Engineered for Toughness, Designed for Durability
BarChip Fibre:
The Standard in Fibre Reinforced Concrete Design
Fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) has become the standard concrete reinforcement solution across numerous construction sectors. Once an emerging technology, macro synthetic fibres now define the benchmark for high performance, low carbon FRC design.
BarChip fibre is supported by extensive research and proven real world applications and is recognised by numerous international standards and design guidelines.
Get Fibre Concrete Designs in Minutes
Using custom built tools based on ACI 544 and TR34 design methods, you can quickly determine the feasibility of BarChip fibre in your project. BarChip’s free to use design app is fast, simple to use and lets you generate reports straight from the app in just minutes. Suitable for flooring, paving and shotcrete applications.
Carbon Footprint and Sustainability Modelling
BarChip macro synthetic fibres offer a proven method to reduce the embodied carbon of concrete structures. Certified EPDs under ISO14025 and EN15804 ensure transparency and help you meet green building standards. Benefits include:
Build sustainably with BarChip’s low carbon concrete reinforcement.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Design
of Fibre Reinforced Concrete
BarChip offers Finite Element Analysis (FEA) as a service to support the design of fibre reinforced concrete structures. Using industry leading concrete specific software such as ATENA, we can model the behaviour of BarChip fibres in all applications.
Key Advantages of FEA with BarChip Fibre
- Accurate Concrete and FRC Material Modelling
- Simulation of reality
- Validation of Designs, and Design optimisation
- Crack width and crack propagation modelling
- Compatibility with Industry Standard FEA Tools
BarChip’s FEA services provide a clear path to achieving optimised, high performing concrete designs.
Best Practice for Testing Fibre Reinforced Concrete
The energy absorption capacity of BarChip’s fibre reinforced concrete is measured according to internationally recognised standards.
Common test methods for determining the residual flexural strength of sprayed concrete are:
- ASTM C 1550 – Standard Test Method for Textural Toughness of Fibre Reinforced Concrete
- EN 14488-5 – Testing sprayed concrete – Determination of energy absorption capacity of fibre reinforced slab specimens
- EFNARC Panel Test
Common test methods to determine the residual strength of fibre reinforced concrete are:
- ASTM C 1609 – Standard Test Method for Flexural Performance of Fibre-Reinforced Concrete
- EN 14651 – Test Method for Metallic Fibre Reinforced Concrete
- JSCE-SF4 – Method of Tests for Flexural Strength and Flexural Toughness of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete
Designing Industrial Floors:
FRC Design
Most industrial floors made with fibre reinforced concrete are designed in accordance with:
- UK Concrete Society TR 34 4th Edition – Concrete Industrial Ground Floors – A Guide to Design and Construction, March 2016
- American Concrete Institute ACI 360.R-10 Guide to Design of Slabs-on-Ground.
For jointless flooring design, a unique design method was developed with the help of advanced finite element analysis, so that the effect of joint distances can be justified.
Jointless Flooring Design with BarChip Macro Synthetic Fibre.
Designing Fibre Reinforced Shotcrete (Sprayed Concrete)
BarChip fibre reinforced shotcrete is typically designed based on its energy absorption requirements or the moment capacity of the structure. Common guidelines include:
More complex situations can require N-M interaction diagrams to analyse the capacity of the structure.
Need help optimising your fibre reinforced shotcrete design?
Designing Fibre Reinforced Precast Segmental Tunnel Linings
There are multiple guidance documents for the design of fibre reinforced segmental tunnel linings.
These include:
- ITA – ITAtech Guidance for Precast Fibre Reinforced Concrete Segments Vol 1 Design Aspects
- ITA – WG 2 Twenty years of FRC Tunnel Segment Practice: Lessons learnt and proposed Design Procedure
- BSI – PAS 8810 Tunnel Design – Design of Concrete Segmental Tunnel Linings – Code of Practice
BarChip’s experienced team can provide detailed finite element analysis (FEA) for our synthetic fibre reinforced segments, which provide performance over the entire life of the structure. Commonly, N-M interaction diagrams are used to analyse the moment capacity of cast-in-place final linings.
Designing Fibre Reinforced Precast Concrete
Precast concrete elements are often complex, requiring precise design to meet performance demands. These designs typically adhere to national concrete codes. If steel reinforced designs are already in place, BarChip can provide structural analysis based on moment capacity and specific performance requirements.
For specialised applications, BarChip offers advanced finite element analysis to accurately predict key structural behaviours, including crack width, shrinkage, creep and fatigue performance, ensuring optimal reliability and durability.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is fibre reinforced concrete designed?
Fibre reinforced concrete is most often designed according to the post crack residual capacity of fibre reinforced concrete.
Do fibres influence concrete strength?
Fibres improve the post crack residual capacity of concrete, they do not impact concrete compressive strength.
Can fibres be used in high strength concrete?
Not all fibres can be used in high strength concrete. Steel fibres suffer from embrittlement, which leads to fibre snapping. BarChip fibre can be used in high strength concretes.
Do fibres eliminate concrete cracking?
Fibres do not stop concrete from cracking. Fibres prevent the development of micro cracking into macro cracking, and are more effective at controlling crack propagation.
Can fibres be combined with steel mesh reinforcement?
Yes. Many applications require a composite of both traditional steel mesh and fibre reinforcement. In these cases, the traditional steel volume can often be reduced for optimised performance and cost.
Do concrete fibres affect concrete slump?
Yes. Adding fibres to concrete will reduce the slump. The change in slump will depend on the fibre type and volume.
Do fibres affect concrete workability?
Yes. The workability of fibre reinforced concrete is different to plain concrete, however, with proper mix design, fibre reinforced concrete is easily worked and finished.
What design standards govern fibre reinforced concrete?
There are numerous international standards governing fibre reinforced concrete, including ACI 544, TR34v4, ACI 506, EN 14889, Model Code, ASTM C1550, EFNARC, ASTM C1609, EN 14651 and more. Â
Get in touch for a personal information session about your next project. One of our concrete fibre experts will guide you through the following 4 keys items: