Sp 44-14

GLASS FIBER REINFORCED

CEMENT BASE MATERIALS
BY
Henry N. Marsh, Jr. and Lawrence L. Clarke, Jr.

Synopsis: This program was carried out to investigate the effect of

alkali resistant glass fibers on the physical properties of Portland
cement concrete. Fiber length, fiber quantity, cement content, water-
cement ratio and coarse/fine aggregate ratio were varied. First crack
and ultimate flexural strength , compressive strength and slump were
measured.

First crack flexural strengths greater than 1300 psi (91 k /cm'> and
ultimate flexural strengths greater than 2300 psi (162 kgf$'cm2> were
measured. The compressive strength of these materials is maintained at
the levels of strength of the unreinforced materials or slightly en-
hanced. A decrease in mix workability was encountered on addition of
glass fibers, but laboratory and field trials indicate these materials
retain sufficient workability to be placed and finished by conventional
means,

Application development is now under way to introduce these materials

into areas where high flexural strength and crack resistance are
required. Several of these applications are discussed.

keywords: bonding; compressive strength; concrete pavements;

crackinR (fracturing);
fiber reinforced concretes; flexural strength;
glass fibers; mix proportioning; mixing; paving; placing; precast
concrete; reinforced concrete; research; shotcrete; stresses; work-
ability.

247 I
248 fiber reinforced concrete

AC1 member Henry N. Marsh, Jr. is a Development Supervisor for Owens--

Corning Fiberglas Corporation: Granville, Ohio. Mr. Marsh has been
engaged in product and materials system development for over twenty
years. He is a member of AC1 Committee 544 Fiber Reinforced Concrete,
A.I.Ch.E., and NACE.

Lawrence L. Clarke, Jr. is a Project Manager in the Corporate Develop-

ment Group for Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation: Granville, Ohio.
Mr. Clarke has been active in the development of composite materials
for the past eight years. He is a member of AS'IM.

INTRODUCTION

During the past decade, there has been considerable research

carried on throughout the world on the addition of short discontinuous
fibers of glass, steel and plastic to cementitious materials. These
fibers serve as crack arrestors and improve the ph sical properties of
the matrix materials. A State-of-the-Art paper (1 4 has recently been
published by AC1 Committee 544 on Fiber Reinforced Concrete which
reports the current status of these developments,

The use of glass fibers in concrete dates back to the early 1950s.
Much of this work was not fibrous concrete by the current definition but
rather the use of glass fiber rods to replace conventional steel rein-
forcing in prestressed elements. This work was generally unsuccessful
because of attachment and gripping problems. In addition, conventional
E glass fibers progressively lost strength in the highly alkaline
environment of portland cement concrete.

Several approaches have been attempted to overcome the alkali

attack on glass fibers. Over the past sixteen years,, there have been
a number of Russian publications dealing with the use of glass fibers
in concrete and cement to produce reinforced products for structural
purposes. Russian (2) and English (3-7) researchers have utilized high
alumina cement which is a much less alkali matrix. Biryukovich (8,9)!
Gvozdev et al (10) and other Russian researchers, Goldfein (ll), Klink
(12) and Agbim (13) relied on organic coatings to protect the fibers
from the free alkali. Urev et al (14) investigated glass fibers con-
taining zirconia and studied the rate of destruction of these glass
fibers during prolonged exposure in Portland cement concrete. Current
research in the United States and England has utilized similar glass
fibers where alkali resistance is obtained by changes in the basic glass
compositions, Alkali resistant glass fibers are now being manufactured
by Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation in the United States and by
Fibreglass Ltd., a subsidiary of Bilkington Bras., Ltd., in the United
Kingdom.

Applications research by Owens-Corning Fiberglas has been under

way for several years on the use of these fibers'in various cementitioUs
 I

glass fibers in concrete 249

matrices. The first commercial application of these fibers was in

Fiberglas Surface Bonding (BlocBond) (15, 16, 17, 18). This system,
which was first investigated by U.S. Department of Agriculture
personnel at Athens, Georgia (19) involves the dry stacking of standard
concrete block followed by the parging of glass fiber reinforced cement
on both wall surfaces.

Other Owens-Corning development activities have been concerned

with the reinforcement of cement and mortar matrices, This work
utilizes very high levels of fiber loading (up to 12 percent by volume)
with most samples being prepared by a spray suction technique. A des-
cription of similar material and process techniques can be found in
articles published by the British Building Research Establishment and
other British researchers (3, 7, 20-24).

Essentially no research has been published on the effect of short,

discontinuous glass fibers in concrete. This paper will report the
results of experimental work carried out with alkali resistant glass
fibers having lengths of 0.5 - 2.0 in (13-51 mm) in several concrete
systems.

GLASS FIBER PROPERTIES

Glass fibers of the type used in this work are manufactured by

drawing from a platinum element (bushing). During this operation a
small amount of organic sizing is applied to hold the individual fila-
ments together into bundles or strands. It was found that concrete
made with fiber bundles having high strand integrity (well bonded
bundles) had better workability and physical properties than concrete
made with fiber bundles where the strands are dispersed into individual
filaments during mixing. A photomicrograph of the cross-section of a
typical bundle containing 204 filaments is shown in Figure 1.

Physical Properties

Typical physical properties of the glass fibers used in this

investigation are given below:

Ultimate Tensile Strength 450,000 psi (31640 kgf/cm2)

virgin fiber
individual filament

Modulus of Elasticity 9.0 x lo" (633 x ld kgf/cm2)

Specific Gravity 2.69

Filament Diameter .00050 in (-0127 mm)

Filaments per Strand 204

Exterior Surface Area of .0244 in" (-62 mm2/mm)

Strand/Unit Length
250 fiber reinforced concrete

Alkali Resistance

The alkali resistance of these fibers has been shown to be

excellent in both accelerated and actual time exposures. The strength
retention of mortar and concrete reinforced with these fibers is also
excellent. The actual time exposure of these composites is still
relatively short, however, and additional exposure time will be required
before the very long term strength retention characteristics can be
completely determined.

EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM

Experimental Variables

In this program the following variables were investigated to

establish the effect of glass fibers on concrete8

1) Glass fiber len th - 0.5 in (12.7 mm), 1 in (25.4 mm),

1.5 in (38.1 mm 7 , 2 in (50.8 mm).
2) Amount of glass fiber (percent by volume of wet mix) 0, 0.5,
-,A ,r- mr\ nr
 glass fibers in concrete 251

Sample Preparation

Water was added to the laboratory drum mixer followed by cement,

gravel 9 and sand. These were mixed to get uniform concrete and the
glass fibers were then added. The addition of the fiber to the mix
normally took 1-2 minutes. Mixing was continued to get uniform dis-
persion of the fibers through the matrix. Approximately one minute
additional mixing was needed after the glass was added. Overmixing was
avoided. After the concrete was placed, the molds were vibrated ex-
ternally to consolidate the sample and reduce entrapped air.

Flexural strength beam specimens 3 x 4 x 16 in (76.2 x 101.6 x

406.4 mm) and compressive strength cylinder specimens 6 x 12 in (152.4
x 304.8 mm) were cast. Air content and slump were measured for each
mix. All data contained in this paper were obtained from specimens
cured for 14 days at 73'F (23'C) and 54 relative humidity.

Testing Procedu>es

Flexural strength measurements were made on 10,000 lb (22000 kg)

Instron universal testing machine. Third point loading over a 12 in
(304.8 mm) span was used. Loading rate was .O5 in (1.3 mm) per minute.
Deflection was measured at the midpoint by a BLH PD-1M deflectometer on
top of the specimen. A load-deflection curve was plotted by the testing
machine. The stress level at which the load-deflection curve first
deviated from linearity was defined as the first crack strength. The
maximum stress level attained was defined as the ultimate flexural
strength. Compression testing was performed on a 4O0,OOO lb (880,000 kg)
Tinius Olsen hydraulic test machine at a loading rate of 40-45 psi
(2.8 - 3.2 kgf/cm2) per second.

Experimental Results

The results of these experiments are shown in Tables l-4. All

flexural strength data points are the average of at least four specimens
with certain data points being the average of as many as 20 specimens,
Compressive strength data points are the average of at least three
specimens with certain points being the average of as many as 12 speci-
mens. Plots of flexural strength, compressive strength, and slump
versus fiber volume percent for the typical mix design given above are
shown in Figures l-3. It should be noted that the density of these
specimens after curing was 134 f 4 lb/cu ft (2147 f 64 kg/ma). These
densities are somewhat lower than conventional concrete because of the
air content and the increased amount of water in the mix.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Most of the results reported in this paper were obtained from mixes
having a cement factor of 846 lb/cu yd (502 kg/cu m) and 0.50 water-
cement ratio and the initial discussion of results is restricted to
these mixes.
252 fiber reinforced concrete

Flexural Strength

The following general conclusions can be drawn concerning the

flexural strength of these mixes,

First crack flexural strength--The first crack flexural strength

is increased with the addition of glass fibers up to 3 times the
strength of the non-reinforced concrete. In general the rate of
strength increase tends to decrease as volume percent of fibers is
increased. This is believed due to the greater difficulty in achieving
completely uniform fiber distribution and wetting of the fiber surface
area as the fiber content is increased.

At 0.5 percent fiber content, the flexural strengths increased with

increased fiber len th. At fiber contents greater than 0.5 percent,
the 1.5 in (38.1 mm fiber length generally gave higher strengths than
other lengths although the differences between the 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0
in (25.4, 38.1 and 50.8 mm) length mixes were small.
(12.7 mm) length gave lower results than the other len~~sO&:~cularly
at the higher volume percentages. See Figure 5 for a plot of this data.

The scatter of the data points increases as the fiber length

increases. This is due to the increased difficulties in achieving
uniform distribution of the fiber throughout the mix as the length
increases.

Ultimate flexural strength--The ultimate flexural strength is

increased by the addition of glass fibers even more than first crack
flexural strength. Strength increases up to 4.9 times the non-reinforced
concrete strengths were measured. As with first crack measurements, the
rate of strength increase tends to decrease as the volume percent is
increased. The same reasoning concerning fiber distribution and wet
out is appropriate.

Examination of Figure 6 shows that 1.5 in (38.1 mm) gave the

highest results of the lengths tested. The superiority of the 1.5 in
(38.1 mm) length is more pronounced as the volume percent of the fiber
is increased. In all fiber concrete, increased fiber length produces
conflicting influences. Increased fiber length resulting in increased
aspect ratio must result in improved bond and should result in improved
physical properties. Increased length, however, usually results in
poorer workability and distribution of the fiber in the mix which should
cause poorer strength results. The trade-offs between these two
mechanisms must be studied in more detail to gain a greater understanding
of the fiber reinforcement phenomenon,

As with first crack results, the scatter of the data points

increases as fiber length is increased although this effect is much
less pronounced than with the first crack results.

Compressive Strength

Figure 3 shows a compressive strength curve which is typical of all

mixes tested. As fiber volume percentage is increased, the compressive
 glass fibers in concrete 253

strength rises to a maximum and then decreases. In most instances, the

maximum occurs at 0.5 volume percent. The compressive strength at the
highest fiber volume percentage is equal to or slightly less than that
of the non-reinforced concrete.
With the exception of the 2.5 volume percent mixes which are all
lower in compressive strength, most of the remaining values fall in
the range between 4400 and 5200 psi (311 and 368 kgf/cm').

There is no noticeable effect of fiber length on compressive strength.

The maximum compressive strengths measured were 20-25s greater than
those of non-reinforced concrete. The addition of glass fibers had a
much less dramatic effect on compressive strength than on flexural
strength.

Slump

Figure 4 illustrates the typical performance of these mixes in

relation to slump.. Slump decreases rapidly as fiber volume percent is
increased going from 4.1 - 8.75 in (lob-222 mm) slump at 0.5 volume
percent to zero slump at 2 - 2.5 volume percent.

The 0.5 in (12.7 mm) fiber length mixes gave noticeably higher
slump than mixes with other fiber lengths. It should be remembered
however that 0.5 in (12.7 mm) fiber length mixes were generally poorer
than all others in flexural strength results.

It is widely recognized that slump may not be a true indication of

fiber concrete workability and that other tests such as the Vebe
vibrator and the flow table may be more valid. Slump is, however, an
inexpensive and convenient test to run and does seem to show differences
in mixes.

It should be emphasized that all mixes, even those exhibiting zero

slump, were mixed, placed, finished, and consolidated in the laboratory
without great difficulty. The glass fiber strand tends to adsorb
considerable water on the external and capillary surface areas. This
water is available to assist in placing and finishing when vibration
is applied.

Other Mix Designs

All of the discussion above related to mixes having a cement factor

of 846 lb/cu ya (502 kg/cu m), 0.50 water cement ratio and l/3 coarse/
fine aggregate ratio. The effects of changes in these mix design
parameters are discussed below.

Coarse/fine aggregate ratio--There were no consistent differences

in flexural or compressive strengths when comparing mixes having 1 1
coarse/fine aggregate ratio with the corresponding mixes having 1 /3
coarse/fine aggregate ratio. The slumps of the l/l mixes were usually
higher than the corresponding l/3 mixes.
254 fiber reinforced concrete

Cement factor--Compressive strength increased with increasing

cement content as with conventional concrete systems.

Slump also followed the same general pattern, increasing with

increasing cement content although changes in slump were not as marked
as changes in compressive strength.

In most cases, the flexural strengths of the mixes having cement

factors of 893 and 846 lb/cu yd were statistically equivalent with both
mixes giving better flexural strength performance than the mixes made
with a cement factor of 799 lb/cu yd.

Water cement ratio--Mixes made with a water-cement ratio of 0.55

gave slightly higher slump and usually poorer flexural and compressive
strengths compared to corresponding mixes having a water-cement ratio
of 0.50.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

It has been shown from this and other research that the addition
of glass fibers increases the flexural and impact strength of concrete
and should provide crack control in thin sections where steel reinforce-
ment is not practical. It has also been found that these fibers can
be mixed in conventional central mix plants and transit trucks with
essentially no fiber balling and that the resulting concrete will be
non-staining. There is some loss of workability, but the glass fiber
concrete can be mixed, placed, and finished with conventional techniques.
This combination of characteristics suggests the following potential
applications:

1) Highway and runway paving - test slabs in Texas and Ohio

have shown excellent performance compared to conventional
paving.
2) Architectural precast panels
3) Topping for bridge decks and parking garages
4) Industrial floors
5) Thin precast items - several of these are now in
commercial production
6) Shotcreting for roofing systems, mines, tunnels, and
concrete repair
7) Modular housing units of conventional density and
light weight concrete
8) Burial vaults
9) Railroad ties
10) Transmission towers and light standards
11) Secondary containment for nuclear power plants

Application development is under way in many of these areas to

confirm the cost/benefit relations.
 glass fibers in concrete 255

SuME;rzRY

The effect of alkali resistant glass fibers on the physical

properties of Portland cement concrete was investigated. Fiber length,
fiber quantity, cement content , water-cement ratio and coarse/fine
aggregate ratio were varied. First crack and ultimate flexural
strength, compressive strength and slump were measured.

With the addition of glass fibers, the first crack flexural

strength is increased up to 3 times and the ultimate flexural strength
is increased up to 4.9 times the strength of the non-reinforced con-
Crete. In general, the rate of strength increase tends to decrease as
volume percent of fibers is increased. This is believed due to the
greater difficulty in achieving completely uniform fiber distribution
and wetting of the fiber surface area as the fiber content is increased.
In general, the 1.5 in (38.1 mm) length gave the best results.

The addition of glass fibers had a less dramatic effect on com-

pressive strength with maximum values being 20 - 25% greater than the
non-reinforced concrete.

The addition of glass fibers reduces the slump of the mixes but all
mixes, even those exhibiting zero slump, were mixed, placed, finished,
and consolidated in the laboratory without great difficulty. It has
also been found that these fibers can be mixed in conventional central
mix plants and transit trucks with essentially no fiber balling and
that the resulting concrete will be non-staining.

The combination of properties exhibited by glass fiber reinforced

concrete suggest its use in applications where improved flexural
strength and crack control are sought. These include highway and
runway paving, architectural precast panels, topping for bridge decks
and parking garages, industrial floors, thin precast items, shotcreting
for roofing systems, mines, tunneln, and concrete repair; modular
housing units of conventional density and light weight concrete, burial
vaults, railroad ties, transmission towers and light standards, and
secondary containment for nuclear power plants. Application develop-
ment is under way in many of these areas to confirm the cost/benefit
relations.
256 fiber reinforced concrete

REFERENCES

1. AC1 Committee 544 "State-of-the-Art Report on Fiber Reinforced

Concrete". AC1 Journal, Proceedings V.70, No. 11, Nov. 1973
PP 729-744.
2. Biryukovich, K. L., L. Yu and D. L. Yu, "Glass Fiber Reinforced
Cement", Kiev, Budivel'nik, Translated by G. L. Cairn of the Civil
Engineering Research Association, London, CERA Translation No. 12
(1965).
3* Grimer, F. J. and M. A. Ali, "The Strengths of Cements Reinforced
with Glass Fibers", Magazine of Concrete Research, Vol. 21, NO. 66
(March 1969), p. 23.

4. Allen, H. G., "Stiffness and Strength of Two Glass Fiber Reinforced

Cement Laminates"', Journal Composite Materials, Vol. 5 (April 1971),
p. 194.

5* Maries, A. and A.C.C. Tseung, "Factors Influencing the Strength of

Cement/Glass Fibre Composites, Proceedings of the Materials
Conference, John Wiley & Sons, Baffuns Lane, Chiceser, Sussex
(1969).
6. Chan, H. C. and W. A. Patterson, "Effects of Aging and Weathering
on the Tensile Strength of Glass Fibre Reinforced High Alumina
Cementn, Journal of Material Science, Vol. 6 (1971), pp. 342-346.

7. Majumdar, A. J. and J. F. Ryder, "Glass Fiber Reinforcement of

Cement Products", Journal of Glass Technology, Vol. 9, No. 3
(June 1968), pp. 78-84.

8. Biryukovich, K. L. and Biryukovich, Yu L. "Concrete Reinforced

with Glass Fibers", Stroitel. Prom. V. 35, No. 6, 1957 pp 23-27,
Translation available from SLA, No. 60-17150.

9. Biryukovich, K. L. "The Reinforcement of Concrete with Glass

Fibre". Stroitel, Materialy V.3, No. 12, 1957, pp 16-17. Abstract
in Chem. Abs. V. 52, No. 9, May 10, 1958, ~~7650~.

10. Gvozdev, A. A., Mikhailov, K. V., and Nikula, I. "Plastic Bonded

Fibre-Glass as Reinforcement for Concrete Components". Beton i
Zhelezobeton No. 3 1960 pp 105-111. Translation Great Britain,
D.S.I.R., Building Research Station, Library Communication No. 1021.
e
11. Goldfein, S., "Plastic Fibrous Reinforcement for Portland Cement",
U.S. Army Engineer Res. & Div. Labs. AERDL TR1757TR (October 1963),
p. 16.

12. Abbud-Klink, S. A., "FYCRETE, A New Material for Structures", Ph.D.

Dissertation, Rensselaer.Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.
(November 1967).
 glass fibers in concrete 257 '

13. Agbim, C. C., "Concrete Reinforced with Glass Fibers", Magazine

of Concrete Research, Vol. 16, No. 49 (December 1964).

14. Ur'ev, N. B.; N. V. Mikhailov; and Academician P. A. Rebinder

"Some Characteristics of the Breakdown Mechanism of Glass Fibers
Under Crystallization Conditions of New Growths from an Active
Medium", Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR Vol. 177, No. 6, December
1967, pp. 1404-1406.

15* "BlocBond - Performance and Description" Publication l-SB-623A.

Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, Toledo, Ohio 43659.

16. "The BlocBond System of Wall Construction for Architects and

Builders" Publication 5-SB-6284. Owens-Corning Fiberglas
Corporation, Toledo, Ohio 43659.

17. "Working with BlocBond" Publication 5-SB-8285 Owens-Corning

Fiberglas Corporation, Toledo, Ohio 43659.

18. Pecuil, T. E. and Marsh, H. N., Jr. "Fiberglas Surface Bonding"

Proceedings of the American Concrete Institute International
Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Ottawa, Ontario Canada,
October 11, 1973.

19. "Surface Bonding - A Technique for Erecting Concrete Block Walls

Without Mortar Joints'"', U.S. Department of Agriculture, Athens,
Georgia, CA-42-57 (June 1970), 6 pp.

20. Majumdar, A. J., "Glass Fibre Reinforced Cement and Gypsum

Products", Proceedings, Royal Society, London, A319 (1970),
PP* 69-78.
21. Majumdar, A. J. and J. F. Ryder, "Reinforcement of Cements and
Gypsum Plasters by Glass Fibres", Science of Ceramics, Vol. 5
(1970), PP* 539-564.
22. Thomas, J.A.G., "Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Cement", Composites,
(June 1971), PP* 95-97.
23. DeVekey, J. C. and A. J. Majumdar, "Interfacial Bond Strength
of Glass Fibre-Reinforced Cement Composites", Journal'of Material
Science, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 182-5.

24. Allen, H. G., "The Fabrication and Properties of Glass Reinforced

Cement", Composites (September 1969), pp. 19-24. -

25. Bloem, D. L. and Walker, S., "Proportioning Ready Mixed Concrete"

National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Publication No. 114
October 1963, 44 pp.
258 fiber reinforced concrete
glass fibers in concrete 259 .
3
 glass fibers in concrete 261

-1
N-00 2000. 00 0 0

Ou\ mbnj 20 ms
. N 0 . . . . . . .
N . 40 0 d Orl 0 0
262 fiber reinforced concrete

2 0 4 FB

Fig. l-Glass Fiber Strand Cross Section

Fig. z--Effect of Fiber Content on First Crack and Ultimate

Flexural Strength
 glass fibers in concrete 263

0 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

Volume Percent Fiber

Fig. Y-Effect of Fiber Content on Compressive Strength

:
- 3
e,
G:

Fig. k--Effect of Fibw Content on Slump

 inforced concrete

Fig. S-Effect of Fiber Length on First Crack Flexural Strength

Fig. 6-Effect of Fiber Length on Ultimate Flexural Strength