Trade Journals for the Concrete Industry

It is well known that the resistance of concrete to fire can be increased significantly by mixing synthetic fibres made of PP into the fresh concrete. In the case of fire, the melting fibres gives rise to a system of capillaries and pores, so that the steam released in the concrete can escape, preventing the explosion-like spalling of concrete elements. At baumhueter extrusion GmbH, extensive experiments have been performed in order to clarify questions of the optimum fibre geometry, the optimum raw material for the fibres and the best dosage. This report summarises the results. Finally, at the centre of attention of further considerations is the newly developed PP fibre, PB Eurofiber HPR, with extraordinary melting characteristics and a significantly improved fire protection effect.