What is GFRC, How is it Controlled?

What is GFRC concrete?
It is a type of concrete that uses alkali-resistant glass fiber as reinforcement instead of standard metal reinforcement.
What are GFRC panels?
GFRC panels are a designed form of GFRC that can be fixed to a metal frame. For example, they can be square, rectangular, trapezoid or round. Size and shape are defined by the design of each project. GFRC panels can form independent cladding or be part of the unit facade or cladding system.

What is GFRC dressing?
GFRC coating is the secondary shell or skin of a building or structure consisting of GFRC panels and supporting structure. GFRC elements mounted on the steel stud frame enable the production of light and strong architectural coating systems.

What materials is GFRC made of?
GFRC or GRC portland cement is made of aggregate and alkali-resistant glass fiber. These components never corrode against standard iron reinforcement.

What is the advantage of GFRC over concrete?
GFRC elements offer high bending strength compared to concrete. According to the standard reinforcement, the bending ability of GFRC elements is increased with thin and light glass fibers. This cover is necessary to create a suitable bond between reinforcement and concrete, as well as to protect reinforcement from corrosion due to water ingress and moisture. GFRC can be thinner and lighter, which reduces the total dead load of a particular element or entire building or structure.

GFRC Precast Inspection
Quality Control of GFRC Panels
We can examine the factors affecting quality in GFRC Panels under 8 headings in general.

• 1- Mold Design
• 2- Mold Usage
• 3- Casting Process
• 4- Personnel Tracking
• 5- Dismantling Process
• 6- Maintenance and Renovation Process
• 7- Sandblasting & Surface Protector Application
• 8- Loading and Shipment

1- GFRC Mold Design
Kalıplar proje ve ürünün detaylarına göre ahşap, polimer, kauçuk ya da kompozit bileşenlerinden üretilebilmektedir. Kalıp tasarımı aşamasında söküm ve ürün kalitesi göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır. Bunun yanı sıra yüksek tekrarlı ya da az tekrarlı pozların aynı kalıpta dökülebilecek olması malzeme seçimine etki eden en önemli unsurdur.

2- GFRC Mold Usage
Kalıp bakım ve onarımları yapılırken bu onarımı yalnızca yetkin kişiler yapmalıdır. Döküm prosesi ve tadilatlar sırasında kalıba zarar verebilecek materyaller kalıbın içerisinde bırakılmamalıdır. İmalat sırasında oluşan hasarlar ilgili birime bildirilmeli ve döküm derhal durdurulmalıdır.Only qualified persons should perform this repair while performing mold maintenance and repairs. Materials that may damage the mold should not be left in the mold during the casting process and modifications. Damages that occur during manufacturing should be reported to the relevant department and the casting should be stopped immediately.

3- GFRC Casting Process
Fiber ile püskürtme işlemine başlanmadan önce, pürüzsüz bir yüzey görünümü için buğu katmanı uygulanmaktadır. Döküm işlemi uygun harç ve uygun sıkıştırma metotları kullanılarak 1’den fazla katmanda püskürtme yöntemi ile gerçekleştirilmektedir. S spiral şeklinde uygulanan bu döküm prosesi her katmanda kalıba göre yüzey sabit kalacak şekilde 90 derece kaydırılarak yapılır.Before starting the spraying process with fiber, mist layer is applied for a smooth surface appearance. Casting process is carried out by spraying method in more than 1 layer by using suitable mortar and suitable compression methods. This casting process, which is applied in S spiral form, is performed by shifting 90 degrees according to the mold in each layer.

4- GFRC Staff Tracking
The personnel performing the casting process should be competent and expert in their field. One of the most important factors affecting quality in GFRC Precast manufacturing is the human factor. Therefore, personnel follow-up should be done tightly.

5- GFRC Dismantling Process
During the dismantling process, when cornering the mold and GFRC Panel, edge and corner fractures may occur. In order for these fractures not to occur, surface mold dividers must be applied properly and the personnel performing this work must be qualified.

6- GFRC Maintenance and Renovation Process
While performing maintenance and renovation, the fractures are divided into two as large and small. These fractures are modified with specially prepared mortars. The surface to be modified must be moistened before it is renovated.

7- GFRC Surface Protector and Sandblasting Process
Depending on the nature of the project, surface protective anti-graphite or sandblasting processes can be applied.

8- GFRC Loading and Shipment
Maximum care and diligence must be shown in order not to damage the products during the loading and crate phase.

The tests applied for Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete coating panels are as follows.

• 1-GFRC mold test and controls
• 2-Acoustic tests
• 3-Infrastructure fixes pull test
• 4-Light reflection test
• 5-Fire test
• 6-Explosion test
• 7-Soft body and hard body impact test

• 1-Incoming material checks
• 2-Raw material tests
• 3-Sieve tests for aggregates
• 4-Concrete slump test
• 5-Bag and bucket test
• 6-Washing test
• 7-Bending Bending test
• 8-Dry Density test
• 9-Wet density test
• 10-Water Absorption Test

Standards Used
European Standards
TS EN 1169 - TS EN 1170
American Standards
MNL PCI 130-09
MNL PCI 127-03