ᐅ Concrete slab with polymer fibers and reduced reinforcement steel
Created on: 3 Feb 2024 09:43
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roestzwiee
Hello everyone,
Let me briefly introduce myself, as I’m new here.
My wife and I decided at the beginning of 2023 to build a house, and we are working with the companies Danwood and Glatthaar to construct a small one-and-a-half-story detached house.
We recently had the site kickoff meeting with Glatthaar, which went well – we’re excited that the project is finally starting.
Afterwards, I was told on the phone that our house is suitable for a "hybrid slab," and Glatthaar would like to use this to improve their environmental balance.
Today, I received a letter about this. Unfortunately, it doesn’t contain any concrete information, such as how much steel will be reduced or the amount of plastic fibers added to the slab. I have no clue.
So my question is: is this a good solution? Of course, I’m skeptical – like many others building a house, we expect to live in it for a long time. I don’t want the foundation slab to cause problems later on.
Here is a quote from Glatthaar’s letter:
They plan to use "a combination of reinforcing steel and MasterFiber polymer fibers." Furthermore, "the addition of polymer fibers is approved by the DIBt (German Institute for Structural Engineering)."
What do you think? Is this a viable method, or is it better to avoid it?
Best regards and thanks in advance for all your answers!
Let me briefly introduce myself, as I’m new here.
My wife and I decided at the beginning of 2023 to build a house, and we are working with the companies Danwood and Glatthaar to construct a small one-and-a-half-story detached house.
We recently had the site kickoff meeting with Glatthaar, which went well – we’re excited that the project is finally starting.
Afterwards, I was told on the phone that our house is suitable for a "hybrid slab," and Glatthaar would like to use this to improve their environmental balance.
Today, I received a letter about this. Unfortunately, it doesn’t contain any concrete information, such as how much steel will be reduced or the amount of plastic fibers added to the slab. I have no clue.
So my question is: is this a good solution? Of course, I’m skeptical – like many others building a house, we expect to live in it for a long time. I don’t want the foundation slab to cause problems later on.
Here is a quote from Glatthaar’s letter:
They plan to use "a combination of reinforcing steel and MasterFiber polymer fibers." Furthermore, "the addition of polymer fibers is approved by the DIBt (German Institute for Structural Engineering)."
What do you think? Is this a viable method, or is it better to avoid it?
Best regards and thanks in advance for all your answers!
R
roestzwiee4 Feb 2024 06:50There is a Point 138.1 model from Danwood. It fit perfectly into our concept since Danwood includes the entire interior fit-out.
So far, I have to say, knock on wood, everything is going well. According to the financial plan we were given, we are only slightly over budget.
So far, I have to say, knock on wood, everything is going well. According to the financial plan we were given, we are only slightly over budget.
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WilderSueden4 Feb 2024 09:3711ant schrieb:
Interesting. It was new to me as well that the concept of "fleet consumption" has already reached the foundation slab manufacturers. Not surprising though. With all the QNG (Quality Construction Guidelines) stuff, it makes sense to optimize not only the house but also the foundation slab according to the calculation requirements.
roestzwiee schrieb:
Based on the financial breakdown we received, we are only slightly over the budget. Are you aware that with Danwood, quite a few things are not included in the price? You can find the details here in the Danwood subforum.
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roestzwiee4 Feb 2024 09:49WilderSueden schrieb:
You are aware that with Danwood, some things are not included in the price, right? You can find details here in the Danwood subforum.When we signed the contract, the Danwood representative explained what we would need to handle ourselves and what was included. They also gave us an estimate of the budget required for each additional cost item.
Yes – there were some minor surprises when we reviewed the documents more closely. But so far, all the additional costs mentioned to us are still within our budget...
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Allthewayup4 Feb 2024 22:07I’m surprised that no one has brought up the issue of microplastics in drinking water yet. After all, these polymer fibers are essentially the same thing. When concrete structures are eventually demolished, a large amount of these fibers is released into the environment—whether people are still around or not doesn’t matter to the ecosystem. It’s quite alarming that this is supposed to improve the ecological footprint. It took a long time before asbestos was fully recognized as a problem and removed from use. Of course, steel has a higher energy footprint, but it is completely recyclable without issues. When I think about our old house and the concrete slab we demolished: the concrete was crushed on site and used as backfill material, and I took the rebar to the scrap yard. Nothing was left over.
Try calling a waste disposal company and tell them you need to dispose of a polymer fiber-reinforced concrete slab. They will roll out the red carpet for you. We had a similar issue with bricks filled with mineral wool—considered hazardous waste by the disposal company because they belong to different waste categories and are difficult to separate. That’s why we ultimately chose perlite as a filler, since it can be disposed of together with the bricks under the same waste category without further separation or complications.
Try calling a waste disposal company and tell them you need to dispose of a polymer fiber-reinforced concrete slab. They will roll out the red carpet for you. We had a similar issue with bricks filled with mineral wool—considered hazardous waste by the disposal company because they belong to different waste categories and are difficult to separate. That’s why we ultimately chose perlite as a filler, since it can be disposed of together with the bricks under the same waste category without further separation or complications.
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roestzwiee21 Feb 2024 19:27So, we have now decided on a conventional concrete slab.
Still, for documentation purposes:
The structural engineer didn’t really care about the details. He was only interested starting from the top edge of the slab. The load calculations for the slab would probably have to be redone.
Apparently, up to 70% of the steel could be saved. (That is already far too little steel for my taste.)
The recycled aggregate can apparently be reused despite the PPE fibers. How it actually goes from the slab to the aggregate, I have no idea.
Thanks again for all the arguments for and against.
What ultimately matters to me:
We are not building an industrial building that requires an especially elastic and robust concrete slab; we are building a house, similar to thousands of others out there with a standard reinforced concrete slab. I won’t be driving a forklift or a truck over it.
Still, for documentation purposes:
The structural engineer didn’t really care about the details. He was only interested starting from the top edge of the slab. The load calculations for the slab would probably have to be redone.
Apparently, up to 70% of the steel could be saved. (That is already far too little steel for my taste.)
The recycled aggregate can apparently be reused despite the PPE fibers. How it actually goes from the slab to the aggregate, I have no idea.
Thanks again for all the arguments for and against.
What ultimately matters to me:
We are not building an industrial building that requires an especially elastic and robust concrete slab; we are building a house, similar to thousands of others out there with a standard reinforced concrete slab. I won’t be driving a forklift or a truck over it.
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