How to reinforce concrete with glass fibers

lethal...@gmail.com

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Mar 21, 2008, 6:29:20 AM3/21/08

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Please tell me how to reinforce concrete with glass fibers.

Should the glass fibers be saturated with resin before pouring the
cement?

Or is it just similar to chicken wire reinforced concrete wherein you
simply pour cement over the metal wire mesh?

Can I use woven roving or even chopped strand mat to reinforce
concrete?

Big_Jake

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Mar 21, 2008, 9:09:41 AM3/21/08

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On Mar 21, 5:29 am, lethaldri...@gmail.com wrote:
> Please tell me how to reinforce concrete with glass fibers.

It comes in pre-measured packets that you throw into the cement truck
and mix for several minutes. The fibers are actually made of some
type of plastic. Typically you order the concrete from a supplier
with the fiber added. The fiber distributes itself evenly throughout
the concrete via the mixing.

> Should the glass fibers be saturated with resin before pouring the
> cement?

No.

> Or is it just similar to chicken wire reinforced concrete wherein you
> simply pour cement over the metal wire mesh?

Reinforcing with chicken wire does nothing. The typical wire mesh for
concrete is 10 gauge wire on a 6 x 6 grid.

> Can I use woven roving or even chopped strand mat to reinforce
> concrete?

How? Concrete isn't fluid enough to saturate something like that.

JK

jloomis

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Mar 21, 2008, 9:46:08 AM3/21/08

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I have used fibre glass strand in concrete mix. It comes mixed in the
truck. It is an accident waiting to happen,
Total failure......cracks etc......
I tried it about twice many years ago and will "never" use it again.
The best reinforcing so far that I have used is re=bar with grid patterens
from 24 inch to 12 inch depending on the application and or engineering
requirement.......
Use dobes, (concrete) blocks to space it off the sand layer or gravel layer
so that it is embedded in the concrete and not pushed to the bottom.....
Use a hook to lift it as one pours........
jloomis concrete and construction...
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HerHusband

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Mar 21, 2008, 10:08:07 AM3/21/08

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> I have used fibre glass strand in concrete mix. It comes mixed in the
> truck. It is an accident waiting to happen,
> Total failure......cracks etc......

I ordered a fibermesh additive in our garage floor about 7 years ago. Our
slab is a one piece 24'x28' with no control joints or any other
reinforcing. The finishers acted like it was harder to get a smooth steeled
finish with the mesh additive, but I think it turned out great. It's now 7
years later and there isn't a single crack anywhere in the slab. That's
good enough for me, I highly recommend the fiberglass reinforcement.

Anthony

ilaboo

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Mar 21, 2008, 10:10:11 AM3/21/08

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> Please tell me how to reinforce concrete with glass fibers.
>

italians used to use human hair--flexable and full of scales for concrete
/plaster to stick to

spider web fibres--i think they are availiable might be interesting dependin
on application

fwiw
peter

ilaboo

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Mar 21, 2008, 10:11:19 AM3/21/08

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what is the application?

tia
peter

jloomis

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Mar 21, 2008, 9:24:00 PM3/21/08

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I would be cautious....I poor lots of concrete. Most of the slabs are
engineered.
Many are not. The practice of using fiber mesh was tossed many years ago.
It had a failure rate.
Homeowners may like the ease of application but when you look into the
serious concrete poors and concrete made to last most if not all use re-bar
grids.......
Sub-grade is very important and water ratio to concrete is also a factor.
Anyway, that is the "norm" in Calif. and if you look at Bridges or any
commercial concrete work, you will see re=bar.
oh well.....jloomis
just my 2 peanuts....
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HerHusband

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Mar 22, 2008, 12:45:36 PM3/22/08

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> I would be cautious....I poor lots of concrete. Most of the slabs are
> engineered. Many are not. The practice of using fiber mesh was tossed
> many years ago. It had a failure rate. Homeowners may like the ease of
> application but when you look into the serious concrete poors and
> concrete made to last most if not all use re-bar grids.......

> if you look at Bridges or any commercial concrete work, you will

> see rebar.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the mesh and rebar served two
different functions?

Mesh helps reduce cracking, but as far as I know adds very little strength
to the concrete.

Rebar makes concrete stronger, but I don't think it reduces cracking much,
other than holding the pieces together when they crack (concrete is strong
in compression, weak in tension and flexing. That's where the rebar helps).

Obviously, I wouldn't rely on mesh as my only reinforcement in a strength
situation (foundation walls, pillers, bridgework, etc.), but with a slab on
a stable base my main concern is cracking. The mesh works great for that.

On the other hand, when I poured our sidewalk out front over recently
filled soil, I did add a few runs of rebar. If the soil underneath settles
any, the rebar should help the concrete "span" those areas a bit. No cracks
there in 4+ years either...

Anthony

jloomis

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Mar 22, 2008, 8:18:26 PM3/22/08

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Well thats how I feel......Re-bar is insurance, and yes, fiber mesh is not
the sole aspect to making a concrete pad trouble free. I would use fiber
but I would also use re-bar 1st. Settling is a major issue and homeowners
have been noted to pour concrete on substandard subgrade.........I just
looked at one today for a fellow....
stumps ground, and chips everywhere.......He say's, Oh, "It should be fine"
They say that the day of the agreemanet and then a year later when the
concrete cracks the memory is not there?
I always put in a concrete estimate if the subgrade is suspicious,
"Contractor not libale for compaction, and slab failure due to faulty
subgrade"
jloomis

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