ADVANTAGES OF STEEL FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE IN INDUSTRIAL FLOORS

Abstract

Ground floor slabs are integral to the efficient operation of an industrial facility. A well designed and constructed floor will increase productivity, reduce maintenance of the building and increase the life of the equipment using the floor. Industrial floor slab has common requirements of high strength, toughness, crack control and durability among others. Most of the industrial floors are constructed using the conventional grade slab where reliance is only on the strength of concrete, and reinforcement is used only for crack control and shrinkage. The use of steel fibres in concrete is advantageous over conventional grade slab wherein the residual load carrying capacity of fibres is used and thus, increases the strength and toughness and gives economy in floor thickness apart from saving in construction time. This paper gives an insight into the advantages of steel fibre reinforced concrete in industrial floors. This work is based on structural design experience of the authors in steel fibre reinforced concrete floor slab for industrial projects and in particular the project recently completed for a food and beverage industry.