Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

For many applications, fibres are added to concretes, especially to improve the cracking and fracture behavior. The brittleness of the concrete matrix decreases when fibres are added, making the concrete more ductile and better able to resist bending stresses. Depending on the application, steel fibres, glass fibres or synthetic fibres are used, the latter also for fire protection, especially in tunnel construction. If a fire occurs, the fibres burn and leave channels through which water vapour can escape. This prevents the edge layer of the concrete component from chipping off; the steel reinforcement behind it remains protected. It is important that the fibres are homogeneously distributed in the concrete. This places high demands on the mixing technology used to mix the concrete.