Macro-Synthetic Fibre Reinforced Concrete Partition Walls for Buildings. Part 1: Experimental Programme and Real-Scale Prototype

The use of conventional reinforced concrete for building partition walls has proven several benefits in terms of acoustic performance and robustness. Horizontal reinforcement is typically governing in their design, and arranged to control cracking due to shrinkage and imposed deformations. In view of reducing material consumption and CO2eq, an alternative reinforcement concept based on the use of macro-synthetic fibres (MSFRC) is proposed in this paper and applied in practice within an actual building recently completed in Switzerland. This paper collects the research and practical experiences of the authors and aims at addressing questions that may arise during the construction and design stage of such members. To this end, a real-scale cast-in-situ MSFRC prototype wall of h/b/t = 2.8/1.2/0.15 m was cast. The objective is to shed some light on the casting procedure for wall elements and to assess the mechanical and rheological properties of the mix and fibre distribution and orientation.