What is Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete?

Over many years, many research work performed to render concrete with flexural and tensile strength with its natural high compressive strength. The result is reinforced concrete having both longitudinal steel to provide bending and torsional strength and transverse steel (stirrups) to provide shear and torsional strength in flexural members. In case of compression member with longitudinal and transverse steel (tie or spiral) are used to provide compression plus bending strength. now-a-days short length steel wire or thin steel sheet are used to increase flexural strength, crack resistance and explosion resistance.

This special reinforcement is called steel fiber and the resulting concrete is steel fiber reinforced concrete. This type of concrete is widely used in abrasion suspected wearing surface.

The standard size and shape of steel fibers and their amount to be added in concrete mass are listed in the table below:

Fiber shape	Length, mm	Width, mm	Dia, mm	Thickness, mm
Steel wire having low carbon content	10 – 60	---	0.25-0.75	---
Steel flat sheet	10 – 60	0.25-0.90	---	0.15-0.40

This is to note that increase of strength properties is dependent on shape of fiber, quantity of fiber in the concrete mass and the type of fiber materials. How fiber are mixed in concrete mix is discussed in the post “HOW ARE STEEL FIBER USED IN CONCRETE?”