STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE - A NEW PAVEMENT MATERIAL

IN ORDER TO COMPENSATE FOR THE INHERENTLY LOW TENSILE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE, STEEL FIBERS WITH AN EQUIVALENT DIAMETER FROM 0.010 - 0.025 IN. AND RANGING FROM 0.5 IN. TO 2 IN. LONG ARE ADDED IN AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 0.2 TO 4.0 VOLUME PERCENT OF CONCRETE, DEPENDING ON THE PROPERTIES DESIRED. THIS MATERIAL PATENTED AS WIRAND CONCRETE IS PRODUCED UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD. THE NORMAL MIXING ACTION OF MOST CONCRETE MIXERS GIVES SATISFACTORY DISPERSION OF THE FIBERS WHICH ARE ADDED IN THE SAME WAY AS A NORMAL AGGREGATE. AT PRESENT A HIGHER CEMENT RATIO IS USED AND THE MAXIMUM SIZE OF THE AGGREGATE IS LIMITED TO ASSURE AN AVERAGE OVERALL SPACING BETWEEN THE FIBERS OF LESS THAN 0.5 IN. EFFORTS ARE BEING DIRECTED TOWARD DEVELOPMENT OF A MIX USING LARGER AGGREGATES AND LESS CEMENT. COMPARATIVE PROPERTIES OF CONVENTIONAL CONCRETE AND FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETES ARE TABULATED. THE REINFORCED CONCRETE EXHIBITS IMPROVED FLEXURAL STRENGTH, FATIGUE ENDURANCE, DURABILITY AND IMPACT RESISTANCE. FIELD TESTS USING THE WIRAND CONCRETE ARE DESCRIBED. WHEN BOTH WIRAND CONCRETE AND PLAIN CONCRETE PAVEMENTS WERE SUBJECTED TO SIMULATED LOADINGS OF A C-5A MILITARY CARGO PLANE, THE FIBROUS PAVEMENT WHICH WAS ONLY HALF AS THICK WITHSTOOD TWICE AS MUCH LOAD APPLICATION AND INCURRED LESS DAMAGE. LOADING TESTS DESIGNED TO SIMULATE A REASONABLE DISTRIBUTION OF TRAFFIC DEMONSTRATED THE ABILITY OF THE FIBERS TO RETARD CRACKS. THE USE OF FIBROUS CONCRETE AS AN AIRPORT TAXIWAY OVERLAY IS DESCRIBED. THE MATERIAL HAS BEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY IN PATCHING OPERATIONS AND IN THE REPAIR OF RAMPS. THE OBSERVATION IS MADE THAT THE REDUCED MAINTENANCE AND LONGER LIFE OF THE WIRAND WOULD JUSTIFY THE HIGHER INITIAL COSTS IT ENTAILS.

• Authors:
  • Dickerson, R F
• Publication Date: 1972-7

Media Info

• Features: Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 68-71
• Serial:
  • Roads and Streets
  • Volume: 115
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: Donnelley (Reuben H) Corporation

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete; Cracking; Durability; Fibers; Field tests; Load tests; Material reinforcement; Patching; Reinforced concrete; Repairing; Steel; Steel wire; Taxiways
• Uncontrolled Terms: Concrete cracking; Repairs
• Old TRIS Terms: Concrete composition; Steel constituents
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00214258
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 9 1973 12:00AM