Severstal-metiz and Partners Conducted Successful Joint Testing of New Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Technology

The unique structure has been fabricated for the construction of a local wastewater treatment facility. The bulk dispersion of steel fiber and the embedding of rebars along the axes of the columns were used to fabricate a capital-less, girt-less floor slab. The reliability and strength of the slab were tested by simulating the operating conditions for the structures under development. The test schedule was devised with respect to the equivalent stresses in the design slab model used for designing the second-level mezzanines of an administrative and amenity unit in the warehouse. The test load was applied in the center of the span between the columns on a 4.5-square-meter area and was increased to 15.5 tons, with a maximum load intensity of 3.444 tons per sq. m. The measured deflection in the center of the slab was 2.1 mm. After the unloading, a plastic deformation of 0.14 mm was recorded. No load-related cracking was observed in the slab. The responsible and coordinated action of the customer PSO-733, regular trading partner Rusfibra-TS involved in the process organization and technology partner the Research Center of the Tunnel Association, which carried out relevant feasibility calculations together with Severstal-metiz, made the project possible. "We are very grateful to our customer for its decision to apply Severstal-metiz's technology, which has proven its efficiency and reliability in European countries but has not been previously used in Russia. The structure has passed the test. It demonstrates that the combined reinforcement technology using steel fiber-reinforced concrete is reliable and effective in reducing the construction time and number of construction workers and is expected to be used in projects where high operating loads are involved," says Sergey Kovryakov, the CEO of Severstal-metiz. For reference: Fiber is a specially-shaped product made from steel wire. Severstal-metiz is successfully producing five standard size types of fiber. Concrete reinforced with steel fiber acquires new properties that enhance its performance. Steel fiber-reinforced concrete structures are 1.5 to 2 times more resistant to abrasion and dynamic loads including impact. In addition, the cost-effectiveness of using fiber-reinforced concrete in construction is significantly higher than that of a conventional reinforcement method.