| JP08332543 | WELDED METAL NET |
| JP2004169412 | BASE OPENING PART REINFORCING BAR UNIT |
| WO/2004/113821 | REINFORCEMENT ASSEMBLY FOR MATRIX MATERIALS |
CLAIMS:
1. A reinforcing fiber adapted to reinforce a composite binding material when a plurality of said fibers are embedded therein, the fiber comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends spaced apart by a length of the fiber, opposed sides spaced apart by a width of the fiber, and top and bottom surfaces spaced apart by a thickness of at least a portion of the fiber and each extending between the first and second ends and the opposed sides within a perimeter, at least one of said top and bottom surfaces having a peripheral border portion extending fully around said perimeter, at least one concavity defined in said elongated body, said concavity having an opening thereto defined within said at least one of said top and bottom surfaces, the opening being circumscribed by said peripheral border portion, and said concavity having a curved inner surface which is accessible only via said opening.
2. The fiber as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the elongated body is curved along said longitudinal axis between said first and second ends, said curved portion corresponds to at least a portion of a sinusoidal curve.
3. The fiber as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one of a curved outer surface and the curved inner surface of said concavity defines said sinusoidal curve.
4. The fiber as defined in claim 1, further comprising at least two of said concavities, said two concavities being located within said peripheral border portion.
5. The fiber as defined in claim 4, wherein at least one of said concavities is disposed on each side of a plane bisecting said elongated body, the plane being parallel to said longitudinal axis and disposed between said top and bottom surfaces, such that said concavities extend in opposite directions away from said plane.
6. The fiber as defined in claim 1, wherein said opening is substantially rectangular and said concavity defines a hollow scoop shape.
7. The fiber as defined in claim 6, wherein said concavity includes a curved base wall defining said curved inner surface and a pair of opposed side walls substantially perpendicular to peripheral border portion.
8. The fiber as defined in claim 7, wherein said curved base wall and said side walls intersect along two substantially parallel curved lines which define at least a portion of a sinusoidal curve.
9. The fiber as defined in claim 1, wherein said opening is substantially circular and said concavity is hemispherical.
10. The fiber as defined in claim 1, wherein said opening is substantially oval and said concavity has an elongated dome shape.
11. The fiber as defined in claim 1 , wherein said elongated body is twisted about said longitudinal axis to define at least a partially helical shape.
12. The fiber as defined in claim 5, wherein a first total volume defined within said cavities disposed on a first side of said plane is substantially equal to a second total volume defined within said cavities disposed on a second opposed side of said plane.
13. The fiber as defined in claim 4, wherein said at least two concavities are longitudinally aligned and disposed end-to-end within said peripheral border portion such as to form a composite longitudinally extending curve defined by at least one of curved outer surfaces and the curved inner surfaces of said concavities.
14. The fiber as defined in claim 13, wherein said composite longitudinally extending curve defines a sinusoidal curve.
15. The fiber as defined in claim 4, wherein said at least two concavities each define an curved outer surface substantially parallel to said curved inner surface thereof, the curved outer surface of a first of said concavities being integrally joined with said curved inner surface of a next adjacent second one of said concavities, and the curved inner surface of said first concavity being integrally joined with said curved outer surface of said next adjacent second concavity, such that said curved outer surfaces and said curved inner surfaces form a substantially uninterrupted and sinusoidally- cuved band longitudinally extending between opposed ends of said elongated body and circumscribed by said peripheral border portion.
16. The fiber as defined in claim 15, wherein said inner and curved outer surfaces meet at an inflection point disposed between said top and bottom surfaces.
17. The fiber as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongated body includes at least three concavities.
18. The fiber as defined in claim 17, wherein said three concavities are located end- to-end within said peripheral border portion and project away from a plane bisecting said elongated body, the plane being parallel to said longitudinal axis and disposed between said top and bottom surfaces, the three concavities projecting away from said plane in alternating opposed directions.
19. The fiber as defined in claim 18, wherein said three concavities define a sinusoidal curve longitudinally extending within said peripheral border portion.
20. The fiber as defined in claim 19, wherein said peripheral border portion bisects said sinusoidal curve, extending between opposed longitudinal ends thereof and passing through inflections points between adjacent concavities.
21. A concrete mixture comprising a plurality of reinforcing fibers embedded therein, each of said fibers having an elongated body defining a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends spaced apart by a length of the fiber, opposed sides spaced apart by a width of the fiber, and top and bottom surfaces spaced apart by a thickness of at least a portion of the fiber and each extending between the first and second ends and the opposed sides within a perimeter extending therearound, at least one of said top and bottom surfaces having a peripheral border portion disposed within said perimeter, at least one concavity defined in said elongated body, said concavity having an opening thereto defined within said at least one of said top and bottom surfaces, the opening being completely circumscribed by said peripheral border portion, and said concavity having a curved inner surface defining a volume therewithin which is accessible only via said opening.
22. The concrete mixture as defined in claim 21, wherein a dosage of said reinforcing fibers to be added to said concrete mixture is approximately between 25 to 40 kg/m3.
23. A reinforcing fiber for use in structural composite materials, the fiber comprising an elongated body having opposed first and second ends and a curved portion disposed therebetween, the curved portion being curved relative to a longitudinal axis rectilinearly extending between said first and second ends, said curved portion having a sinusoidal shape.
24. The reinforcing fiber as defined in claim 23, wherein said sinusoidal shape of said curved portion defines end points thereof and at least two inflection points intermediately located between said end points, said inflection points defining a transition point between adjacent concavities of the curved portion.
25. The reinforcing fiber as defined in claim 24, wherein said elongated body includes at least major top and bottom surfaces extending between said first and second ends, said major top and bottom surfaces having a border portion extending about the periphery thereof, the curved portion being circumscribed by said border portion.
26. The reinforcing fiber as defined in claim 25, wherein said border portions are spaced apart by a thickness to define a perimeter rim having longitudinal edges which bisect said curved portion, the longitudinal edges of the perimeter rim extending between said opposed end points of said curved portion and passing through said inflections points therebetween.
27. The reinforcing fiber as defined in claim 23, wherein said elongated body is twisted about said longitudinal axis to define at least a partially helical shape. |
CONCRETE REINFORCING FIBER
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to a reinforcing fiber, and particularly to a fiber suited for reinforcing a composite binding material, and more particularly a structural material such as concrete.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Concrete is a brittle material because of its low tensile strength and strain and therefore, while it is very strong in compression it is particularly fragile in flexion and tension, thus making it susceptible to weakness and/or failure when exposed to high flexion or tensile forces, or other multi-directional loads such as vibrations, cutting forces, etc. The basic concept of reinforcing concrete to improve the strength and toughness thereof by adding fibers therein is generally known. By dispersing these fibers throughout the concrete, the fracture toughness of the concrete can be increased several times so that the amount of energy that can be consumed thereby prior to rupture is significantly greater. In many cases such fibers are metallic, and more specifically made of steel because of its low cost and high strength. One example of such a metal fiber is taught in U.S. Patent 5,865,000, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. While such fibers somewhat reinforce the concrete, significant improvement is sought in terms of greater strength of both the fibers themselves and the concrete mixture containing them, particularly when exposed to tensile and flexion forces.
Certain factors need also to be considered when adding fibers to concrete. One important factor is to ensure that the concrete composite remains as homogeneous as possible, as a well balanced mixture of concrete with metal fibers can produce the most efficient concrete reinforcing effects. Therefore, the metallic fibers are preferably uniformly dispersed and well mixed into the concrete during preparation thereof. Due to the fact that equally distributing the reinforcing fibers is a difficult task, problems often arise, particularly when a large number of fibers are added.
Another important factor to be considered when adding reinforcing fibers to concrete is how to enhance the anchorage of the fiber to the concrete to generate a greater pullout resistance. Often, the fibers fail to become embedded in the composite mixture due to poor anchoring mechanism designs. Therefore, it is preferable for the
fibers to be designed in such a way to ensure adherence thereof to the concrete. However, presently known metal fibers that include anchoring mechanisms for improving adherence to concrete, tend to be problematic when transported as the fibers become entangled with each other due to their geometry. Particularly, it is common for fibers to include projecting anchoring portions that cause the entanglement therebetween prior to being scattered into the concrete mixture. Hence, the problem propagates further as the intertwined fibers result in the irregular amassing of fibers in various zones in the concrete. Such irregular dispersion of the metal fibers in the concrete is highly undesirable as the overall reinforcing effect is less than mediocre.
Efforts have been made to improve the concrete reinforcing characteristics of metal fibers by varying the geometry thereof; however room for improvement still exists.
Therefore there is a need for an improved reinforcing fiber geometry that addresses at least some of the issues raised above.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved reinforcing fiber geometry for improving the strength of concrete within which a plurality thereof are embedded.
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a reinforcing fiber adapted to reinforce a composite binding material when a plurality of the fibers are embedded therein, the fiber comprising an elongated body having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends spaced apart by a length of the fiber, opposed sides spaced apart by a width of the fiber, and top and bottom surfaces spaced apart by a thickness of at least a portion of the fiber and each extending between the first and second ends and the opposed sides within a perimeter, at least one of said top and bottom surfaces having a peripheral border portion extending fully around said perimeter, at least one concavity defined in the elongated body, the concavity having an opening thereto defined within the at least one of the top and bottom surfaces, the opening being circumscribed by the peripheral border portion, and the concavity having a curved inner surface which is accessible only via the opening.
In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a concrete mixture comprising a plurality of reinforcing fibers embedded therein, each of the fibers
having an elongated body defining a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends spaced apart by a length of the fiber, opposed sides spaced apart by a width of the fiber, and top and bottom surfaces spaced apart by a thickness of at least a portion of the fiber and each extending between the first and second ends and the opposed sides within a perimeter extending therearound, at least one of the top and bottom surfaces having a peripheral border portion disposed within the perimeter, at least one concavity defined in the elongated body, the concavity having an opening thereto defined within the at least one of the top and bottom surfaces, the opening being completely circumscribed by the peripheral border portion, and the concavity having a curved inner surface defining a volume therewithin which is accessible only via the opening.
In a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a reinforcing fiber for use in structural composite materials, the fiber comprising an elongated body having opposed first and second ends and a curved portion disposed therebetween, the curved portion being curved relative to a longitudinal axis rectilinearly extending between the first and second ends, the curved portion having a sinusoidal shape.
Further details of these and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description and figures included below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof and in which:
Fig. l is a schematic perspective view of a fiber for reinforcing concrete in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fiber shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a schematic top plan view of the fiber shown in Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a fiber for reinforcing concrete in accordance with a first alternative embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a schematic top plan view of a fiber for reinforcing concrete in accordance with a second alternative embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a fiber for reinforcing concrete in accordance with a third alternative embodiment of the present invention, showing the fiber twisted about a longitudinal axis; and
Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a concrete mixture with a plurality of reinforcing fibers embedded therein in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figs. 1 through 3, a fiber in accordance with a preferred embodiment is identified by reference numeral 10. The fiber 10 is adapted to be introduced into a mixture for the preparation of composite materials, such as concrete, to increase the overall strength thereof without negatively affecting the composite material's structure. More specifically, the fiber's geometry has been optimized to increase concrete's tensile, shear and flexural strength, and to increase energy absorption capacity prior to rupture of concrete. Furthermore, the fiber 10 is configured to promote high dispersibility throughout the concrete, and to increase bonding and anchoring strength thereto.
A concrete mixture comprising a plurality of the reinforcing fibers 10 embedded therein is stronger than a standard concrete mixture. Therefore, less of the reinforced concrete mixture is required than of the standard concrete mixture for constructing the same structures. Advantageously, the reinforced concrete mixture with fibers 10 is of greater value than standard concrete as the cost of the reinforced concrete is not proportional to the additional strength it provides. Even when compared to presently known reinforced concrete mixtures, the concrete mixture with fiber 10 of the present invention is superior in strength and overall value.
As exemplified in the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the fiber 10 comprises an elongated body 12 having a longitudinal axis labeled x extending between first and second ends 14, 16 spaced apart by a length 1 of the fiber 10. The elongated body 12 has opposed sides 18, 20 spaced apart by a width w of the fiber 10. The elongated body 12 has a top and a bottom surface 22 and 24 spaced apart by a thickness t of at least a portion of the fiber 10 and extending between the first and the second ends 14, 16 and the opposed sides 18, 20 delineated by a perimeter 26. The top and bottom surfaces 22 and 24 of the elongated body 12 having a peripheral border portion 28 disposed within the perimeter 26.
For clarification purposes, the peripheral border portion 28 is shown as being defined between the perimeter 26 and a border line 30 shown on the top surface 22 in Figs. 1 and 3. Naturally, it should be understood that the border line 30 is merely an illustrative example of one possible distance from the perimeter 26, and that the border line 30 may have alternatively been shown on the bottom surface 24. Further, the width of the peripheral border portion 28 may be substantially constant as shown or alternatively may vary along its length and may have an irregular shape.
The top and bottom surfaces 22 and 24 are preferably both curved, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to form a slightly longitudinally concave form which runs the length of the fiber.
Also, it should be understood that the thickness t may vary at different locations on the elongated body 12; however this thickness t is kept substantially constant in at least the depicted embodiment. The dimensions of the fiber 10 are optimally selected to achieve desired proportions that meet the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Standards.
Referring concurrently to Figs. 1 through 3, it can be seen that in the preferred embodiment the elongated body 12 includes three concavities 32a, 32b, and 32c. The concavities 32a, 32b, and 32c are preferably longitudinally aligned and disposed end- to-end within the peripheral border portion 28 such as to form a composite longitudinal extending curve as will be described in detail further on.
For simplicity, only one concavity, which will be generally identified by reference numeral 32, will be described in detail; however it should be understood that the description applies to all three concavities, 32a, 32b and 32c. Each concavity 32 has an opening 34 thereto defined within at least one of the top or bottom surfaces 22 and 24. More specifically, the opening 34 of both concavities 32a and 32c is defined in the bottom surface 24 and the converse is true for concavity 32b. The opening 34 is circumscribed by the peripheral border portion 28. The concavity 32 has a curved inner surface 36 defining a volume 38 therewithin which is accessible only via the opening 34. The concavity 32 also has a curved outer surface 40.
Referring to Fig. 3, it can be seen that the opening 34 is substantially rectangular and that the concavity 32 defines a hollow scoop shape. It should be understood that this is merely one possible embodiment. The concavity may include, as shown, a curved base wall 42, which defines the curved inner surface 36, and a pair of opposed side wall portions 44 and 46, which may be substantially perpendicular to the peripheral
border portion 28 or, as shown in Fig. 1, be outwardly curved such as to be integral with the curved base wall portion. The curved base wall 42 and the side walls 44 and 46 intersect along two substantially parallel curved lines 48 and 50 respectively. However, the curved base wall 42 may in fact alternately have a U-shape cross- sectional slope, such that the side walls are an integral part of the curved wall.
Furthermore, it can be seen in the preferred embodiment that the elongated body 12 is curved along the longitudinal axis x between the first and second ends 14 and 16. The curved portion 52 of the elongated body 12 corresponds to at least a portion of a sinusoidal curve 54. More specifically, the sinusoidal curve 54 is defined by the curved inner and outer surfaces 36 and 40 of the concavities 32a, 32b and 32c; whereby the parallel curved lines 48 and 50 thereof define at least a portion of the sinusoidal curve 54.
The curved outer surface 40 of each concavity 32 is substantially parallel to the curved inner surface 36 thereof. However, this may be varied such as to produce curved concavity walls which have a non-constant wall thickness. Specifically, the curved outer surface 40 of the first concavity 32a is integrally joined with the curved inner surface 36 of the next adjacent second concavity 32b, and the curved inner surface 36 of the first concavity 32a is integrally joined with the curved outer surface 40 of the second concavity 32b. The second concavity 32b mates with the adjacent third concavity 32c in a similar manner and therefore the description thereof has been omitted to avoid repetition.
Still further, the curved inner and outer surfaces 36 and 40 of each concavity 32 meet at an inflection point disposed between the top and bottom surfaces 22 and 24. Particularly, concavity 32a meets concavity 32b at inflection point A and concavity 32b meets concavity 32c at inflection point B. Thus, the curved outer surfaces 40 and the curved inner surfaces 36 of the concavities 32a, 32b and 32c form the substantially uninterrupted and sinusoidally-cuved band 56 passing through inflection points A and B. The band 56 extends longitudinally between the first and second ends 14 and 16 of the elongated body 12 and is circumscribed by the peripheral border portion 28.
Preferably, the peripheral border portion 28 bisects the sinusoidal curve 54, or more specifically the sinusoidally-cuved band 56, extending between opposed longitudinal ends thereof. The peripheral border portion 28 passes through the inflection points A and B between the adjacent concavities 32a, 32b and 32c respectively.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the elongated body 12 is preferably bisected by plane X which is parallel to the longitudinal axis x and is disposed between the top and bottom surfaces 22 and 24. The plane X is therefore parallel the top and bottom surfaces 22, 24, and thus is similarly curved. At least one of the concavities 32a, 32b and 32c is disposed on each side of the plane X. More specifically, the concavities 32a, 32b and 32c project away from the plane X in alternating opposed directions. Preferably, the combined volume 38 of concavities 32a and 32c disposed on the same side of the plane X is substantially equal to the total volume 38 of concavity 32b. Generally, it is preferable for the total volume on one side of the plane X to equal the total volume on the other side of the plane X, regardless of the number of concavities 32 comprised on the elongated body 12.
Moreover, the inflection points A and B lie on the plane X and the sinusoidal curve 54 is symmetrically defined with respect to the plane X. The peripheral border portion 28 is bisected by the plane X.
In its most general aspect, the fiber 10 includes a central portion which is earned relative to the rectilinear longitudinal axis x and which defines a sinusoid curved shaped.
Now referring to Fig. 4, a first alternative embodiment of the fiber 110 is illustrated. Similar reference numerals have been employed to identify like features but have been increased by 100. The exemplified fiber 110 comprises an elongated body 112 having a single concavity 132 with an opening 134 thereto defined within the bottom surface 124. The opening is circumscribed by the peripheral border portion 128. The concavity 132 has a curved inner and outer surface 136 and 140, the former defining a volume 138 therewithin which is accessible only via the opening 134. The curved inner and outer surfaces 136 and 140 of the concavity 132 define a portion of a sinusoidal curve 154.
In this embodiment the volume 138 is not balanced by a volume on the other side of plane X bisecting the elongated body 112. Furthermore, the opening 134 has a substantially oval shape with the concavity 132 having an elongated dome shape. However, it is to be understood that both the opening 134 and the internal volume of the concavity 132 may have an alternate shape.
Referring now to Fig. 5, a second alternative embodiment of the fiber 210 is illustrated. Similar reference numerals to the preferred embodiment have been
employed to identify like features but have been increased by 200. The fiber 210 comprising an elongated body 212 having two adjacent concavities 232a and 232b. The concavities 232a & 232b are located end-to-end within the peripheral border portion 228 and are disposed on opposite sides of the plane X bisection the elongated body 212. The opening 234 of each concavity 232a and 232b is substantially circular with the concavities 232a and 232b having a hemispherical shape. Although the two concavities are immediately adjacent such that they meet at an inflection point between the two opposed curves thereof, the cavities 232a and 232b can also be further longitudinally spaced apart. This embodiment is similar to the preferred embodiment and therefore it should be understood that the features of the two embodiments can be interchanged.
Referring now to Fig. 6, a third alternative embodiment of the fiber 310 is illustrated. Similar reference numerals to the preferred embodiment have been employed to identify like features but have been raised by 300. There is shown the fiber 310 comprising an elongated body 312 having a longitudinal axis x. The elongated body 312 has two concavities 332a and 332b. The concavities 332a & 332b are located end-to-end within the peripheral border portion 328. The elongated body 312 is twisted about the longitudinal x-axis to define at least a partially helical shape. As per the fiber 10, the elongated body 312 is curved along the longitudinal length thereof.
It should be understood that in this exemplary embodiment the plane X bisecting the elongated body 312 becomes a 3-dimensional plane rather than a 2-dimensional flat plane. Therefore, the term "plane" used in the present description is not limited to a 2-dimensional plane.
Moreover, the fibers 10, 110, 210 and 310 of the embodiments described above are preferably metallic, such as for example a carbonated steel material, which is cold pressed and/or wiredrawn. The steel preferably has a resistance to tension superior than 1200 MPa (180,000 psi). The fiber 10 made of the aforementioned steel may be provided in lengths of 25, 50, 60 and 63 mm with a width of 2.5 mm having a generally rectangular 3-dimensional shape, however it is to be understood that many other lengths and widths are possible.
Referring now to Fig. 7, an exemplary embodiment of a concrete mixture 60 in accordance with the present invention is shown. The concrete mixture 60 comprises a plurality of reinforcing fibers embedded therein. Naturally, as understood by those skilled in the art, the concrete mixture further comprises at least some of the following
constituents: water, cement, sand and aggregates. The fibers may correspond to the fibers 10 of the preferred embodiment or of the alternative embodiments 110, 210, 310, or a combination thereof. It should be understood that still many other embodiments exist which fall within the scope of the present invention. For simplification, the exemplary embodiment of the fibers 10 comprised in the concrete mixture 60 will be further described.
When the fiber 10 is added to a concrete mixture 60, the concavities 32 act as a "spoon" accumulating the concrete mixture therein. The spooning effect allows the fiber 10 to be properly anchored in the concrete mixture, without causing the fibers to become easily interlocked as no protruding anchoring mechanism-type projections exist.
Furthermore, the fiber 10 of this exemplary embodiment is able to substantially retain its shape when loaded, such as by forces P1-P3 as sown in Fig. 2 for example, as the peripheral border portion 28 solidifies the overall structure. The peripheral border portion 28, within which the sinusoidally-curved portion is contained, acts as a frame for the fiber 10, maintaining the structural rigidity of thereof. The geometry of the fiber 10 is such that applied forces Pl, P2 and P3 (Fig. 2) can be absorbed by the flexing of the concavities 32 and hence, can be distributed substantially evenly throughout the elongated body 12 in plane X, the circumscribing frame acting to substantially retain the inflection points of the sinusoidally-curved portion in substantially fixed position relative to each other (i.e. the frame acts to prevent these inflection points from moving apart from each other when the fiber is subjected to loading). As the concavities 32 undergo flexion when loaded, the concrete is thereby induced to work in compression rather than tension. When tensile forces are applied to the fiber, the same load distribution effect occurs. This is advantageous as concrete is strongest when working in compression. Thus, the fiber 10 has a geometry that promotes the natural characteristics of the concrete, working therewith.
The concrete mixture 60 having the fibers 10 of the present invention embedded therein produces a more ductile, fatigue resistant concrete with an excellent tenacity, resistance to the formation and propagation of fissures, the ability to receive omni directional forces caused by seismic movements, and vibrations.
The unique design of the fiber 10 exemplified herein allows the fiber 10 to be incorporated, and scattered very easily in concrete, without having to use special equipment. Also, the geometry of the fiber 10 allows for proper adherence thereof to
the concrete. The fiber 10 is compatible with various concrete additives, seals, and surface hardeners. The fiber 10 can be used successfully in multiple applications to reinforce structural concrete, mortar having a base of melted cement, Portland cement etc. Generally, the fiber 10 has a significant influence on the properties of concrete. Particularly, the reinforced fiber concrete of the present embodiment, when compared with conventional reinforced concrete, has a higher strength modulus, energy absorbency and flexion. Still further, the reinforced fiber concrete has a higher resistance to torsion, cavitations and erosion, fatigue, wear, and corrosion for structures exposed to water, deicing salt, and sea salt.
The fiber 10 has a geometry adapted to yield improved mechanical performance, even with a concrete contains aggregates of a substantial size. Concrete reinforced with the fiber 10 of this preferred embodiment can be added by way of a compacted roller, a Screed Laser, or simply by hand. The fiber 10 as exemplified herein can be added to the concrete mixture at the manufacturer, or at the construction site. All types of conventional equipment used to prepare and pour concrete can still be used successfully with the reinforcing fiber 10. Moreover, it is possible to achieve a smooth surface finish comparable to a conventional concrete surface finish with fiber reinforced concrete as exemplified herein.
The preferred dosage of steel fibers 10 to be added to a mortar is approximately between 25 to 40 kg/m3 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, however other densities are of course also possible.
The fiber 10 as exemplified can be used in various structural applications. The fiber 10 can be added to mortar or grout, and dry concrete for the construction of stabilization walls, thin walls, tunnel walls, as well as for reparation of existing structures. The fiber 10 can used to reinforce paving stones, and for refurbishing such as in both industrial and commercial projects, garages, mezzanines of steel dockings, exterior parking and loading docks, highways, airports, landing tracks, parking spaces, bridges, dams, floating structural foundation, and any number of other industrial, commercial or domestic constructions. The fiber 10 can be used to reinforce coined and prefabricated pieces such as thin structural walls, ceilings, pillars, steps, beams, panels, etc. Furthermore, the fiber 10 can be used in special applications for constructing hydraulic structures, military installations, explosion resistant structures, detour lanes, etc. Do to the high strength of concrete having the fibers 10 mixed
therein, this is also particularly useful for use in constructing structures having improved resistance to earthquakes and other seismic phenomenon.
The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without department from the scope of the invention disclosed. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims.