[TowerTalk] Concrete Fiber

[Dino Darling]

I worked with concrete contractors for years.  They said the "engineers" 
love it, but the people who deal with it day in and day out said it does 
NOTHING for the concrete.  They said, and I witnessed, slabs and 
foundations with fiber still cracked.  It was also a mess when using the 
ride-on trowel machines I sold them.  The concrete had small "hairs" 
sticking out of the top like hair on your arms.  After the concrete cured, 
the "hairs" would break away.

$10.00?  That's cheap, but you get nothing for it...in MY experience.



At 10:53 AM 10/17/2005 -0400, Doug Rehman wrote:
>I'm about to order concrete for a tower base. The concrete company offers
>fiber reinforcement mixed into the concrete for about $10 per cubic yard.
>I've researched concrete fiber and found nothing on Tower Pro and only one
>comment here by K7LXC saying it wasn't needed.
>
>It appears that the fiber adds 5-10% additional compressive strength and
>about results in a 50% reduction in cracking. (it is touted as a replacement
>for embedded steel mesh in slabs.)
>
>I have been unable to find any literature indicating that it is
>inappropriate for tower bases or even any negative consequences of its use
>for such. For less than a 10% increase in the cost of the concrete, it seems
>like it may be worth it- even if only for a belt and suspenders approach.
>
>Does anyone have any experience with concrete fiber use in tower
>foundations?
>
>Tnx,
>Doug
>K4DDR
>
>
>
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>
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Dino...k6rix at earthlink.net