Line of products:
ZeBAR™ BASALT FRP REBAR
ZeBAR™ BFRP Rebar is a corrosion-proof, green and sustainable alternative to traditional steel rebar. Our performance design claims more than 2.5 times the guaranteed tensile strength of Grade 60 steel rebar; at only 25% of the weight. ZeBAR is chemical, UV, salt, and pH resistant, non-conductive, and the best performing, most durable FRP available for the price!
BASALT MACRO & MICRO-FIBERS
Our Basalt fiber carries the same strength and resistance characteristics as the Rebar, but as discrete, Isotropic Reinforcement. The fibers add flexural capacity and ductility to a concrete element, allowing it to better respond to and absorb (internal and external) forces, greatly slowing the cracking mechanism. It’s the perfect performance enhancement as a stand alone reinforcement, or as a companion to the ZeBAR.
BASALT GEO-GRID MESH to Replace WWM
Our Basalt Geo-Grid Mesh is an excellent alternative to WWM (welded wire mesh) when used in walls, flatwork and thin-wall precast. It’s also commonly used in asphalt, mortars and non-load bearing cementicious applications, and where coverage depth and shadowing are a concern.
ENGINEERED CEMENTICIOUS COMPOSITES, GEOPOLYMER & UHPC CONCRETE
Geopolymer concrete is derived from green [non-Portland Cement] materials for lighter weight and resistance to acid, chlorides, and sulfate attack. GPC (Geopolymer Concrete) can be produced for higher densities and extreme compressive strengths, to include controlling your strengths to arrive at key set times. GPC also feautures spray up Fireproof designs.
There are many benefits to ECC (Engineered Cementitious Concrete) and UHPC (Ultra-High Performance Concrete), chief among them is its lighter weight and more durability. UHPC has much higher compressive strengths - up to 50,000 psi, with a tensile strength of 1,700 psi, making it more ductile and with greater flexural capacity than standard concrete.
There are many benefits to ECC (Engineered Cementitious Concrete) and UHPC (Ultra-High Performance Concrete), chief among them is its lighter weight and more durability. UHPC has much higher compressive strengths - up to 50,000 psi, with a tensile strength of 1,700 psi, making it more ductile and with greater flexural capacity than standard concrete.
NON-METALIC CHAIRS & SPACERS FOR REBAR
Custom designed rebar chairs for all sizes and spacing configurations.
FAQ's:
What is Basalt?
Basalt is the most common rock on the planet and defined as an extrusive igneous (volcanic) rock that is low in silica content, dark in color, and comparatively rich in iron and magnesium. By way of comparison, basalt fiber is similar to carbon fiber or fiberglass, but basalt has superior mechanical properties than fiberglass, and has a significantly lower cost than carbon fiber (10 – 15X lower).
What’s the difference between basalt rebar and fiberglass rebar?
Basalt and Glass are both FRP’s and similar in price, but with some major exceptions as reinforcement. First, we need to understand that there are two main classifications of fiberglass FRP rebar: E-Glass and S-Glass. S-Glass is more like Basalt in strength and attributes, but rarely used due to its extremely high cost, and E-Glass, which is 99.5% of all glass rebar and fiber used in the construction industry. Compared with E-Glass:• Basalt has 30 – 40% better mechanical properties in both tensile & modulus• Basalt remains well bonded to the concrete for life vs glass, which slowly deteriorates • Basalt has twice the application working temperature (400°C vs 200°C) • Basalt has a much greater resistance to acids, chemicals, salts, moisture, and alkali (pH) • Basalt is very Eco-Friendly; with a dramatically lower environmental impact (only 10% of glass)
Is basalt rebar (ZeBAR™) a Green product?
Basalt FRP Rebar is 100% Green and very Eco-Friendly. According to ACMA, the American Composite Manufacturing Association has demonstrated that the production of BFRP Rebar has less than 1/10th the carbon footprint of steel, and basalt has the lowest environmental impact in a Life-Cycle Assessment compared with other FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) rebars. Basalt fiber is all natural and produced from clean stone; having no additives that are typically found in other materials, like the boron (boron oxide or borosilicate) used in glass fiber production.
Additional LEEDs contributions are found in the transportation and handling. Steel requires four (4) Truckloads vs. one (1) for Z-Bar™; steel also requires special equipment to unload, and 50% more time and labor is expended to receive and unload the exact same number of steel rebar compared with basalt rebar.
Additional LEEDs contributions are found in the transportation and handling. Steel requires four (4) Truckloads vs. one (1) for Z-Bar™; steel also requires special equipment to unload, and 50% more time and labor is expended to receive and unload the exact same number of steel rebar compared with basalt rebar.
How does ZeBAR™, Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) Rebar compare with steel rebar?
First of all, these products are NOT "apples to apples". BFRP is a sustainable, rust proof alternative to traditional steel reinforcement, at only 25% of the weight of steel and a specific tensile strength that is 2.5 - 3 times greater (bar for bar). It’s also Impervious to attacks from alkali, chemicals, salt, or water, which cause steel to corrode (iron oxide hydrate or rust). The tougher the application - the better for BFRP; whereby the opposite is true for steel...
How does one directly compare the performance between ZeBAR™ and steel?
Calculations for Steel’s performance are based on long existing standards (or stipulated) data, and therefore selected according to its guaranteed tensile strength (Example: Grade 60 = 60,000 psi) regardless of its origin – like China, which makes it immediately suspect. Calculations for ZeBAR are dependent upon data generated and Certified from a 3rd Party accredited laboratory. Although the engineering for FRP’s is different than steel, the mechanical data and equations for either product is used similarly for reinforcement engineering to determine the proper volume of reinforcement within a cross section of concrete.
ZAH Programs provide proprietary software that allows the design professional to directly compare the ACI 440 standards, guidelines, and calculations for BFRP, with the standards and calculations outlined in ACI 318 for structural concrete using steel reinforcement. This side by side “Performance Normalization” demonstrates the selection of Z-Bar can be an excellent alternative to steel, thus making it easier for a design professional to select BFRP and capture all the benefits not available to you when choosing steel rebar.
ZAH Programs provide proprietary software that allows the design professional to directly compare the ACI 440 standards, guidelines, and calculations for BFRP, with the standards and calculations outlined in ACI 318 for structural concrete using steel reinforcement. This side by side “Performance Normalization” demonstrates the selection of Z-Bar can be an excellent alternative to steel, thus making it easier for a design professional to select BFRP and capture all the benefits not available to you when choosing steel rebar.
How does ZeBAR™ pricing compare with steel pricing?
This varies depending on the cost of steel this week. One of the values of selecting ZeBAR, is that its pricing is considerably more stable when compared to steel. Typically, steel pricing is good for a week at a time, forcing larger buy-ups and tying up your cash to secure best pricing. Steel is also purchased by the pound or ton, where BFRP is purchased by the linear foot. Therefore, we factor the weight of steel per linear foot - to make it easier to compare pricing.
Every foot of rebar has to be placed. So, only considering the “off the shelf” price of steel compared with BFRP isn't realistic. We know that the off the shelf price for steel is less than FRP’s, however, when you consider ALL the costs associated with the final “in place” cost, you will find that the BFRP is consistently cheaper than steel – especially when you take into account the savings from transportation, handling equipment, total job time, and reduced labor costs. Additionally, the Total Cost of Ownership is greatly reduced by choosing ZeBAR, because you eliminate the built-in costs of ONGOING maintenance and repairs always associated with steel reinforced concrete.
Every foot of rebar has to be placed. So, only considering the “off the shelf” price of steel compared with BFRP isn't realistic. We know that the off the shelf price for steel is less than FRP’s, however, when you consider ALL the costs associated with the final “in place” cost, you will find that the BFRP is consistently cheaper than steel – especially when you take into account the savings from transportation, handling equipment, total job time, and reduced labor costs. Additionally, the Total Cost of Ownership is greatly reduced by choosing ZeBAR, because you eliminate the built-in costs of ONGOING maintenance and repairs always associated with steel reinforced concrete.
Can you bend ZeBAR™ at the jobsite?
Hard bends at the jobsite are not advised. All hard bends (90’s, stirrups, angles, etc.) are fabricated during production according to your specs and designs, then delivered to the job site along with the straight bars. This practice saves the installer significant time, and eliminates waste for a quicker and easy installation.
Does Basalt FRP have its own governing authority like Steel?
Yes. ACI (American Concrete Institute) 440.1R-15 offers general information guidelines for the use of all FRP reinforcement, a description of the unique material properties of FRP, and guidelines for the design and construction of structural concrete members reinforced with FRP bars.
You will also find specific information about the selection and use of FRP’s in AC454, Fiber-reinforced Polymer (FRP) Bars for Internal Reinforcement of Concrete Members Acceptance as part of the ICC-ES, and FDOT’s Spec 932-3. In Canada: CAN / CAS 806-12; 807-10; S6-14.
You will also find specific information about the selection and use of FRP’s in AC454, Fiber-reinforced Polymer (FRP) Bars for Internal Reinforcement of Concrete Members Acceptance as part of the ICC-ES, and FDOT’s Spec 932-3. In Canada: CAN / CAS 806-12; 807-10; S6-14.
What are typical applications for Basalt FRP?
Although ZeBAR can be used in any cubic yard (or meter) of concrete, the most attractive applications for BFRP are typically harsher applications where steel rebar doesn't bring value and is not part of the solution. Here are some examples, but certainly not a complete list:
• Hydraulic & UDG Structures • Precast Concrete Elements • Engineering Cemetitious Composites (ECC) • Residential, Commercial, & Industrial SOG's • Freeze Thaw Environments• Thin Wall & Panel Systems • Military, Blast, & Defense Walls• Harsh Chemical Environments• Architectural & Lightweight Structures• Bridge Decking• Sea Walls, Marine, Coastal Applications• High Heat Applications• Shielding Concrete• Environmental Concrete• Transfer Stations & Spill Containment • Concrete Railroad Ties
• Hydraulic & UDG Structures • Precast Concrete Elements • Engineering Cemetitious Composites (ECC) • Residential, Commercial, & Industrial SOG's • Freeze Thaw Environments• Thin Wall & Panel Systems • Military, Blast, & Defense Walls• Harsh Chemical Environments• Architectural & Lightweight Structures• Bridge Decking• Sea Walls, Marine, Coastal Applications• High Heat Applications• Shielding Concrete• Environmental Concrete• Transfer Stations & Spill Containment • Concrete Railroad Ties
What are the primary advantages of ZeBAR™ BFRP Rebar?
• 100% Corrosion and Rust Proof – This eliminates cracking and spalling experienced by selecting traditional steel reinforcement, and further eliminates the costs and need for special coatings or treatments on your concrete. You can even consider a reduction in the overall concrete depth or wall thickness – also saving money and time on the project. All in all, by using ZeBAR you are reducing the Total Cost of Ownership and creating a 100+ year useful lifecycle!• 75% Lighter than Steel – The lighter weight makes ZeBAR safer and easier to unload, handle and place, saving time on the jobsite. Also, it requires no special equipment to unload the truck. Trucking is also a huge advantage with less trips (4 x 1) for the same linear footage of bar.• Stronger than Steel – ZeBAR has a specific tensile strength of 2.5 – 3 X greater than steel rebar. • Non-Conductive – Basalt reinforcing products (rebar, fiber< & mesh) are all non-conductive, and do not interfere with RF signals – unlike carbon and steel reinforcement.• Natural Resistance – ZeBAR is naturally resistant to heat, cold, all chemicals, salt, alkali, and moisture. ZeBAR should be considered for the harshest environments and applications.
Does saltwater affect BFRP?
Test results show that the static strength of the BFRP indicates negligible degradation after prolonged aging in the salt solution, making ZeBAR an excellent choice for saltwater concrete applications, or underwater applications. Further, you can use BFRP in any Non-Potable water solution - unlike steel.
Are there bad applications for BFRP’s?
Pretty much anywhere you have selected up to a #8 (25 mm or 1.0” diameter) rebar, you can consider ZeBAR as an alternative. At this time, FRP’s are not recommended as the main structural members for primary vertical reinforcement of high rises of more than 4 stories – although, neither is #8 steel rebar.
It is however, approved for use in the interior walls and flooring to reduce the oveall weight of a high-rise structure.
What sizes of ZeBAR™ are available?
ZAH Technologies' licensed partners manufacture and stock ZeBAR in #3 - #8 Bar sizes; which is equal to 3/8” – 1.0” in diameter. Standard stocked bar lengths are 20’ and 40’ (6M and 12M). Watch for announcements in the coming year for the commercialization of #9 & #10 (1.125” & 1.250”) ZeBAR rebar.
Special stirrups, bends, and shape codes are regularly produced on their ZeLINE SHAPES machines and can be produced from any bar size.
What is Modulus strength?
Often known as Young’s Modulus, or Tensile Modulus, is a mechanical property of linear elastic materials, or in layman’s terms: its stiffness. It evaluates the elasticity of rigid or solid material, which is the relation between the deformation of a material and the power needed to deform it, or the stress in a material just before it yields in a flexure test. Modulus is typically measured in GPa’s (Gigapascals).
What is Tensile strength?
Tensile strength is the maximum load that a material can support without rupture when being overextended (in short, an ability to withstand a pulling force), divided by the original cross-sectional area of the material. Tensile strengths are typically measured in MPa’s (Megapascals), or psi.
Why is tensile strength so important?
It’s how steel is purchased and engineered. Often a reduction in ductility and an increase in brittleness are related to an enhanced corrosion rate, which subsequently can change the failure of a material from a ductile failure (beyond the limits of tensile strength) to a brittle failure. As noted in the paragraph above, and as a point of common sense, steel rusts and corrodes.
What is pultrusion, and how does it compare with extrusion?
Pultrusion is a process where fibers, in this instance basalt fibers, are pulled through a resin matrix and a precise die; then heated at specific temperatures where the resin is cured in and around the fibers. Extrusion melts resin pellets and pushes them through a die to create fibers and other profiles.
Technical FAQ’s or Statements of Concern
No ACI 318 recognition. That’s because it’s a completely different analysis and design procedure.
FRP has its own designation within the confines of ACI 440 15.1 and 05.08, providing protocol for FRP bars, and the new 11-22 Section declaring FRP's to be engineered and considered the same as steel. BFRP is noted as a “natural fiberglass” (lacking any other category at the time), however, Basalt FRP surpasses glass bar in several respects, especially in comparison of its mechanical properties, in particular, transverse shear strength. It is officially recognized by the DOT’s as the “same classification” as fiberglass for engineering design, even though its strengths and natural resistance to chemicals, acids, pH, moisture, salts, UV, etc., are superior.
ACI 318 is based on the “old” technology of structural black steel and coated steel, not non-corrosive composites that require no additional protection or concrete coverage. ACI 318 was originally published in 1908, and it’s last update was over 16 years ago.
Ultimate strain is 2% (compared to 7-9% for ASTM A615)
Unlike steel, which will deform permanently at approximately 8,000 lbs. of force, BFRP will take about twice the force before deforming, and even if deflected, BFRP will always return to its original straight; cured design. It’s called “Compressive Membrain Action”. It should also be noted that strain penetration effect in steel reinforcement should also be considered when using said reinforcement. See the excerpt below:
"The anchorage slip of longitudinal reinforcement in the foundation (also called strain penetration effect) may affect the cyclic behavior of RC columns by inducing fixed-end rotations. This strain penetration effect could become more significant under reinforcement corrosion, which always occurs in RC structures exposed to the attack of aggressive agents such as chlorides. It is hence important to take corrosion effects into account in the modeling of strain penetration phenomena.
(Hu Cheng, Hong-Nan Li, Fabio Biondini, Dong-Sheng Wang, Yun Zou, Strain penetration effect on cyclic response of corroded RC columns, Engineering Structures, Volume 243, 2021, 112653, ISSN 0141-0296, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.112653.)
Lower stiffness than steel (E ~ 8000ksi) leading to greater deflections, larger cracks, etc.
This is true but not necessarily a concern. As noted above, if a concrete element can be deflected under load and not fail, and if it can be returned to its original state once the load is removed, even though it possesses multiple cracking, it’s not a brittle failure – to directly address the concern, and the BFRP reinforcement within the structure returns to its original state as well. The same deflection with steel reinforcement would absolutely fail the concrete element because the steel will NOT flex and return to its original state; rather staying bent and holding the concrete in a failure mode.
For beams with the same axial stiffness (EA), the deflection behavior of both BFRP- and CFRP-RC beams were almost similar as compared to steel-reinforced beams. For beams with the same reinforcement ratio, the Carbon FRP beam (highest EA) showed better deflection behavior followed closely by BFRP; then steel. (Farid Abed, Mustafa Al-Mimar, Sara Ahmed, Performance of BFRP RC beams using high strength concrete, Composites Part C: Open Access, Volume 4, 2021, 100107,ISSN 2666-6820.)
This reinforcement is brittle compared to steel.
Even though the elongation of BFRP is between 3.0 & 3.5%, the Tensile Strength is 2.5 – 3 times greater than that of steel Grade 60. The brittle factor in question is not applicable unless the EOR intends to design the structure or element using the guaranteed tensile properties of the BFRP bar. As such, the typical design is noted to be the same as steel, whether Grade 60 or 80, and therefore, significantly less than the guaranteed strength of BFRP – making this a moot point. Additionally, when placing the bar in a shear capacity fixture, and applying a load according to ASTM D4475 for Horizontal Shear Strength, all testing has proven that the bars are very predictable in a failure mode; failing 1 fiber at a time – over a constant load. The Stress / Strain curve represents a hardening strain curve – continuing to carry the load long past first crack, and long past the ASTM recommended conclusion crack width.
There is no yield point, so tension-controlled failures are catastrophic (Φ = 0.55 for tension-controlled sections) See notes and picture regarding stiffness and Brittle FAQ...
This is susceptible to rupture under sustained static loading (“creep rupture”), so permanent loading needs to be limited.
Not necessarily, please note the underlined area from the study below:
"The bridge deck (of the current study) can achieve a higher short-term cost performance. After 175 days of three-point flexural sustained loading, the additional midspan deflections were 0.3 mm, 0.37 mm, and 0.46 mm, for load levels of 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3, respectively, which were less than 7% of their instantaneous elastic deflections. The finite element (FE) model was established using the Bailey-Norton model for the creep of the FRP and Bazant’s B-3 model for the creep of the concrete. The FE results were in good agreement with the experimental results, both in short- and long-term scenarios. Using numerical simulation with a load duration of 50 years, the allowable load level of this bridge deck reached 0.4, which meets the criteria for creep deflection in the ACI standard.
Peng, Zheqi; Wang, Xin; Ding, Lining; Yang, Yizhi; Wu, Zhishen; Zhu, Zhongguo; 2021/03/01 - Static and sustained loading behavior of a basalt FRP shell–concrete composite bridge deck: An experimental and numerical study VL 230 j.engstruct.2020.111689.
It should also be noted that the following excerpt from the study addresses concrete columns reinforced with longitudinal and transverse BFRP bars under concentric and eccentric loading:
BFRP-RC columns confined with BFRP ties exhibited ultimate capacities, bar strength contribution, and confinement efficiency comparable with their counterpart columns confined with steel ties at the same spacing. This study displayed that the current code provisions of CSA-S806-R17 and ACI440.1R-15 for FRP transverse reinforcement can ensure adequate confinement of the concrete core for BFRP-RC columns.
(Nouran ElMessalami, Farid Abed, Ahmed El Refai, Response of concrete columns reinforced with longitudinal and transverse BFRP bars under concentric and eccentric loading, Composite Structures, Volume 255, 2021, 113057, ISSN 0263-8223; doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.113057.)
Relatively low shear strength (0.004*E)BFRP is actually used to restore steel I-shaped beams from corrosion.
Structural deficiencies of steel I-shaped beams suffering from a corrosion defect in the web can be restored by the use of BFRP fabric and is an effective method for restoration of the stiffness, yield load, and ultimate load capacities of shear deficient steel beams. Further, the repair effectively returned the once structurally deficient beam to that of an undamaged beam.
(Amirreza Bastani, Sreekanta Das, David Lawn, Rehabilitation of Shear Deficient Steel Beams Using BFRP Fabric, Structures, Volume 19, 2019, Pages 349-361, ISSN 2352-0124, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2019.01.019.)
When considering BFRP, the application must be thought out – increasing the service limit state bearing capacity is noted below:
Ultimate bearing resistance of a beam with prestressed BFRP tendons is not much higher than of un-prestressed beams but the SLS (service limit state) bearing resistance is much higher and the deflection is smaller. Special care should be taken when designing members without shear reinforcement. The SLS bearing capacity of the prestressed beams was triple compared to un-prestressed beam.
(Þórhallsson, Eyþór & Jonsson, Bjorgvin. (2012). TEST OF PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BEAMS WITH BFRP TENDONS.)