VIDEO: The Bowling Ball Test on STRUX® Macro-Fibers in Concrete

In this video, GCP scientist Dr. Ezgi Yurdakul, Ph.D assesses the performance of STRUX® 90/40 macro synthetic fibers in concrete, carrying load after cracking.

"(Fibers) don't necessarily prevent cracking," Dr. Yurdakul said. "Once cracking happens, however, the (STRUX® fibers) hold the system together to provide integrity."

This is crucial for the concrete to supply necessary resistance to load under cracking.

In the video, the concrete slab without STRUX® cracks into pieces, under the bowling ball drop. When she applies the same test to a similar slab containing STRUX® 90/40 macro synthetic fibers, no visible cracks form on the surface. Only minimal cracking appears underneath, but the integrity itself and overall shape of the concrete slab remain intact to carry desired load.

This basic experiment demonstrates how STRUX® macro synthetic fibers provide enhanced durability and superior crack control.

Other benefits of STRUX® fibers include faster and safer construction and lightweight reinforcement. These synthetic fibers are also non-corrosive, unlike welded wire or steel reinforcement alternatives.

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 Ezgi Yurdakul is a concrete scientist in the R&D Division of GCP Applied Technologies, in Cambridge, MA. She received her Ph.D from Iowa State University, Ames, IA. She is currently the Vice Chair of ACI Committee 211, Proportioning Concrete Mixtures; Secretary of ACI Subcommittee 211-A, Proportioning-Editorial; and a member of ACI Committees 212, Chemical Admixtures; 325, Concrete Pavements; 506, Shotcreting; 544, Fiber-Reinforced Concrete; as well as ASA committees. Her research interests include shotcrete, mixture design optimization, chemical admixtures, and performance-based specifications for concrete.