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    The proven game-changing solution for precast

    Precasters around the globe face a number of obstacles; an overall costs increase, higher productivity, durability and sustainability needs, a lack of skilled labor... all while meeting higher safety standards. This is why precasters increasingly choose the type of reinforcement that optimizes their concrete elements in each of these regards: Dramix® steel fiber concrete reinforcement.

    Advantages of steel fiber reinforcement in precast elements

    1. A lower total cost of ownership (TCO)

    Working with Dramix® steel fiber reinforcement  (SFR) lowers the cost of your precast projects in a number of ways. SFR enables efficient design, using less reinforcement material, and sometimes thinner concrete structures.

    Further, no expensive machinery is needed because the production process is much simpler.

    2. Faster and safer

    Working with mesh/rebar is extremely timeconsuming and labor-intensive (e.g. placing, tying, cutting, bending it...). In contrast, steel fibers are added directly to the concrete, eliminating all those obstacles. Packed condensely, it takes less space on-site.

    More importantly, SFRC is a much more controlled and thus safer process. Avoiding strenuous manual labour means avoiding a high risk of hand injuries, leading to serious delays.

    3. Sustainable reinforcement

    Lowering the carbon footprint increasingly pushes precasters towards steel fiber reinforcement. This is (mainly) due to the fact that steel fiber reinforcement saves both concrete and steel in comparison with traditional reinforcement.

    As an example, we've compared a traditional reinforcement solution (double mesh) with a solution that combines both Dramix® steel fibers and a single layer mesh for a utility vault.

    A Dramix® solution for the same precast element resulted in an 18% decrease in tonnes CO2 emitted (i.e. Global Warming Potential, GWP).

    The biggest factor here, is the fact that Dramix® steel fiber reinforcement allows thinner concrete elements that have the same technical performance. In this example, 1,089 kg CO2 from concrete was saved.

    Source: One Click LCA, leading authority in calculating life cycle assessments.

    4. Durability

    Steel fibers prevent and control cracks more easily and more efficiently. They reinforce every part of the concrete structure, because unlike steel mesh, the fibers are distributed in every part of the concrete.

    As a result, steel fibers detect small cracks much faster than traditional reinforcement. Dramix® steel fibers also provide electromagnetic shielding for buildings such as data centers.

    5. Easily customizable

    Steel fibers allows more design freedom of precast concrete elements, enabling the design and manufacture of unusual and/or complex shapes.

    Applications of steel fiber reinforcement in precast elements

    Building applications

    • Wall elements
    • Facades
    • Sock elements
    • Modular houses
    • Balconies
    • Architectural elements
    • Other building elements like pavements, burial vaults, steps/stairs and beam skins

     Civil engineering/Infrastructure applications

    • Utility vaults such as electric cabins
    • Water infrastructure such as pipes/manholes, grease interceptors, catch basins, gutters, water tanks and septic tanks.
    • Transportation infrastructure such as railway elements, road barriers, noise barriers and box culvert.
    • Other civil engineering elements such as footings, retainer walls and nuclear containment. 

    Dramix® steel fibers are the ultimate, high quality reinforcement

    Dramix® steel fibers are designed to provide optimal reinforcement and superior crack control for structural and non-structural concrete elements. 

    Galvanized fibers?
    Galvanized Dramix® steel fibers are rust-free over their long lifetime. This means no performance degradation over time due to rusting. Furthermore, there is no unattractive discoloring of the final precast element, which means no compromise of the aesthetic aspect of precast elements.

    Glued fibers?
    Dramix® steel fibers are bundled with water-soluble glue. The glue helps prevent fiber balling during mixing and enables a homogenous distribution of fibers throughout the concrete mix. This results in a more efficient mixing process, and superior three-dimensional reinforcement.

    Dramix® is the sustainable reinforcement solution for precast
    Dramix® steel fiber reinforced precast concrete element contains up to 50-75% less reinforcement in weight while having the same performance. This means they reduce CO2 emissions by up to 25-50% per project. Using heavy crushers and magnetic separators, the steel fibers can be recovered as well, contributing to a cradle-to-cradle lifecycle. To read more on how Dramix® steel fibers help people build sustainably.

    Our benchmark projects for precast elements

    Precast elements are reinforced with Dramix® steel fibers in numerous ambitious projects around the world. Read more about them here.

    Our precast team is here to help you