Vice President of Human Resources - Cemstone Companies We are excited to announce that Greta Dzieciaszek has joined Cemstone as the Vice President of Human Resources. Greta joins the team with over 15 years of experience in leadership development, recruitment, talent...
In the Mix with Cemstone’s Business Development Engineers
John Lee, P.E. & Jim Grothaus, P.E.
March 22, 2024
Cemstone’s RESOLVE fiber-reinforced concrete can be used to reinforce and improve all surfaces from driveways, patios and sidewalks to commercial parking lots and interior slabs.
what is the purpose of using concrete fibers?
Known as temperature and shrinkage reinforcing, macro synthetic fibers are used to control contraction joints or saw cuts and random crack widths, should they occur, due to thermal changes. Unlike rebar and welded wire mesh, fibers provide three-dimensional reinforcement so that when a crack forms, ideally in a control joint, there are numerous fibers bridging the joint, thereby minimizing the width and length of the crack. In addition, fibers increase the toughness of the concrete, which aids in limiting deterioration due to impact, abrasion, and fatigue.
Do fibers prevent cracking?
Concrete is designed to crack which is why joints are installed in pavements and interior slabs at regular intervals. Fibers are used to minimize the joint widths, thereby maintaining aggregate interlock which provides load transfer at the joint. Random cracks can happen and their occurrence can be greatly minimized by following guidelines established by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) for concrete slab installation which includes:
- Proper subgrade preparation
- Mixture selection
- Installation practices, including control joint installation and by properly curing the concrete after final finishing.
HOW DO CONCRETE FIBERS WORK and what are the benefits?
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) recognizes the use of macro-synthetic fibers as a suitable replacement for reinforcing bars (rebar) and welded wire mesh (WWM) when used to control drying shrinkage cracking and thermal changes (ACI 544.4R). Fiber reinforced concrete has many benefits, including but not limited to:
- Faster construction times through reduced labor
- Lower construction costs
- Safer project site
- Elimination of welded-wire mesh and conventional reinforcing bars used for temperature and shrinkage reinforcement
- Reduced plastic shrinkage cracks when using micro fibers
- Increase in toughness, abrasion and impact resistance
- Critical element of Latitude, Cemstone’s Extended Joint Spacing System
cemstone resolve fibers close up
Cemstone Offers Resolve Fiber Conversions
CONTACT OUR ENGINEERS BY CLICKING HERE
To learn more about Cemstone’s RESOLVE and to see if it’s the right solution for your project, contact Cemstone’s Business Development Engineers. We’ll use the latest industry tools to analyze your specific application and offer you recommendations with the goal of creating a successful, cost effective, long lasting concrete pavement or slab.