Durability and Enhanced Crack Control
One of the main challenges of concrete construction is controlling shrinkage cracking both at the early stage (plastic shrinkage) as well as during the settlement stage (drying and temperature shrinkage). Steel reinforcement in the form of welded wire mesh and rebar does not prevent or minimize cracking–it simply works along a two-dimensional plane to hold together cracks that have already occurred.
Reinforcing fibers are distributed in three dimensions throughout the mix offering support for the coarse aggregates. This minimizes segregation that can lead to excessive bleeding, surface defects and curling. The FiberMax line of fiber reinforcement products includes three types of fibers for a range of applications. All FiberMax reinforced concrete improves permeability and abrasion resistance while eliminating more than 85% of the plastic shrinkage cracking potential and providing excellent finishing characteristics.
Depending on the project, the proper fibers provide an alternative system for a multitude of traditional steel reinforcement configurations, from light gauge welded wire fabric to various uses of rebar, reducing costs and production time while increasing crew safety.
Ultra-thin synthetic fibers provide millions of connections distributed throughout the mix to prevent the micro cracks that form as water evaporates from the concrete (plastic shrinkage) from growing. The polypropylene fibers are manufactured with an extremely small diameter to length aspect ratio that are almost invisible, providing excellent finishing characteristics while meeting ASTM C1116 standards.
Excellent for residential, slab on grade projects including:
Best used for plastic shrinkage control. Does not replace any steel reinforcement.
United Materials
Superior Materials
Prairie Materials
Canada Building Materials
VC Global