Use of fibre reinforced concrete technology – reconstruction of the Hvězdonice motorway bridge.
Fibre concrete is a material in which fibres strengthen the cement structure and thus improve the tensile strength and toughness of the material. The fibres prevent the formation and development of cracks in the material. Fibres are mostly made of steel, which improves the mechanical properties of the concrete, which is then referred to as Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete (SFRC). However, the fibres can also be made of synthetics, which increase the resistance to fire.
In construction practice, fibre concrete is used to make industrial floors or in so-called fortification buildings, the purpose of which is to protect people from explosions or bullets.
In the Czech Republic, this material has been used in the reconstruction of the D1 motorway bridge near Hvězdonice. The modernisation of the bridge was carried out by Freyssinet CS, a.s. and the concrete itself was supplied by Skanska a.s. The design of the fibre concrete recipe and the production process was carried out by Assoc. Prof. Josef Fládr, Ph.D., from the Department of Concrete and Masonry Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, CTU, who has been dealing with fibre concretes and high-performance concretes in the laboratories of the Faculty for many years.