'Choosing plastic, is choosing convenience'

Reinforcement with synthetic fibers offers opportunities for contractors

Concrete braiders are becoming increasingly scarce and the time to have the braidwork ready is increasingly limited. Against this is the rightfully growing importance of working conditions and safety on the construction site. These developments are chafing. Dutch Fiber Trading also sees these developments and also emphasizes the call for a lower CO2 footprint in construction. It sees in the use of plastic fiber as reinforcement a smart solution to tackle these challenges.

Recently, the construction industry has faced a cost explosion due to rising raw material prices, rising energy prices and inflation. Sjors Beemsterboer, one of the two owners of DFTrading, is experiencing it up close. "I come from the contracting industry and know how difficult it is to make money in a qualitative and safe way on a project. That's why I say, 'not everything has to be in steel.' Replacing all or part of reinforcement with synthetic fibers can save twenty to thirty percent in costs." 

Greatly reduced CO2 footprint

Dutch Fiber offers two different fibers, a shrinkage fiber and a structural fiber. The shrinkage or microfiber effectively combats cracking in concrete due to the fibers' high tensile strength, tear resistance and corrosion resistance. The structural fiber is longer, thicker and stronger than the microfiber and is designed to replace or supplement reinforcement. In addition to crack resistance, this fiber also increases the toughness and durability of the concrete because the fiber does not degrade. 

Dutch Fiber Trading's polypropylene fiber has several significant advantages over traditional reinforcement. According to Beemsterboer, the fiber allows contractors to greatly reduce their carbon footprint. "This can be as much as 90% because our material is produced efficiently, is much lighter, can be processed very easily and requires little to no maintenance over time. Furthermore, we have developed a special coating for this fiber. This ensures that the air inlet into the concrete is reduced to less than one percent and thus the waterproofing is much better."

Selling trust

"Choosing fiber is choosing convenience," Beemsterboer continues. "As a fiber supplier, we also sell a piece of trust. We always work with new polypropylene produced in Europe. This allows us to guarantee an inert product, which we cut with new blades so that the fibers do not stick together. No more struggling in planning with braiders. The fiber reinforcement is calculated by the structural engineer via the Eurocode, the plant mixes in the right amount and on the construction site you pump it to where you deploy it. That can simply be done with a trailer pump and even with a pipe of eighty meters it still goes without any problems." 

The synthetic fibers reach all corners of the concrete, creating a qualitatively consistent product that does not require municipal inspection for coverage. Also, because of this homogeneous distribution, less concrete is often sufficient. DFTrading foresees many opportunities for hybrid solutions where the steel reinforcement can also be made much leaner. Especially since steel is often oversized. This creates an economical and quickly and easily applicable solution for various sectors, ranging from prefab products such as sewer pipes or retaining walls to monolithic floors, pressure layers, bicycle paths and framework applications. A major project currently underway is the paving of a huge container terminal. Dutch Fiber Trading's fiber is being used in this because of its insensitivity to magnetic radiation, used in the various loops placed in the concrete.

Instant benefit

According to Beemsterboer, the use of plastic fibers as additional or replacement reinforcement is particularly interesting for smaller and medium-sized contractors. "With the slightly smaller parties, the lines are much shorter. There, decisions are made to immediately unburden them. They therefore benefit directly from the application of our synthetic fiber reinforcement. They can benefit from the low CO2 footprint when tendering, but they also often have a direct economic advantage. They experience that it saves them a lot of time and provides convenience."