Fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) is a type of concrete that contains fibrous materials to enhance its
durability and structural integrity. FRC consists of small, short, and discreet fibres that are randomly
oriented but uniformly distributed throughout the concrete mix. These fibres can be circular or flat and
usually comprise one to three percent of the total concrete volume. Common fibres used in reinforced
concrete include steel, glass, synthetic, and natural fibres.
Fibres are added to concrete because concrete lacks tensile strength and is susceptible to cracking.
Fibre-reinforced concrete can improve tensile strength and control cracking in concrete structures that
are often caused by plastic shrinkage and drying shrinkage. Additionally, fibres in concrete can reduce
the permeability of concrete, which limits the amount of water that bleeds out, further reducing
shrinkage cracking during curing.
The use of FRC is necessary for several reasons. Firstly, it increases the tensile strength of the concrete,
reduces the inherent porosity of gel by minimizing air and water voids, and enhances the durability of
the concrete. Secondly, fibres such as graphite and glass have excellent resistance to creep, which is not
true for most resins. Therefore, the orientation and volume of fibres have a significant influence on the
creep performance of rebars/tendons. Thirdly, reinforced concrete itself is a composite material, where
the reinforcement acts as the strengthening fibre and the concrete as the matrix. It is therefore
imperative that the behavior under thermal stresses for the two materials be similar so that the
differential deformations of concrete and the reinforcement are minimized. Lastly, the addition of small,
closely spaced, and uniformly dispersed fibres to concrete would act as a crack arrester and would
substantially improve its static and dynamic properties.
There are six types of fibres used in FRC, including steel, glass, carbon, cellulose, synthetic, and natural
fibres. FRC offers several advantages, such as high modulus of elasticity for effective long-term
reinforcement, excellent early-age performance due to its ideal aspect ratio, easy placement, casting,
and spraying, and greater retained toughness in conventional concrete mixes. FRC also has higher
flexural strength, depending on the addition rate, can be made into thin sheets or irregular shapes,
possesses enough plasticity to go under large deformation once the peak load has been reached, and
has increased durability and high flexural rigidity. Additionally, FRC has reduced permeability, bleeding,
and formation of microcracks, minimum weathering effect, reduces deflection, and minimum corrosion.
However, there are some disadvantages to using FRC, such as the high cost of fibres, the need for
uniform distribution of fibres in concrete, the restriction of coarse aggregate size to 10 mm, the difficulty
of mixing fibres in large volume, and the need for skilled labor during construction with FRC.
Pre-tension Concrete
Pretension in concrete is the method when the concrete is prestressed with tendons before the placing
of the concrete. and It is a suitable method for small structural elements. the pre-tensioning members
are produced in the mold.
To pretension concrete the steel is first tensioned in a frame or between anchorages external to the
member. The concrete is then cast around it. After the concrete has developed sufficient strength the
tension is slowly released from the frame or anchorage to transfer the stress to the concrete to which
the tendons have by that time become bonded. The force is transmitted to the concrete over a certain
distance from each end of a member known as the transfer length.
Post-tension Concrete
Post tension in concrete is the method when the prestressing process is done after the concrete attains
its strength. It is suitable when the structure is heavy and this method is developed due to bearing.
Post-tensioned concrete is made by casting concrete that contains ducts through which tendons can be
threaded. An alternative is to cast the concrete around tendons that are greased or encased in a plastic
sleeve.
When the concrete has sufficient strength the tendons are tensioned by means of portable jacks. The
load is transmitted to the concrete through permanent anchorages embedded in the concrete at the
ends of the tendons.
Ducts are usually grouted later or filled with grease to protect the tendons against corrosion. In some
applications the post-tensioning tendons are run alongside the concrete member.
