helping me with the most appropriate books and journals whenever I needed them.

Every other person involved directly or indirectly with this report deserves a mention. With regards,

Debashis Wadadar, M.tech, 1st year, Date: 30.09.2011 Place: Mumbai IIT Bombay, Roll No-113040029

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CONTENTS
1. Introduction 1.1. What is a fiber? 1.2. What is fiber reinforced concrete? 1.3. History of fiber reinforced concrete 1.4. Reinforcement mechanism 2. Different types of fiber used in fiber reinforced concrete 2.1. Steel fiber reinforced concrete 2.2. Polypropylene / Nylon FRC 2.3. Asbestos FRC 2.4. Glass FRC 2.5. Carbon FRC 3. Comparison of fiber types and properties 4. Why FRC? 5. Factors affecting strength and resistance to crack in FRC 6. Properties of fibers and matrices 7. Steel fiber reinforced concrete 7.1. General idea 7.2. Properties 7.3. Applications 8. Polypropylene /Nylon Fiber reinforced concrete 8.1. General idea 8.2. Properties 8.3. Applications 9. Asbestos fiber reinforced concrete 10. Glass fiber reinforced concrete 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Benefits of GFRC 11. Natural fiber reinforced concrete 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Types 12. Carbon FRC 13. Some developments in fiber reinforced concrete 14. Merits and demerits of using fiber reinforced concrete 15. Mixing , placing and finishing fiber reinforced concrete 16. Some specific applications of FRC Applications in civil infrastructure 17. Conclusion 18. References

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1. Introduction
1.1. What is a fiber? Fibers are a particular class of materials that are slender, elongated and threadlike. In fiber reinforced concrete small pieces of reinforcing material possessing certain characteristic properties are used to enhance or modify properties of concrete. These fibers can be circular or flat. The parameter used to describe fiber is called Aspect ratio. Aspect ratio is ratio of its length to its diameter. Typical aspect ratio for fibers ranges from 30 to 150. 1.2. What is fiber reinforced concrete? Compared to other building materials such as metals and polymers, concrete is significantly more brittle and exhibits a poor tensile strength. Based on fracture toughness values, steel is at least 100 times more resistant to crack growth than concrete. Concrete in service thus cracks easily, and this cracking creates easy access routes for deleterious agents resulting in early saturation, freeze-thaw damage, scaling, discoloration and steel corrosion. The concerns with the inferior fracture toughness of concrete are alleviated to a large extent by reinforcing it with fibers of various materials. The resulting material with a random distribution of short, discontinuous fibers is termed fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) and is slowly becoming a well accepted mainstream construction material. Significant progress has been made in the last thirty years towards understanding the short and long-term performances of fiber reinforced cementitious materials. Steel fiber remains the most used fiber of all, followed by polypropylene, glass and other fibers. 1.3. History of fiber reinforced concrete: The use of fibers in brittle matrix materials has a long history. Historically, horsehair was used in mortar and straw in mud bricks. In 1910, porter put the idea that concrete can be strengthened by the inclusion of fibers. In the early 1900s, asbestos fibers were used in concrete. There was a need to find a replacement for the asbestos used in concrete and other building materials once the health risks associated with the substance were discovered. Till 1963, there was only slow progress on fiber reinforced concrete (FRC). Romualdi and Batson gave rise to FRC by conducting numerous experimental works to determine the basic engineering properties such as compressive and tensile strength of FRC. 1.4. Reinforcement mechanism: Concrete carries flaws and micro-cracks both in the material and at the interfaces even before an external load is applied. These defects and micro-cracks emanate from excess water, bleeding, plastic settlement, thermal and shrinkage strains and stress concentrations imposed by external restraints. Under an applied load, distributed micro-cracks propagate coalesce and align themselves to produce macro-cracks. When loads are further increased, conditions of critical crack growth are attained at the tips of the macro-cracks and unstable and catastrophic failure is precipitated. The micro and macro-fracturing processes described above, can favourably be modified by adding short, randomly distributed fibers of various suitable materials. Fibers not only suppress the formation of cracks, but also abate their propagation and growth. Soon after placement, evaporation of the mix water and the autogenous process of concrete hydration creates shrinkage strains in concrete. With large surface areas, fibers engage water in the mix and reduce bleeding and segregation. The result is that there is less water available for evaporation and less overall free shrinkage.
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On the other hand, in the hardened state, when fibers are properly bonded, they interact with the matrix at the level of micro-cracks and effectively bridge these cracks thereby providing stress transfer media that delays their coalescence and unstable growth. If the fiber volume fraction is sufficiently high, this may result in an increase in the tensile composite. Once the tensile capacity of the composite is reached, and coalescence and conversion of micro-cracks to macro-cracks has occurred, fibers, depending on their length and bonding characteristics continue to restrain crack opening and crack growth by effectively bridging across macro-cracks. This post-peak macro-crack bridging is the primary reinforcement mechanism in the majority of commercial fiber reinforced concrete composites.

2. Different types of fibers used in fiber reinforced concrete :

Although every type of fiber has been tried out in cement and concrete, not all of them can be effectively and economically used. Each fiber has some characteristic properties and limitations. Fibers used are

Steel fibers Polypropylene, nylons Asbestos, Coir Glass Carbon Natural fibers

Steel fibers are available in round, flat, reimped, deformed forms. Steel fibers were used in different structural elements in various zones and investigated its performance. Now-a-days synthetic fibers have become more attractive and used for the reinforcement of cementitious materials.

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3. Comparison of fiber types and properties:

Material or fiber Mortar matrix Concrete matrix Asbestos Carbon Cellulose Glass Polypropylene chopped film Polyvinyl alcohol Steel

Relative Dia or density thickness() 1.8-2.0 1.8-2.4 2.55 1.161.95 1.5 2.7 0.91 300-5000 1000020000 0.02-30 7-18 20-120 12.5 20-100

Length (mm) 5-40 3-cont. 0.5-5 10-50 5-50

Elastic Modulus(Gpa) 10-30 20-40 164 30-390 10-50 70 5

Tensile Failure Strength(Mpa) Strain(%) 1-10 1-4 200-1800 600-2700 300-1000 600-2500 300-500 0.01-0.05 0.01-0.02 2-3 0.5-2.4 20 3.6 10

Volume in composite(%) 85-97 97-99.9 5-15 3-5 5-15 3-7 0.01-1

1-3 7.86

3-8 100-600

2-6 10-60

12-40 200

700-1500 700-2000

3-5

2-3 0.3-2

TABLE 1

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4. Why FRC?

The main objectives of the modern engineer in attempting to modify the properties of concrete by the inclusion of fibers are as follows: To improve the rheology or plastic cracking characteristics of the material in the fresh state or up to about 6 hours after casting. To improve the tensile or flexural strength. To improve the impact strength and toughness. To control cracking and the mode of failure by means of post-cracking ductility. To improve durability. They also lower the permeability of concrete and thus reduce bleeding of water. Some types of fibers produce greater impact, abrasion and shatter resistance in Concrete. The material ductility is increased by the addition of fibers. High-performance fiber-reinforced concrete used in bridges found to provide residual strength and control cracking. The residual strength is directly proportional to the fiber content. Generally fibers do not increase the compressive strength of concrete. Fibers cannot replace moment resisting or structural steel reinforcement.

5. Factors affecting strength and resistance to crack in FRC :

The most significant factors affecting resistance to crack propagation and strength of the fibrous concrete and mortar are Shape and bond at fiber matrix interface Volume fraction of fibers Fiber aspect ratio and Orientation of fibers Workability and Compaction of Concrete Size of Coarse Aggregate Mixing

SHAPE AND BOND AT FIBER MATRIX INTERFACE :The modulus of

elasticity of matrix must be much lower than that of fiber for efficient stress transfer. Low modulus of fibers such as nylon and polypropylene are therefore unlikely to give strength improvement, but they help in the absorption of large energy and therefore impart greater degree of toughness and resistance to impact. High modulus fibers such as steel, glass and carbon impart
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strength and stiffness to the composite. Interfacial bond between the matrix and the fibers 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.

VOLUME FRACTION OF FIBER :The strength of the composite depends largely on

the quantity of fibers used in it. The increase in the volume of fibers, increase approximately linearly, the tensile strength and toughness of the composite. Use of higher percentage of fiber is likely to cause segregation and hardness of concrete and mortar.

FIBER ASPECT RATIO :Fiber aspect ratio is defined as the ratio of fiber length to the
equivalent fiber diameter. In order to utilize fracture strength of fibers fully, adequate bond between the matrix and the fiber has to be developed.

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. It was observed that in fiber reinforced mortar the fibers aligned parallel to the applied load offered more tensile strength and toughness than randomly distributed or perpendicular.

WORKABILITY AND COMPACTION OF CONCRETE: Incorporation of steel

fiber decreases the workability considerably and even prolonged external vibration fails to compact the concrete. This situation adversely affects the consolidation of fresh mix. The fiber volume at which this situation is reached depends on the length and diameter of the fiber and non-uniform distribution of the fibers. Generally, the workability and compaction standard of the mix are improved through increased water/cement ratio or by the use of water reducing admixtures. The overall workability of fresh fibrous mixes is largely independent of the fiber type. Crimped fibers produce slightly higher slumps, and hooked fibers are more effective than straight and crimped ones.

MIXING: Mixing of fiber reinforced concrete needs careful conditions to avoid balling of
fibers, segregation, and difficulty of mixing the materials uniformly.

6. Properties of fibers and matrices :

The performance of the composite is controlled mainly by the volume of the fibers, the physical properties of the fibers and the matrix, and the bond between the two. It is apparent from Table 1 that the elongations at break of all the fibers are two or three orders of magnitude greater than the strain at failure of the matrix and hence the matrix will usually crack long before the fiber strength is approached. On the other hand, the modulus of elasticity of the fiber is generally less than five times that of the matrix and this, combined with the low fiber volume fraction, means that the modulus of the composite is not greatly different from that of the matrix.

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7. Steel fiber reinforced concrete :

7.1 General idea: Steel fiber is one of the most commonly used fibers. Generally, round fibers are used. The diameter may vary from 0.25 to 0.75 mm. The steel fiber is likely to get rusted and lose some of its strength. But investigations have shown that the rusting of the fibers take place only at the surface. Use of steel fibers make significant improvements in flexural, impact and fatigue strength of concrete, it has been extensively used in various types of structures, particularly for overlays of roads, airfield pavements and bridge decks. Thin shells and plates have also been constructed using steel fibers.

Fig-1
7.2 Properties: Steel fibers provide virtually no increase in the compressive or uniaxial tensile strength of concrete. The main benefits in uniaxial tension result from the control of crack widths due to shrinkage or thermal effects in slabs and tunnel linings. Longer fibers give better reinforcement but reduce the workability so that a compromise must be reached usually at equivalent l/d ratios between 40 and 80 with fiber lengths between 20 mm and 60 mm. Free water cement ratios of less than 0.55 are preferable and workability is commonly improved by the addition of plasticizers or superplasticizers to give slumps of more than 100 mm.

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Steel fibers are generally well protected in uncracked concrete where the high alkalinity provides a passive layer on the fiber surface. Even when the fibers are near the surface in a carbonated zone, serious corrosion takes many years to occur and surface spalling is rare. The main durability problem is likely to occur where load-bearing carbon steel fibers are exposed across cracked sections in the presence of chlorides, where they will readily corrode and it would be wise in such conditions to use stainless steel fibers.

7.3 Applications: A major use of steel fibers is to use them as a replacement for conventional steel mesh in industrial ground-floor slabs. Fiber dosages of between 15 kg/m3 and 60 kg/m3 are commonly used in floors with slab thicknesses between 120 mm and 200 mm. Used for-overlays of roads, airfield pavements, bridge decks.

8. Polypropylene /Nylon Fiber reinforced concrete :

8.1 General idea : Polypropylene (PP) is a versatile thermoplastic material, which is produced by polymerizing monomer units of polypropylene molecules into very long polymer molecules or chains in the presence of a catalyst under carefully, controlled heat and pressure. Propylene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon, containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms. 8.2 Properties: A summary of the mechanical properties of nylon fiber alone is given below: Tensile Strength: 25-33 Mpa Flexural Modulus: 1.2-1.5 Gpa Elongation at break: 150-300% Strain at yield: 10-12% Polypropylene fibers are added to the concrete in several different forms and by using various techniques. The fibers can be incorporated into concrete as short discrete chopped fibers, as a continuous network of fibrillated film, or as a woven mesh.

Polypropylene Fibers (Fig-2)

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Polypropylene fibers are synthetic types of fibers. Synthetic fibers are gradually replacing steel fibers due to the fact that they are cost effective, can be used in low volume fractions and there is no risk of corrosion by their use in concrete.

8.3 Applications: Several manufacturers currently produce polypropylene fiber specifically for use in concrete as a form of reinforcement as they possess many properties that make them particularly adaptable for use in concrete . Polypropylene has ,for polymers, a high melting point (165C) and it is chemically inert. The chemical inertness makes the fibers resistant to most chemicals. Any chemical that will not attack the concrete will have no effect on the fiber either . Polypropylene has a hydrophobic surface that prevents it from being wetted by the cement paste. Since they are non-polar the bundles of polypropylene fibers do not cling or ball together . The hydrophobic nature of the polypropylene fiber does not affect the mixing water requirements of the concrete. Polypropylene fibers that are added to the concrete for reinforcement contributes for the post peak ductility of the FRCs.

9. Asbestos fiber reinforced concrete :

Mineral fiber, most successful of all as it can be mixed with portland cement. Tensile strength of asbestos varies between 560 to 980 N/mm2. Asbestos cement paste has considerably higher flexural strength than portland cement paste. 10. Glass fiber reinforced concrete : The glass fibers are primarily used for glass fiber reinforced cement (GFRC) sheets. Regular E-Glass fibers were found to deteriorate in concrete. Glass-fiber reinforced concrete or G.F.R.C, also referred to as G.R.C., is a cement mixture that also contains alkali resistant glass fibers. The use of alkali resistant glass fibers is the industry standard for G.F.R.C. as it demonstrates higher resistance to environmental deterioration and strength retention than the less expensive E-glass glass-fibers, which are used in polyester resins and gypsum.

Glass fibers (Fig-3)

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Benefits of GFRC: There are lots of good reasons to use GFRC for thin sections of concrete: Lighter weight: With GFRC, concrete can be cast in thinner sections and is therefore as much as 75% lighter than similar pieces cast with traditional 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 reduced shipping cost. High strength: GFRC can have flexural strength as high as 4000 psi and it has a very high strength-to-weight ratio. Reinforcement: Since GFRC is reinforced internally, there is no need for other kinds of reinforcement, which can be difficult to place into complex shapes. Consolidation: For sprayed GFRC, no vibration is needed. For poured, GFRC, vibration or rollers are easy to use to achieve consolidation. Toughness: GFRC doesn't crack easilyit can be cut without chipping. Durability: According to ACI 544.1R-96, State of the Art Report on Fiber Reinforced Concrete, "The strength of fully-aged GFRC composites will decrease to about 40 percent of the initial strength prior to ageing." Durability has been increased through the use of low alkaline cements and pozzolans. 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.

11.Natural fiber reinforced concrete :

Introduction: The oldest forms of fiber reinforced composites were made with naturally occurring fiber such as straw and horse hair. The Roman Coliseum was built with fiber reinforced concrete. A pueblo house built in 1540 with straw reinforced adobe brick is believed to be the oldest house in the US. Modern technology has made it possible to extract fibers economically from various plants, such as jute and bamboo to use in cement composites. The unique aspects of this fiber is the low amount of the energy required to extract these fibers. The primary problem with use of these fibers in concrete is their tendency to disintegrate in an alkaline environment. Effects are being made to improve durability of this fiber in concrete by using admixture to make the concrete less alkaline and subjecting the fibers to special treatment. Types: Natural fibers used in Portland cement composite includes akwara, bamboo, coconut, jute, sisal, sugarcane, wood, and others .Mechanical properties of some of these fibers are presented in the succeeding.

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AKWARA FIBERS: Akwara is a natural fiber derived from a plant stem grown in large quantities in Nigeria. They are made of a cellular core covered with a smooth sheath. Akwara fibers were found to be durable in alkaline environment of cement matrix.

BAMBOO FIBERS: Bamboo, which is a member of the grass family, grows in tropical and subtropical region. Plants can grow up to a height of 15 m. their hollow stalks have intermediate joints, the diameters of these stalks range from 0.4 to 4.0 inch (1 to 10 cm). Bamboo fibers are strong in tension, but have a relatively low modulus of elasticity. Their tendency to absorb water adversely affects the bonding between the fibers and the mixture during the curing process. COCONUT FIBERS: A mature coconut has an outer fibrous husk. Coconut fibers, called coir, can be extracted simply by soaking the husk in water or, alternatively, by using mechanical processes. Coir has a low elastic modulus and is also sensitive to moisture changes. FLAX AND VEGETABLE FIBERS: Flax is grown for its fiber. Flax fibers are strong under tension and also possess a high modulus of elasticity. Fibers extracted from other plant such as elephant grass, water reed, plantain, and musamba have also been tried as reinforcements for concrete. Most of these fibers are removed from the stems of the plants manually.

12. Carbon FRC :

As for brittle materials in general, concrete is strong under compression and weak under tension or flexure. This problem may be alleviated by the addition of short carbon fibers (typically - 10 pm in diameter). Almost all the early works on carbon fiber reinforced concrete showed that the use of carbon fibers in the amount of 2 vol.% approximately doubled the flexural strength . Recent work performed in U.S.A. by Zheng and Chung showed the approximate doubling of the flexural strength with only 0.3% carbon fibers - an improvement resulting from the use of chemical agents. Early works on short carbon fiber reinforced concrete used isotropic pitchbased carbon fibers, which are the least expensive form of commercially available carbon fibers. Their tensile strength and modulus are much lower than those of continuous pitch-based or PANbased carbon fibers that are used for aircrafts. The price of short pitch-based carbon fibers has
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been steadily decreasing. This price decrease is giving much impetus to the use of carbon fibers in concrete. The technique of dispersing carbon fibers randomly in the concrete mix is critical to the success of the carbon fiber reinforced concrete technology. Two options are possible. One is to mix the fibers with cement and fine aggregate in the dry state . The other option is to first disperse the fibers in water and then pour the dispersion into the slurry with cement and fine aggregate . As per Dr. Deborah D.L Chung (Ref: Transportation Research Board Index: SHRP-ID/UFR-92605, accession number - 00622531 ), Wet Mix is an effective method only if a dispersant and a de-foamer are used. Carbon fibers increase the freeze-thaw durability of concrete. The use of short pitch-based carbon fibers along with methylcellulose dispersants, water reducing agent, and silica fume increases the flexural strength of concrete to a great extent.

13.Some developments in fiber reinforced concrete : ECC:

Engineering cementitious composite is one of the latest inclusions in FRC technology. ECC looks similar to OPC, only difference is that it does not include coarse aggregate and can deform or bend under strain. The unique feature of ECC is its ultra high ductility. This implies that structural failure by fracture is significantly less likely in comparison to normal concrete or FRC. Reduction or elimination of shear reinforcement: ECC has excellent shear capacity. Under shear, ECC develops multiple cracking with cracks aligned normal to the principal tensile direction. Because the tensile behaviour of ECC is ductile, the shear response is correspondingly ductile. As a result, R/ECC elements may need less or no conventional steel shear reinforcements. There are a number of characteristics of ECC that make it attractive as a repair material. ECC can eliminate premature delamination or surface spalling in an ECC concrete repaired system (Lim and Li 1997). Interface defects can be absorbed into the ECC layer, and arrested without forming spalls, thus extending the service life. ECC also has good freeze-thaw resistance and restrained shrinkage crack control.

SIFCON:
Slurry infiltrated fiber concrete (SIFCON) is a relatively new special type of high performance (steel) fiber-reinforced concrete (HPFRC). SIFCON is made by pre-placing short discrete fibers in the moulds to its full capacity or to the desired volume fraction, thus forming a network. The fiber network is then infiltrated by a fine liquid cementbased slurry or mortar. The fibers can be sprinkled by hand or by using fiber-dispending units for large sections. Vibration is imposed, if necessary, during placing the fibers and pouring the slurry. The steel fiber content can be as much as 30 % by volume. In conventional fiber reinforced concrete (FRC), where fibers are mixed together with other

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ingredients of concrete, this percentage is limited to only about 2 % for practical workability reasons. Because of its high fiber content, SIFCON has unique and superior mechanical properties in the areas of both strength and ductility. The main differences between FRC and SIFCON, in addition to the clear difference in fiber volume fraction, lie in the absence of coarse aggregates in SIFCON which, if used, will hinder the infiltration of the slurry through the dense fiber network. Furthermore, SIFCON contains relatively high cement and water contents when compared to conventional concrete.

An example of failed preparation because of the lack of fluidity of slurry The dense fiber network is also clear in the figure

(Fig-4)

14. Merits and demerits of using fiber reinforced concrete: Advantages:

Lowering the permeability of concrete. Reducing bleeding of water. It controls plastic shrinkage cracking and drying shrinkage cracking.
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 It increases the strength of concrete. It reduces the flexural creep. It resists structures from aggressive environment, e.g. high temperatures, ingress of chlorides and electrical fields. Increased static and dynamic tensile strength. Energy absorbing characteristics and better fatigue strength. Uniform dispersion of fibers throughout the concrete provides isotropic properties.

Disadvantages:
The main disadvantage associated with the fiber reinforced concrete is fabrication. The process of incorporating fibers into the cement matrix is labour intensive and costlier than the production of the plain concrete. The real advantages gained by the use of FRC overrides this disadvantage.

15. Mixing , placing and finishing fiber reinforced concrete :

Adding steel or synthetic fibers to concrete at low volume dosage rates provides benefits not available in conventional concrete.

Mixing
Synthetic fibers: Synthetic fibers are packed loosely in degradable bags, which can be added to the mix at the batch plant. Proper mechanical agitation is needed to ensure separation of the fibers, thereby, virtually eliminating the formation of fiber balls in the concrete. It also distributes the fibers in a thorough, uniform manner throughout the mix. Steel fibers: Packaged in boxes and bags, steel fibers are manually added to the concrete at either ready mix plants or jobsites. To prevent the formation of fiber balls, special adhesives are added to glue a number of steel fibers together; during mixing, the glue degrades, dispersing the fibers throughout the concrete. The mixing of some uncollated steel fibers may require care to prevent the development of fiber balls in the fresh concrete.

Placing
Both synthetic- and steel-fiber- reinforced concrete can be placed using conventional equipment such as truck chutes, concrete buckets, conveyors, and pumps. The equipment should be clean and in good condition to ensure that the fiber- reinforced concrete flows easily.

Finishing:
Though fiber- reinforced concrete finishing operations are very similar to those for plain concrete, there are some differences.

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Strike-off operations: One key to finishing fiber- reinforced concrete is using external vibration in the form of a vibratory truss screed. External vibration brings paste to the surface and buries fibers located at the slab surface, encapsulating them in concrete and minimizing exposed fibers. Bull-floating and re-straightening operations: As with air- entrained concrete, we should not use wood floats or other wooden tools. We have to use magnesium floats instead. Magnesium floats do an especially good job of establishing a high-quality surface and closing up any tears or open areas caused by the screed. Waiting period: In case of synthetic FRC, the millions of synthetic fibers in the concrete can block or delay the appearance of bleed-water at the surface. Therefore, we have to be sure that all the bleed-water has evaporated before getting on the concrete. Final finishing operations: Synthetic fibers are compatible with almost all concrete surface treatments and finishes, including pattern stamping, exposed aggregate, brooming, and hand or power troweling. Steel fibers, however, are not compatible with pattern stamping or exposedaggregate finishes.

16. Some specific applications of FRC : Overlays of air-fields.

Road pavements. Industrial flooring. Bridge decks. Canal lining. Explosive resistant structure. Refractory lining. Fabrications of precast products like pipes, boats, beams, staircase steps, wall panels, roof panels, manhole covers etc. Manufacture of prefabricated formwork moulds of U shape for casting lintels and small beams.

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Applications :

Road Pavement (Fig-5)

Bridge Deck (Fig-6)

Precast canal lining (Fig-7)

Manhole Cover (Fig-8)

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17. CONCLUSION:
Fiber reinforced concrete is concrete containing fibrous materials which are incorporated in concrete in order to enhance its structural integrity. Different types of fibers are available which offer several advantages over ordinary concrete. The use of steel FRC increases structural strength, improves ductility and impact resistance. On the other hand polypropylene fibers, due to their relatively low modulus of elasticity, have the most significant effect at early age and after cracking. At early age, fibers decrease shrinkage significantly, and decrease cracking as well. Generally, at early age, all strength parameters are improved. However, after curing, the fibers no longer have an impact on compressive strength, and flexure and tensile tests show only slight improvements. Long term shrinkage similarly shows no major benefit. After cracking, the fibers are again beneficial. Ductility is substantially increased, as failures are no longer brittle. Crack widths are greatly decreased, and impact resistance greatly increased. Polypropylene and polyethylene fibers, then, are useful when early age properties need to be improved, or when ductility is important. Blends of both steel and polymeric fibers are often used in construction projects in order to combine the benefits of both the products. Fiber reinforced concrete has started to find its place in many areas of civil infrastructure applications where the need for repairing, increased durability arises. Also FRCs are used in civil structures where corrosion can be avoided at the maximum. Fiber reinforced concrete is better suited to minimize cavitation damage in structures such as sluice-ways, navigational locks and bridge piers where high velocity flows are encountered. A substantial weight saving can be realized using relatively thin FRC sections having the equivalent strength of thicker plain concrete sections. When used in bridges it helps to avoid catastrophic failures. Also in the quake prone areas the use of fiber reinforced concrete would certainly minimize the human casualties. In addition, polypropylene fibers reduce or relieve internal forces by blocking microscopic cracks from forming within the concrete. Although the concept of FRC is not new, it is still a very expanding field. The newly emerged ECC (unique feature is its ultra high ductility) & SIFCON adds new dimension to the FRC technology. Last but not the least, there is considerable scope for research on FRC using industrial wastes .Very little work has been done in this field. With increase in population and industrial activities, the quantity of waste fibers generated from different metal industries will increase manifold in coming years. These industrial waste fibers can effectively be used for making high strength, low-cost FRC after exploring their suitability.

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18. References:
1. Song P.S. & Hwang S. (2004). Mechanical properties of high-strength steel fiberreinforced concrete .Elsevier 2. Soong W.H , Raghavan J & Rizkalla S.H. (2010) Fundamental mechanisms of bonding of glass fiber reinforced polymer reinforcement to concrete Elsevier 3. Li.Victor.C (2003) On Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) .A Review of the Material and Its Applications. Japan Concrete Institute. Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology Vol. 1, No. 3, 215-230 November 2003. 4. ahmaran .M , Li.Victor.C & Arbor Ann Engineered Cementitious Composites: An Innovative Concrete for Durable Structure (2009) ASCE 5. Fiber reinforcement of concrete structures Brown .R, Shukla A, Natarajan .R.K (2002) Uritc project no. 536101 6. Fibre reinforced cementitious composites, By Arnon Bentur, Sidney Mindess

Useful sites:
http://www.scopus.com/home.url

http://www.sciencedirect.com/ http://www.concretenetwork.com/ http://www.asce.org/Books-and-Journals/Books---Journals/ http://www.engineeringvillage2.org/controller/servlet/Controller?CID=quickSearchCitati onFormat

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