New Fare’ polypropylene fibers to replace asbestos in cement applications

It is known that short fibers are mixed into concrete to givebetter performances such as the reduction of plastic shrinkage and plasticcracking and to increase the surface properties and durability of hardened cementderivate products Asbestos was the commonly used fiber and still is the onegiving the best characteristics increase to concrete. Unfortunately,asbestos has been proved to generate serious health problems both to the peoplewho work with it and to the ones who lives close to manufactured articlescontaining it. Therefore in almost all the countries is it becoming forbiddento utilize asbestos anymore and there are campaigns to replace the existingproducts containing asbestos with the ones without it.   Farè Spa has realized a new configuration of its SUPERSTAPLE line dedicated to produce a polypropylene based staple fiber having properties similar to the asbestos fibers with the aim to replace them. Indeed, Farè new staple fiber line has produced short cut PP fibers at high tenacity, low elongation and with a single fiber count as fine as 0, 48 den. Thanks to the very fine count, and because of the high tensile properties, such fibers are behaving almost the same as asbestos which is with extremely fine fibers. With the new Farè fibers, manufactured articles such as ducts, corrugated roof sheets and roof tiles which are typical for fiber cement applications, are realized with very good technical results. Other important applications are also in the reinforced concrete for tunnels, galleries, dams, beams, columns , structures and frames where there is a benefit also in the earthquake resistance.