CONSTRUCTION COMPANY PVT LTD

ADVANTAGES & BENEFITS OF SYNTHETIC FIBRES IN CONCRETE FLOORING &

PLASTERING APPLICATIONS

BY

T.S. RAJAGOPALANDIRECTOR TECHNICAL

19th August 2004

BANGALORE

The idea of using fibers in concrete materials dates back to Roman and Egyptians period

Romans included bits of horsehair in the construction of

ROMAN COLISEUM which was built in 80 AD

The Egyptians used straw in their bricks used for constructions

There are other historical references like TIPU Palace at Sriranganapatna and GOL GUMBAZ at Bijapur, where fiber reinforcement have been used in mortar

INTRODUCTION TO SECONDARY REINFORCEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION BY FIBRES

DRAW BACKS IN CONCRETE FLOORING WORKS Plastic shrinkage and plastic settlement cracks Less abrasion resistance and impact resistance of floors Weak construction joints Periodic maintenance of floors due to less durability Faster wearing of top floor surface

DRAW BACKS IN PLASTERING WORKS

Development of plastic shrinkage cracks in the initial stage of plastering High rebound loss of mortar High water and moisture absorption from external environment Less cohesive mix due to segregation Development of thermal and drying shrinkage cracks at the hardened surface

of plastering More maintenance of the walls required in terms of frequent waterproofing and painting

of the buildings Ugly crack patches

Generation 1 - Vegetable Fibers - Straw, Jute and Cotton, Coconut Fiber / Coir

Generation 2 - Horse hair, Sheep’s Wool

Generation 3 - Glass, Polyester, Nylon, Polypropylene and Steel

DEVELOPMENT OF FIBER REINFORCEMENT

Glass - Expensive, Causes itching, Hazardous

Steel - Corrosion, Dead Weight, Expensive, Mixing Problem

Nylon - Very Expensive

COMPARISON WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF FIBERS

Holds aggregates & does not allow separation of coarse aggregate due to vibration /gravity

Results move uniform concrete to concrete

Fiber allows slow transfer of water to surface, resulting in reduction of cracks

WHAT FIBRE DOES?

ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA FOR CONCRETE WITH SYNTHETIC FIBERS

Synthetic fibers are added to concrete to reduce plastic shrinkage cracking of reinforced concrete and structural plain concrete and/or to reduce shrinkage and temperature cracking in structural plain concrete slabs on grade

Consideration to be given to the volume, size and type of fibers used

The fibers are regarded as an admixture and are used in addition to any structural reinforcement, shrinkage and temperature reinforcement and joints as required in the applicable code

The fibers may be used in concrete over steel deck construction

The fibers may be used in fire-resistive construction on steel decks

BIND / HOLD CEMENT PARTICLE

M/s CALIBER CONSTRUCTIONS CO PVT LTD EXPERIENCE IN USING SYNTHETIC FIBERS IN PLASTERING APPLICATIONS

We have started using locally manufactured polyester synthetic fibers for plastering and flooring applications for the last TWO years

Our experiences with fibers are very much useful, encouraging with advantages and hidden benefits

We immensely feel that using of fibers as secondary reinforcement in all construction applications should be adopted by construction industry

In the following projects we have used synthetic fibers for plastering applications

FIBER REINFORCED PLASTERING IN OUR PROJECTS

SL NO PROJECT NAME BUILT UP AREA APPLICATIONS PLACE

1 M/s Shreetronics Enterprises 17000 SftInternal & External

plasteringElectronics City, Bangalore

2 M/s Velankani Information Systems Ltd 135000 SftInternal & External

plasteringElectronics City, Bangalore

3 M/s Impact Safety Glass Works Pvt Ltd 40000 SftInternal & External

plasteringAvalahalli, Bangalore

4 M/s Bhupathi Tennis Academy Pvt Ltd 23000 Sft External plasteringKodihalli, Bangalore

5 Apartment for Mr. Kiron Shah 7000 SftInternal & External

plasteringLavelle Road, Bangalore

6Common Amenity Centre for Electronics

City Industries Association 12500 SftInternal & External

plasteringElectronics City, Bangalore

PROJECTS OF M/S CALIBER CONSTRUCTIONS

SYNTHETIC FIBERS USED FOR CONCRETE FLOORING AT OUR PROJECTS

CONCRETE FLOORING WORKS

SL NO PROJECT NAME BUILT UP AREA APPLICATIONS

1 Impact Safety Glass Works Pvt Ltd 40000 SftConcrete industrial flooring and

road pavement

2 Bhupathi Tennis Academy Pvt Ltd 23000 Sft Concrete Tennis Courts

3 Mt. Meru Apartments, Hyderabad 7000 Sft Concrete Tennis Court

VELANKANI TECH PARK

VELANKANI TECH PARK

TENNIS COURTS

NIKE - BHUPATHI TENNIS VILLAGE

Tennis Court at Mt. Meru Apartments, Hyderabad

Tennis Court at Mt. Meru Apartments, Hyderabad

IMPACT SAFETY GLASS WORKS PVT LTD

ELCIA COMMON AMENITY CENTER

SHREETRONICS

RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT AT LAVELLE ROAD

ADVANTAGES & BENEFITS OF USING FIBERS IN PLASTERING AT OUR PROJECTS

Fibers were instrumental in reducing shrinkage cracks

Rebound loss of the mortar has been reduced to 10 % instead of 30 to 40 % with out fibers in the mortar

There is no Dampness and leakage of plastered walls

Better finish of wall surface

Increased strength of mortar due to which more durable and long lasting constructions

Savings due to economic mix designs and more durable plastered surface

Compressive strength of plaster was increased by over 15-20%

Results in Cement savings up to 3%

Increase in labour productivity by over 5%

ADVATAGES & BENIFITS OF USING FIBERS IN CONCRETE FLOORING WORKS

The use of fibers has improved the abrasion resistance of concrete floors to moving loads

No appearance of plastic shrinkage and plastic settlement cracks on the concrete floor surface

Service life of the floor is enhanced due to high durable concrete produced with synthetic fibers

Improved impact resistance of floors to point loads Concrete mix with fibers was cohesive with better workability Compressive strength of plaster was increased by over 8-10%

CONCLUSION AND PATH FORWARD

Use of Synthetic Fibers in all construction applications should be encouraged by the construction industry

Different types of fibers should be developed to address each specific need of construction applications

Construction industry should encourage new technologies like fibers reinforcement in construction to a larger extent for improving the durability and serviceability of the building and structures

We look forward to cementing a relationship with you.

Thank you

CONTACT

No. 43, Electronics City Phase II, Hosur Road, Bangalore-560 100.

Phone: +91-80-2501 4008, Fax: +91-80-2852 3934Email: info@calibercompany.com