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Fiber Reinforced Concrete – Ready Mixer Profit Center

Since Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) is growing in popularity with the engineers and contractors, as well as, referenced within a growing number of project specifications and codes, the Ready Mixer should present and promote the concrete fibers along with the concrete admixtures and additives. Fibers are a Ready Mixer Profit Center!

Why Codes and Specifications Recognize Fibers’ Benefits

With an increasing number of specifications and codes recognizing the use of fibers as plastic shrinkage crack control and temperature-shrinkage crack control reinforcement in concrete rather than wire mesh, the Ready Mixer needs to be able to provide the products required by these specifications and codes.

Codes Require Permanent Supports for Wire Mesh

Since the codes also require the wire mesh must be set on permanent supports, which adds significantly to the contractors’ labor and material costs, there is now both a technical and an economic advantage to using the fibers.

The International Code Council or ICC is now the universal code for the United States. There are two specific code divisions under ICC and they are the International Building Code (IBC) for commercial construction and International Residential Code (IRC) for residential construction. Thus in most cases, the ICC codes will apply on residential and conventional commercial projects. Hence there is a need for an ICC ES Acceptance Criteria 32 approved fiber reinforcement system.

Conclusion!

Concrete fibers are an important profit center for the ready-mix producer and should be included in the Ready Mixers’ everyday marketing/sales package.

Selecting the Best Fiber Supplier

It is important to choose a fiber supplier offering a complete spectrum of synthetic and steel fiber as well as a full complement of fiber-blends. The fiber supplier must furnish technical evidence that these products have been tested and approved by the appropriate code bodies and/or agencies. Finally, the fiber supplier must deliver the products required in a timely manner so as to eliminate the need for excessive inventories of standard fiber products.

ABC Polymer- Complete Menu of Tested Fibers

ABC Polymer Industries offers a complete menu of fibers crafted and tested for specific applications and performance.

ABC Polymer- Multiple Products, Applications, and Price Points

The ABC Polymer menu includes three distinct, ICC ES- approved products, and each is accompanied by a copy of our ESR-1699 report. The products listed below allow you to select a single product or multiple products based on application(s) and price point(s).

FiberForce 100™, for residential slabs-on-ground in which plastic shrinkage crack reinforcement is required FiberForce 100, a purpose-specific, fine denier monofilament polypropylene fiber is ICC ES approved for use at 0.5 pcy and provides better plastic shrinkage crack reduction than conventional monofilament polypropylene fibers dosed at 1.0 pcy.

FiberForce 100 is ICC ES approved and provides improved plastic shrinkage crack reduction.

FiberForce 150™, a standard denier monofilament polypropylene fiber meets a number of needs and is approved by ICC ES at 1.0 pcy. This product will finish well and perform equally as well.

FiberForce 300™, a fibrillated polypropylene fiber approved as a temperature-shrinkage reinforcement at 1.5 pcy. With most everyday concrete requiring conventional wire mesh like 6×6 W1.4 x W1.4 or 6×6 W2.0 xW2.0, the 1.5 pcy dosage rate of Fibril Tuf adds more benefits at a lower in-place cost.

FiberForce 300 is ICC ES approved and adds more benefits at a lower in-place cost.

ABC Polymer- Growing Demand for High-Performance Products

The Ready Mixer is now experiencing a growing demand for macrosynthetic fibers as well as macro-micro blends. ABC Polymer Industries is at the cutting edge of this technology and provides three different macrosynthetic fiber products from which to select.

Each product provides slightly different engineering results, has gone through an extensive research and development program and is backed by an enviable package of engineering data to support our product claims. More importantly, we do have technical support on staff to assist in the marketing of these products. We welcome anyone interested in these products to contact us for a complete package of information.

ABC Polymer- Superior Sales and Service Support

ABC Polymer Industries will work with you to prepare a project-specific marketing plan to help generate contractor interest as well as address their questions and, of equal importance; help motivate engineers to flip projects from conventional wire mesh to FRC.

Truckload Orders ship within 72 hours and less-than-truckload orders ship within 48 hours.

All of ABC Polymer’s products are packaged in degradable bags and available in bag sizes to fit any requirements.

ABC Polymer – The Team

Call Denzil Schmitz, SVP of Sales & Marketing at 205.620.9889 or Bobby Zellers, Chief Engineer at 724.475.1177 to discuss your options and opportunities.