Basalt Rock-fiber Rebar Gets First Big Test

Basalt-fiber reinforced polymer or BFRP rebar used on a bridge in Northern Ireland

Basalt-fiber reinforced polymer or BFRP rebar used on a bridge in Northern Ireland

Basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) rebar has been installed in a bridge deck in Northern Ireland. It has twice the tensile strength of regular steel, and weighs approximately 75% less. According to the ENR article, the cost is comparable to glass fiber reinforcement, around three times the cost of regular steel reinforcement, but about 30 to 40% cheaper than stainless steel. The BFRP also is more resistant to the alkali environment of the concrete than glass fiber is. The material used for the project was only available from a supplier in Russia, and it could not be bent on site. [Source: ENR: Engineering News Record. Image: MagmaTech by way of ENR]