mineral / Cementitious / Cast Concrete
Polymer fibre reinforced concrete (100mm, 150mm, 200mm structural slab/wall)
Concrete with polypropylene fibres (e.g., SikaFiber PPM-12) for crack control and spalling reduction; fibres are typically 12 mm long with density ~0.91 g/cm3 and melting point ~160 C.
Atlas code
MIN-CEM-CC-002
At-a-glance signals
Concrete with polypropylene fibres (e.g., SikaFiber PPM-12) for crack control and spalling reduction; fibres are typically 12 mm long with density ~0.91 g/cm3 and melting point ~160 C.
Overview
Executive summary
Polymer fibre reinforced concrete (PFRC) uses polypropylene fibres to reduce plastic shrinkage cracking and improve fire spalling resistance in slabs and walls.
Best when…
- 90% reduction in plastic shrinkage cracking
- Enhanced fire resistance through spalling prevention
- Corrosion-free reinforcement system
- Improved impact and fatigue resistance
- Reduced maintenance requirements
- 50-100 year service life expectancy
- Improved workability during placement
- Enhanced durability in aggressive environments
Top advantages
- 01 90% reduction in plastic shrinkage cracking
- 02 Enhanced fire resistance through spalling prevention
- 03 Corrosion-free reinforcement system
- 04 Improved impact and fatigue resistance
- 05 Reduced maintenance requirements
Top limitations
- 01 Higher initial cost than plain concrete ($50-100/m³ premium)
- 02 Requires careful mix design and quality control
- 03 Potential fibre balling if not properly mixed
- 04 Limited contribution to flexural strength compared to steel
- 05 Surface finishing may require additional attention
Technical
Physical ·9
- Density
- 2400 kg/m3 AS 3600 material assumption via concreteproperties documentation.
- Specific gravity
- 2.3
- Porosity
- 12 %
- Water absorption
- 4.5 %
- Hardness
- 6
- UV resistance
- Good // Polypropylene provides UV stability
- Chemical resistance
- Excellent // Resistant to alkalis and acids
- pH tolerance
- 3-13
- Surface roughness
- 3.2 µm
Mechanical ·7
- Tensile strength
- 2.2-4.1 MPa Concrete Society basic properties (normal-weight concrete classes).
- Compressive strength
- 20-50 MPa Typical normal-weight concrete strength classes.
- Flexural strength
- 6.5 MPa
- Shear strength
- 5 MPa
- Poisson's ratio
- 0.2
- Impact resistance
- High // Qualitative due to fibre reinforcement
- Creep resistance
- Moderate // Similar to plain concrete
Sustainability & Health
Embodied carbon & energy ·7
- Embodied carbon
- 0.38
- Carbon footprint
- 380
- Embodied energy
- 1.9 MJ/kg
- Water footprint
- 195 L/kg
- Recycled content
- 0 %
- Renewable content
- 0
- Circular score
- 4
Compliance & Fire
Fire performance ·5
- Combustibility class
- Non-combustible // AS 1530.1
- Fire resistance level
- 120
- Flame spread index
- 0
- Smoke dev. index
- 0
- Heat release rate
- 0
Cost & Lifecycle
Capex & lead time ·6
- Material cost (range)
- $250-$350 // per m³
- Material cost (per unit)
- 300
- Lead time
- 1-3 days // Standard mixes
- Lifecycle cost
- 850
- Annual maintenance
- 50
- Market availability
- Readily available
Service life & durability ·3
- Expected lifespan
- 75
- Maintenance interval
- 5
- Warranty period
- 10
Layer D
Where it's used
Structural floor slabs (100-200mm thickness)
Load-bearing walls in multi-storey construction
Industrial flooring and pavements
Precast concrete panels
Marine and coastal structures
Bushfire-prone area construction
Bridge decks and infrastructure
Warehouse and logistics facility floors