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Examines the thirteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the fourteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Establishing toughness performance in concrete using steel fibres is well understood, and design guides are available to assist with this process. What is less readily understood is the use of Type 2 synthetic fibres to provide toughness. This problem is exacerbated by the wide range of synthetic fibres available, with each different fibre providing different structural properties. This paper seeks to address this issue.

The paper examines the relative pull‐out values of two single fibre types, i.e. steel and Type 2 synthetic fibres. The pull‐out test results have informed the doses of fibre additions to beams which have been used to equate near equal toughness performance for each fibre type.

The results show that synthetic Type 2 fibres, when used at a prescribed additional volume, can provide toughness equal to steel fibre concrete.

The scientific study of fibre pull‐out behaviour is well understood and described herein under additional reading. Practical testing to show contractors and clients how to balance the dose of fibres in concrete, so that synthetic fibres could be used as a steel fibre replacement, is not well researched. This paper bridges the information gap.

Conflicting claims have been made in relation to the effects of polypropylene fibres on the compressive strength of concrete. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects on compressive strength of various dosages of monofilament polypropylene fibres when used in concrete. Compressive strength is widely used as the key indicator of concrete quality and therefore needs accurate determination. Monofilament fibres and air entrainment provide a similar function in that they provide freeze/thaw protection, they are both compared against a plain concrete sample to determine relative strength and density.

Two different concrete design strengths (medium and high) were examined with varying amounts and types of polypropylene fibre fraction/volume to establish a common link between fibre additions and reduced final compressive strength.

The findings from the test programme showed a linear reduction in strength which was observed as being directly related to fibre inclusion in concrete. Density was also found to be reduced with the addition of fibres in a similar degree to that of air entrainment.

The lower density of concrete with polypropylene fibre additions was not scientifically explained and this aspect currently forms part of a long term freeze/thaw research programme, which will examine pore spacing and void formation compared to plain concrete.

This paper is of interest to clients, concrete manufacturers, concrete additive manufacturers, designers, surveyors and specifiers who need to know what effect polypropylene fibre additives have upon the final compressive strength.

Seeks to examine the bond strength of a large range of structural polypropylene fibres, as used in concrete, to determine the most effective fibre capable of transmitting load (N/mm²) between fibre and cement within the concrete matrix.

Following fibre selection characterised by the highest bond strength, determined from a series of pull out tests, BS flexural tests were carried out using high bond strength fibres (40 mm × 0.9 mm diameter used at 6 kg/m³) to determine whether or not structural polypropylene fibres had any effect on the ultimate flexural strength of fibre‐reinforced concrete, when compared with the plain control sample. Fibre orientation, type of rupture failure mode and post‐crack performance were examined.

Even structural fibre dispersion was found to be best achieved with the use of monofilament polypropylene fibres (19 mm × 22 micron used at 0.9 × kg/m³) in addition to the 6 kg/m³ structural fibre dose. Structural polypropylene fibres were found not to provide additional flexural strength however, they did provide post‐crack control, limiting the crack width with subsequent enhanced durability that in turn will provide lower life cycle costs.

In addition to increased durability the use of fibre reinforcement negates the need to place steel reinforcement bars.

Investigates the ambiguity in literature between claims made by different investigators regarding the effects of polypropylene fibres on compressive and flexural strengths.

This study aims to investigate the optimum proportion of coconut fibre and cement suitable for rammed earth wall construction. Coconut fibres and cement can be easily incorporated into the soil mixture which adds strength and durability to the wall. This paper highlights the salient observations from a systematic investigation on the effect of coconut fibre on the performance of stabilized rammed earth blocks.

Stabilization of soil was done by adding Ordinary Portland Cement (2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 per cent by weight of soil), whereas coconut fibre in length about 15 mm was added (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 per cent by weight of soil) as reinforcement. Thirty types of mixes were created by adding different proportions of cement and fibre to locally available soil and compacting the mix at constant compaction energy in three layers with Proctor rammer.

Samples were tested for compressive strength and tensile strength, and failure patterns were analysed. The use of cement and fibre increases ultimate strengths significantly up to an optimum limit of 0.8 per cent fibre content, provides a secondary benefit of keeping material bound together after failure and increases residual strength. Benefits of fibre reinforcement includes both improved ductility in comparison with raw blocks and inhibition of crack propagation after its initial formation.

After analysing the results, it is recommended to use 0.8 per cent fibre and 5-10 per cent cement by weight of soil to achieve considerable strength. This research may add a value in the areas of green and sustainable housing, waste utilization, etc.

In industry, fused filament fabrication (FFF) offers flexibility and agility by promoting a reduction in costs and in the lead-time (i.e. time-to-market). Nevertheless, FFF parts exhibit some limitations such as lack of accuracy and/or lower mechanical performance. As a result, some alternatives have been developed to overcome some of these restrictions, namely, the formulation of high performance polymers, the creation of fibre-reinforced materials by FFF process and/or the design of new FFF-based technologies for printing composite materials. This work aims to analyze these technologies.

This work aims to study and understand the advances in the behaviour of 3D printed parts with enhanced performance by its reinforcement with several shapes and types of fibres from nanoparticles to continuous fibre roving. Thus, a comprehensive survey of significant research studies carried out regarding FFF of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics is provided, giving emphasis to the most relevant and innovative developments or adaptations undergone at hardware level and/or on the production process of the feedstock.

It is shown that the different types of reinforcement present different challenges for the printing process with different outcomes in the part performance.

This review is focused on joining the most important researches dedicated to the process of FFF-printed parts with different types reinforcing materials. By dividing the reinforcements in categories by shape/geometry and method of processing, it is possible to better quantify performance improvements.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the spalling phenomenon in ultra-high performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) beams on exposure to a standard fire curve (ISO 834) under a sustained load.

The variables in this study were steel fibre dosage, polypropylene (PP) fibres and loading levels. The research investigated seven beams – three of which contained steel fibres with 2 vol.%, another three had steel fibres with 4 vol.% dosage and the seventh beam had a combination of steel fibres (2 vol.%) and PP fibres (4 kg/m³). The beams were tested for 1 h under three loading levels (20, 40 and 60 per cent) based on the ambient temperature ultimate flexural strength of the beam.

Spalling was affected by the loading levels; it exacerbated under the load level of 40 per cent, whereas under the 60 per cent load level, significantly less spalling was recorded. Under similar loading conditions, the beams containing steel fibres with a dosage of 4 vol.% spalled less than the beams with fibre contents of 2 vol.%. This was attributed to the additional tensile strength provided by the excess steel fibres. The presence of PP fibres eliminated spalling completely.

There is insufficient research into the performance of UHPFRC beams at elevated temperature, as most studies have largely focussed on columns, slabs and smaller elements such as cubes and cylinders. This study provides invaluable information and insights of the influence of parameters such as steel fibre dosage, PP fibres, loading levels on the spalling behaviour and fire endurance of UHPFRC beams.

Generally, of all the properties, corrosion resistance can be a prime consideration in determining whether a given alloy or metal is adequate for a proposed use. With the increasing ability to fabricate many alloys and metals into fibre material of extremely small diameter, a better knowledge of their chemical properties as related to their unique size becomes more essential since many of the potential applications involve exposure to corrosive environments. This article reviews the corrosion resistance of Brunsmet MF‐A1 stainless steel fibres produced by the Brunswick Corp., Chicago, Illinois.

The drive towards low unit cost in optoelectronic packaging is assisted by avoiding the need for hermeticity and by the use of simple assembly techniques. Silicone gels can solve this problem, provided the reliability meets the application requirements. Extensive lifetest data for semiconductor lasers and PIN photodiodes coated in silicone gels are reported in this paper. Results to date show great promise and promote confidence in the use of these materials for the environmental protection of optoelectronic devices. Apart from silicone gels, light cured resin materials can also offer benefits towards lower cost assembly processes. Tests are reported of the degradation in optical transmission of these resins and also bulk degradation under differing environmental conditions. The use of these polymer materials can play an integral part in low‐cost optoelectronic packaging developments, two specific designs of which — a silicon laser optical bench and a ceramic ferrule co‐axial structure — will be described. Both of these packages take advantage of a passive fibre/device alignment allowed by the use of an expanded beam laser design.