Anfra designs and builds fibre-reinforced concrete structures, combining cost-effective structural design with practical construction expertise. Fibre-reinforced concrete can reduce reinforcement work, accelerate progress on site and lower overall project costs.
The benefits of fibre-reinforced concrete are best achieved when it is considered early in the design process. When design and construction are developed together, structures can be optimised for both technical performance and efficient construction.
Anfra helps you identify where fibre-reinforced concrete can add the most value to your project. We design and build both load-bearing and non-load-bearing structures to meet your project's requirements.
In fibre-reinforced concrete, steel or synthetic fibres are mixed into the concrete at the batching plant. Where the design allows conventional reinforcement to be omitted, the associated installation, tying and inspection work is no longer needed. This reduces the number of work stages and allows concrete placement to begin sooner.
The cost benefits of fibre-reinforced concrete come primarily from savings in labour and time. Reducing reinforcement work can lower site labour requirements and overheads. We assess the potential savings individually for each project.
Fewer work stages make the construction programme easier to coordinate. Reducing reinforcement work also reduces reliance on the availability of reinforcement crews and the timing of reinforcement deliveries.
Steel fibres distributed throughout the concrete limit crack opening and propagation. When correctly designed and constructed, fibre-reinforced concrete provides an effective solution for many floor and slab structures.
Fibre-reinforced concrete can reduce the need for conventional steel reinforcement and help optimise material use. Project-specific design can also help reduce environmental impacts by identifying opportunities to use less concrete and reinforcing steel.
Fibre-reinforced concrete is particularly suited to a range of slab structures. Applications include:
Ground-bearing floors where loading and service conditions are suitable for fibre-reinforced concrete.
Projects where the load-bearing capacity and other relevant properties of fibre-reinforced concrete can be demonstrated to meet the design requirements.
Structures combining fibre-reinforced concrete with conventional reinforcement.
For example, foundations where reducing reinforcement work can make construction scheduling easier.
Fibre-reinforced concrete is not the best option for every structure. The right solution depends on factors such as loading, structural geometry, concrete placing requirements, service conditions and cost. We assess each project as a whole to select the most appropriate solution.
Consider fibre-reinforced concrete at the design stage to make the most of its potential. At Anfra, structural design and practical construction expertise work together. Our designs account for both structural requirements and how the work will be carried out on site.
For load-bearing steel-fibre-reinforced concrete structures, we use an in-house calculation template based on the Finnish BY 66 design guidelines (read our article. The template has been independently reviewed by Ramboll Finland.
The design of load-bearing structures is based on the tested properties of the concrete mix. We consider factors including the residual tensile strength of the fibre-reinforced concrete and the orientation of the fibres within the structure. Quality assurance during construction is also an integral part of the process.
The result is a fibre-reinforced concrete solution that is technically sound and practical to build.
Fibre-reinforced concrete can also be combined with conventional reinforcement. In some projects, fibre reinforcement alone is the most suitable option; in others, a hybrid solution offers the best result. For example, a floor slab with underfloor heating may be designed as a hybrid structure, with reinforcing mesh placed above the heating cables and fibre-reinforced concrete used for the floor pour.
We select the solution to suit the project's requirements. Our goal is to meet the technical requirements while achieving the best overall balance of cost, schedule and buildability.
Could fibre-reinforced concrete reduce work stages, speed up construction or lower costs on your project?
Anfra assesses the suitability of fibre-reinforced concrete for new projects and helps optimise existing designs. We can provide both structural design and construction services to suit your needs.
Contact us to find the most suitable solution for your project.