OREGON
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Clackamas Phone 503-722-1528 Fax 503-722-1569 14670 SE 82nd Dr Clackamas, OR 97015 Map |
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Eugene Phone 541-744-6696 Fax 541-744-2302 1485 Glenwood Blvd Eugene, OR 97403 Map |
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West Eugene Phone 541-683-1408 Fax 541-683-1956 555 Commercial St, Ste A Eugene, OR 97402 Map |
| Hillsboro Phone 503-533-0107 Fax 503-533-0407 21535 NW Cherry Ln Hillsboro, OR 97124 Map |
| Medford Phone 541-772-6161 Fax 541-772-4752 2036 Lars Way Medford, OR 97501 Map |
| Portland Phone 503-234-4321 Fax 503-234-5606 2637 SE 12th Ave Portland, OR 97202 Map |
| Salem Phone 503-585-5504 Fax 503-585-6732 2430 McGilchrist Street SE Salem, OR 97302 Map |
| Wilsonville Phone 503-582-9320 Fax 503-582-8324 10955 SW Commerce Cir, Ste E Wilsonville, OR 97070 Map |
WASHINGTON
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Ridgefield
Forming/Shoring Facility Phone 360-887-4777 Fax 360-887-3571 7707 S. Union Ridge Pkwy. Ridgefield, WA 98642 Map |
| Seattle Phone 206-767-4645 Fax 206-767-4696 115 S. Dawson St. Seattle, WA 98108 Map |
| Tacoma Phone 253-581-6161 Fax 253-588-4272 2506 104th St Ct S, Ste B Lakewood, WA 98499 Map |
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ENGINEERING FILE
Durability of Fiber Reinforced Concrete in Florida Environments
SYNOPSIS Click here to review and download the complete report.
Performance of Steel Fibers, Microsynthetic Fibers and Cellulose Fibers in a Saltwater Environment
University of Florida Fiber Reinforced Concrete Research Program
R. C. Zellers, PE/PLS, Director of Engineering Services, ABC Polymer Industries, LLC
The University of Florida conducted a research program that looked at the effect of swamp water and saltwater on the durability/performance of four different fibers, steel, polypropylene, PVA and cellulose. This 27 month long project looks at a number of different parameters in evaluating durability/performance.
The report shows that the tensile strength properties of the steel fibers using the ASTM C1609 test method exceeded the others. There are a number of questions one would ask regarding this conclusion. Unfortunately this testing was conducted without macrosynthetic fibers (polypropylene-polyethylene resin blend). Thus this part of the program is dated and without value.
The conclusions drawn from the work conducted with the cellulose fibers are limited based on the poor distribution of the fibers. Even if the cellulose fibers had been well distributed the general reported evidence suggests the cellulose fibers' contribute very little to the short term or long term durability properties of the concrete.
Over the years (starting in the early '90s) the PVA fibers have never been competitive when looking at cost versus engineering benefits when compared with steel and synthetic fibers. The dosage level required to show technical value exceeds 11.0 pcy (6.6 kgs/m³), which immediately creates an economics' disadvantage. The University of Florida report supports the historic finding.
Testing by others verify that the polypropylene fibers and the polypropylene-polyethylene blend fibers provide a strong contribution to measurable concrete durability parameters which include impact resistance, surface abrasion resistance, chemical attack resistance while reducing permeability and increasing the homogeneity of the concrete cross-section. This work confirms these findings.
Over the years considerable work has been conducted to verify the fibers contribution to the long term durability of concrete exposed to multiple wet-dry cycles, daily temperature cycles and freeze-thaw cycles. The synthetic fibers definitely reduce the fatigue created by these cycles by measurably reducing the volume change of the concrete as a direct result of the restraint of the 3-dimentional reinforcement system.
This work also confirms that the synthetic fibers are not affected by saltwater or acidic water. Over the years the synthetic fibers have found increased use in water treatment plants/sanitary treatment plants, zoos and food processing facilities.