Bendable concrete

[archerships]

New York, NY - February 1, 2007

Nycon, Inc. and Kuraray America, Inc. today announced the availability of a fiber-reinforced composite that is 500 times more resistant to cracking and 40% lighter in weight than traditional concrete.

This engineered composite was created by a team of scientists at the University of Michigan led by engineering professor Victor Li. Dr. Li’s team spent over a decade developing a cement-based design that is micromechanically engineered to work in concert with the high strength PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fibers. This matrix of finely tuned particles and tailored fibers allows use of very thin composite sections in structures to accomplish results that previously required thick concrete and reinforcing steel.

PVA-ECC (Engineered Cementitious Composite) is widely used in Japan to lower the cost and weight of high-rise structures, tunnels and bridges. In addition, the optimized chemical bond strength of PVA fibers to cement provides a composite with excellent shear resistance against earthquakes. PVA-ECC is also being used in railway and bridge construction because of it gives cement very high resistance to fatigue and enhanced durability.

PVA-reinforced cement has been in use in Europe and Japan for twenty years, primarily for as a replacement for asbestos in roofing shingles and wall panels. The work by Dr. Li’s team has drastically improved tensile ductility while lowering the cost of the material. “Designing ductile PVA-ECC can be likened to designing a well-engineered building,” Li said. “We tailor the fiber, matrix and interface components of the ECC in a way analogous to what structural engineers do in selecting properties and dimensioning the beams, columns and connections of the building, only at a substantially smaller length scale.”

The high ductility of PVA-ECC is being used in coupling beams in two buildings in Central Tokyo currently under construction. These coupling beams are designed to absorb energy during seismic excitation of the buildings. The use of this new precast ECC technology results in substantial cost savings.

Testing of PVA-ECC for bridge use in the United States began in recent years in patch repair and in jointless bridge decks to eliminate expansion joints. Self-consolidation casting from conventional concrete mixing trucks has been achieved.

PVA-ECC is being tested throughout the United States and Canada in a variety of applications. These include wallboards, architectural pre-casting, concrete repair, slabs, shotcrete, decorative concrete and ballistics.

Nycon distributes KURALON PVA fibers in North America. Established in 1985 and headquartered in Westerly, Rhode Island, Nycon, Inc., is a global supplier of synthetic and steel reinforcing fibers for concrete and mortar applications.

Kuraray America, Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of Kuraray Co., Ltd., in Japan, the manufacturer of KURALON fibers and a leading science and technology company providing innovative chemicals, fibers and diversified products. With annual sales exceeding $3 billion U.S. dollars worldwide, the 79-year-old company has approximately 6700 employees servicing customers through more than 80 affiliated companies worldwide.

High resolution images available online or CD-ROM:

Bending images (PVA-ECC)
Bridge deck without expansion joints
PVA structural fiber brochure
Repair
Precast
Skyscraper
Curtain Walls
Fiber Cement Boards
Tunnel
Column comparison images

Graphic Library
Kuraray America/PVAF
Nycon, Inc.

Contacts:

Kuraray America, Inc.
Richard McCabe
Senior Advisor
Phone: 707 486 5631
rmccabe@alumni.princeton.edu

Nycon, Inc.
Bob Cruso
President
Phone: 401 596 3955
bcruso@nycon.com

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