GLASS FIBERS REINFORCE CONCRETE

LABORATORY TESTS ARE BEING CONDUCTED ON FYCRETE, A MATERIAL WHICH STRENGTHENS CONCRETE IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT GLASS FIBERS REINFORCE PLASTICS. THIS CONCRETE BUILDING MATERIAL SUBSTITUTES SMALL GLASS FIBER RODS FOR CONVENTIONAL STEEL REINFORCING BARS AND COULD SUBSTANTIALLY CUT THE COSTS OF ALL TYPES OF CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION. FLEXIBLE GLASS RODS ARE ADDED TO A BATCH OF CEMENT, AGGREGATE AND WATER AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE CONCRETE MIX. THE RODS ARE ABOUT AS LONG AS, BUT THINNER THAN A PIECE OF SPAGHETTI, CONSISTING OF 3,000 GLASS FIBER FILAMENTS EACH ONE-TENTH THE THICKNESS OF A HUMAN HAIR. THE FILAMENTS ARE BOUND TOGETHER WITH AN EPOXY RESIN. THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE SIX TIMES THE TENSILE STRENGTH OF MILD STEEL. ACCORDING TO THE INVENTOR, THE GLASS REINFORCING IS 55 PERCENT CHEAPER THAN STEEL, AND IN SIMPLY SUPPORTED BEAMS RESULTS IN MEMBERS THAT ARE ONLY 75 PERCENT AS DEEP AS NORMAL ONES. FYCRETE WILL RESIST THE CRACKING OCCURRING IN HIGHWAYS AND ROADWAYS WHICH FREEZE, THEN EXPAND AND CRACK.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08919526
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 182, No 5, P 19, 1 PHOT
• Publication Date: 1969-1-30

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Engineering News-Record
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0891-9526

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete construction; Economics; Epoxy resins; Glass fibers; Laboratory tests; Material reinforcement; Mix design; Reinforced concrete; Tensile strength
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00213342
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 12 1970 12:00AM