Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Installation and Maintenance

Secure your work with accepted methods for fiber-reinforced concrete installation and maintenance
By Steven A. Ottem You will find fiber-reinforced concrete in homes, roadways and pipes, just to name a few applications. Methods of installing fiber-reinforced concrete follow accepted uses for other concrete processes, such as using forms and in-place casting. While many fiber-reinforced concrete products come as maintenance-free, designers and users have discovered that some products require maintenance to preserve safety and to extend the life of the concrete creations.
 

Concrete impregnated with fibers such as steel or asbestos have more strength and flexibility than pure concrete. Some drawbacks of steel are the possibilities of corrosion, reducing strength and heightening safety issues. As a result, engineers are trying out other reinforcing fibers. You may want to consider fibers other than steel or asbestos, including the following choices:

1. Fiber-reinforced concrete that uses various types of plastic fiber.

2. Fiber-reinforced concrete using cotton fibers.

3. Fiber-reinforced concrete with glass fibers.

4. Fiber-reinforced concrete that uses rockwool for fibers.

Explore installation techniques for home projects using fiber-reinforced concrete

You will find fiber-reinforced concrete for use in the yard and home in the do-it-yourself category for homeowners. You can use it for everything from sidewalks to decorative posts, or even a barbecue. Fiber-reinforced concrete also works well in the restoration of statuary and columns. You can find online instructions for forming and pouring concrete creations of many kinds.
Try: Quikrete provides instructions for forming and pouring fiber-reinforced concrete to make sidewalks, steps, posts and many other projects for the home. Custom Foam & Precast pictures some unusual methods of forming and using fiber-reinforced concrete. It provides ideas other than the rubber molds used for both fiber-reinforced concrete installation and maintenance.

Explore ways of restoring and maintaining fiber-reinforced concrete roadways

Many road projects utilize fiber-reinforced concrete using fiber other than steel or carbon. Repairing worn and damaged bridges and roads is also a project that calls for the use of fiber-reinforced concrete.
Try: Federal Highway Administration provides information regarding the installation, repair and maintenance of reinforced concrete used for roads. You can download a PDF for more information. AZoM discusses roadwork among many other uses of fiber-reinforced concrete. It looks at results of projects from 20 years ago and talks about newer fibers used for reinforcement.

Look for ways to maintain other structures made of fiber-reinforced concrete

Some projects and structures that use fiber-reinforced concrete will show signs or damage from use or weather if you don't maintain them. Several entities have studied the problem of repairing and maintaining structures for both aesthetic and safety reasons.
Try: Pullman Power presents a detailed account of what can happen to a chimney made of fiber-reinforced concrete and explains how to repair and maintain it. GoStructural.com discusses the proper method of preparing damaged fiber-reinforced concrete structures before actual repairs take place. The discussion includes the cost of repairing and the absolute importance of maintenance to prevent damage.