This method requires less expertise than the hand spray-up method and results in higher strengths than with vibration casting.įind contractors who work with GFRC near me.Ī handheld electric mixer works well for GFRC. Sprayed premixed GFRC, with chopped fibers in the mix, requires a peristaltic pump and a special spray head.This is a much simpler method, but requires water-tight molds and doesn't work well with rock molds. Vibration casting uses premixed GFRC poured into a mold and vibrated to achieve consolidation.It does, however, require experienced workers, expensive equipment, and rigorous quality control. This mix has a higher fiber content (4 to 6%) than can be achieved with premix and is the recommended method for larger panels. With the direct spray-up method, you need a concentric chopper gun, which is fed by a spool of GFRC roving pulled into the chopper gun and blended at the nozzle. This is how most precast GFRC architectural cladding panels are made and also most ornamental precast GFRC. The traditional, and perhaps still the best, way to manufacture precast GFRC elements is by hand spraying the GFRC into a mold.There are three methods for making concrete elements using GFRC: traditional hand spray-up, vibration casting, and sprayed premix. Larger architectural elements are created by directly spraying the premixed GFRC into a mold. Recently, decorative concrete artisans have discovered the benefits of GFRC for decorative panels (such as fireplace surrounds), concrete countertops, and artificial rock work. GFRC has been used for the past 30 years to produce many concrete products, especially thin architectural cladding panels, but also for ornamental concrete such as domes, statues, planters, and fountains. In the 1970s alkali-resistant (AR) glass fibers were perfected by Owens-Corning and by Nippon Electric Glass (NEG) leading to a rapid increase in applications. The original GFRC in the 1940s rapidly lost strength as the glass was destroyed by the alkaline environment. You may have heard of concrete being damaged by alkali-silica reactivity (ASR) when there is reactive silica in the aggregate. The problem with using glass fibers as reinforcement for concrete is that glass breaks down in an alkaline environment-and there's almost nothing more alkaline than concrete. Concast Studios in Oceano, CAĪrtificial rocks made with GFRC look real at a fraction of the weight. NEG AmericaĬountertops with integral sinks remain crack free when made with GFRC. GFRC can be used to create durable and exquisitely detailed ornamental concrete.
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