Workability of glass reinforced concrete (GRC) with granite and silica sand aggregates

Abstract

Glass fiber reinforced concrete (GRC) opens the door for lightweight and complex shaped innovative construction, adding architectural value to buildings. With panel thickness down to 15 mm, considerable amount of total loads and materials per square meter of facade can be saved, if compared to conventionally used 80 mm thickness outer layer in insulated precast concrete wall elements. Even though GRC is used for over 50 years in such countries as Great Britain, USA and Japan, there are very few examples and little research done in Eastern Europe with this building material. European Commission propagates sustainable design as commitment to energy efficiency, environmental stewardship and conservation. For this reason, GRC plays important role in mowing toward these goals. In this paper, GRC premix recipes including fine granite and silica sands, reinforced with 13mm length alkali resistant glass fibers are investigated. Two CEM I 52,5R cements with different particle sizes were used and severe water dissociation noticed in one of concrete mixes. Cement particle size distribution determined with laser diffraction particle analyser Cilas 1090LD. To determine modulus of rupture (M.O.R.) and limit of proportionality (L.O.P), plates thickness 15 and 20 mm were produced and tested for flexural resistance according to 4-point bending scheme. Concrete workability tests were made according EN 1170-1.