This project, developed by Fibrenamics, consists of creating and developing braided composite rods – BCR – for concrete reinforcement (beams, columns, and, in the form of a network, slabs, and floors) and soil stabilization (nailing and anchors).

Goals:
The corrosion of steel requires the rehabilitation of all kinds of buildings. When used for the reinforcement of concrete, leads to its cracking and posting. In most aggressive environments such as sea-front buildings, this problem is even more serious, requiring a regular investment in the preservation and rehabilitation of structures. Moreover, the weight of the reinforcing materials has to be taken into consideration when planning a construction, whether it is the transport logistics, the handling, and the application in the construction, or whether it is the production or the application in strengthening concrete elements.
The braided composite rods (BCR) do not suffer corrosion, thereby eliminating the need for rehabilitation of buildings and presenting high durability. Moreover, this product is lighter than the steel rods commonly used nowadays for concrete reinforcement (the BCRs are 80% lighter than the steel rods). Therefore, BCRs eliminate the rehabilitation costs and reduce the logistics costs for transportation, handling, and application in construction. In addition, they allow the reinforcement of concrete elements in which the weight of the reinforcing material is a constraint.

Innovation:
BCRs are light bars with a high relation of rupture tension/specific weight allowing for the reinforcement of concrete elements, in which the weight material is a constraint. Their constituents are smart materials, capable of monitoring the structures’ stress stages through non-destructive testing “in situ”. They are produced with different materials according to the envisaged application possess ribbed surfaces and are developed in a single production step. The BCR possesses mechanical, physical, and chemical properties compatible with the requirements for concrete reinforcement features and therefore, the steel rods may be replaced by these BCRs eliminating the major problem associated with concrete reinforcement with steel–steel CORROSION. They are also indicated in the replacement of steel rods to stabilize soils.

Learn more:
https://www.fibrenamics.com/en/projects/bcr-braided-composite-rods