FIBRE REINFORCEMENT PICTURED LEFT(clockwise): Small but effective - Helix Micro-Rebar with a 5 cent coin to show its comparative size; Helix Micro-Rebar reinforced Strip Footings in the Movie World Sound Stage, Gold Coast QLD; Helix Micro-Rebar-built 93,000 square metre Amazon Distribution Centre in Michigan, USA.
Walls – 8kg/m3 of Helix replaces shrinkage steel, saving 20% Pad Footings (600mm) – 10kg/m3 of Helix replaces N16-250 Each Way Top & Bottom, saving 30% Slab on Ground (150mm) – • 6kg/m3 replaces SL82 Mesh Central, saving 20% • Alternatively, 10kg/m3 of Helix replaces SL82 Mesh Central plus reduces slab thickness to 125mm, saving 35% “Our decision to use Helix in our 4.5 m bored piers for a Health Care Facility saved us from lengthy delays after discovering ground water. As the holes were collapsing, we would not have had time to install a reinforcement cage and get the concrete in the hole before it collapsed. With Helix we could pour concrete into the holes as soon as they were cleaned out. Helix had enough capacity that when we then installed the full length I beams, these didn’t even require extension despite the extra depths we had been required to dig.” Angus Maley, Construction Manager, CONCRIB
Crack control is a major construction industry challenge and one that Helix
Micro-Rebar is in a unique position to capitalise on. Use of traditional steel fibres to reduce conventional reinforcement may help lower costs, however it does not provide the superior crack control properties of Helix which also reduces concrete cancer and concrete spalling. Each piece of Helix bonds to the matrix over its full length and must untwist as it pulls out of the concrete, unlike steel fibres where pullout is governed by friction. This superior bond with the concrete improves the materials properties of the concrete prior to a crack forming, providing a proactive reinforcement. After a crack forms, Helix provides a stable capacity, which is the reason why engineers can design with Helix in the same way they design with rebar. If there is one thing to be understood from this, it’s that Helix Micro-Rebar is very different from fibres requiring much lower dosages and providing a greater opportunity to replace all conventional reinforcement, greater strength and durability and easier finishing given that the Helix pieces settle naturally below the
surface. It’s also the only product on the market that is zinc galvanised providing greater longevity. Onsite, Helix provides advantages over conventional reinforcement by minimising site deliveries, keeping sites free of tripping hazards, removing the potential for placement error and helping avoid weather delays. The Helix is simply added to the concrete mix at the batch plant, poured into the element, and the concrete is finished in exactly the same way as concrete that doesn’t contain Helix. Helix Micro-Rebar has three major distribution centres across Australia, and 30 operations globally. The growing demand for Helix Micro-Rebar will see the company continue to expand as more engineers specify the product, joining in the global success of this easy to implement building innovation and delivering a superior product to the Australian market. For further information, please contact Helix Steel on, T: 1300 4 HELIX (1300 4 43549) or visit: www.helixsteel.com.au
HELIX MICRO-REBAR TM
making concrete reinforcement faster, cheaper & stronger › REPLACES CONVENTIONAL REINFORCEMENT › REDUCES PAVEMENT THICKNESS › ALLOWS FOR SIMPLE DIG AND POUR › CUTS PROJECT SCHEDULES AND COSTS › PROVIDES SUPERIOR CRACK CONTROL › DESIGNED WITH IN THE SAME WAY AS REBAR
Since each piece of Helix Micro-Rebar must untwist as it pulls out of the concrete, unlike fibres Helix works to control cracks before they begin. After cracks form, Helix provides a stable capacity allowing engineers to design with Helix in the same way as they design with rebar. Helix Steel provides simple CPD training and software allowing engineers to design with Helix quickly and to have full control over their Helix designs.
Helix Micro-Rebar is 25mm pieces of zinc galvanised, twisted micro reinforcement with properties that liken it closest to rebar in strength and durability. It is being specified by engineers and demanded by construction companies across Australia and has been used for over 15 years in virtually every application.
have you joined the ‘revolution in reo’? 1300 4 HELIX | HELIXSTEEL.COM.AU follow us on: Construction Engineering Australia • Aug/Sept 2017
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