Fibercon Is Leading Steel Fiber Reinforcement Manufacturer

by Sharon Liotus

 

It began in the late 1950s as a research project, funded by U.S. Steel at Carnegie Mellon University. The goal: to find a way to use steel fibers to increase the tensile strength of concrete. The result: Fibercon fiber reinforcement, a remarkable technology proven to increase flexural strength, crack control, fatigue resistance and impact resistance.

In 1972, U.S. Steel began manufac­turing Fibercon for sale to the construction concrete industry. But in 1979, flat sales and poor growth led U.S. Steel to close down its Fibercon plant.

 
Fibercon International Headquarters in Evans City, PA

Then, in 1981, along came entrepre­neur Nicholas Mitchell, founder of Mitchell Industrial Sales Co., which marketed reclaimed old copper and aluminum wire. Copper and aluminum markets were becoming increasingly competitive and Mitchell was looking for ways to diversify. His previous experience in the concrete busi­ness enabled him to see the benefits of Fibercon and the tremendous opportuni­ties the plant could offer, so he and his sons decided to buy it.

This is the story of Fibercon International, a small family-run business that has grown to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steel fiber reinforcement for the concrete con­struction and refractory industries.

Located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Fibercon International is headquartered in Evans City, Pennsylvania, where its manufacturing facilities and business office total 36,000 square feet. From there, the company now serves an ever-growing worldwide market. Sons, George Mitchell and Nicholas Mitchell, Jr. conduct day-to-day operation of the company.

Nicholas Mitchell
Founder of Mitchell Industries and CEO of Fibercon International, Inc.

Products Capabilities and Markets

Unlike wire mesh or rebar, which is placed in a single plane, Fibercon is isotropic, becoming part of the entire matrix and thus providing a crack inter­ceptor at each randomly placed fiber. Mixed with cement, Fibercon is castable or sprayable. When made with low-carbon steel, it is effective for general concrete construction. When formulated with stain­less steel, it is ideal for refractory use, due to its oxidation resistance and high melting temperature, which help prevent premature material failure.

Initially marketed to the concrete construction industry, Fibercon technolo­gy soon found applications in refractory manufacturing. Today, Fibercon provides stainless steel fiber for refractories to the petrochemical, chemical, steel, aluminum, general metals, power generation, cement and rock industries.

With on-staff engineers, the company also provides engineering and design assistance for various applications.

  

Concrete Industry

Use of Fibercon steel fibers greatly decreases cracking and increases strength. Because it enables thinner slabs and easier placement, overall costs are lower. Improvements in concrete flexural strength and ductility further enhance crack control, as well as resistance to shear, fatigue, thermal shock, impact resis­tance and abrasion. This technology also offers superior shotcrete performance, from tunnel linings to slope stabilization, in wet or dry processes. Installation and maintenance costs are lower too.

Fibercon technology has been successfully used in a  wide variety of major new construction and renovation projects throughout the world. Installations include industrial flooring and structures, roads, bridges, parking facilities, airports and buildings. O’Hare Airport and the new Mercedes factory in Alabama are just two examples of the hundreds of places Fibercon has been put to use.
Isotropic Orientation

Refractory Industry Applications

The same features that make Fibercon desirable for concrete construction — such as reinforcement against micro-cracking, enhanced flexural strength, excellent impact resistance and lower permeability — provide benefits to refractory applications, including green state. The use of stainless steel alloys makes Fibercon ideal for high-temperature applications.

Today, more and more companies in the Petrochemical, chemical, steel, aluminum, general metal, power generation, cement and rock industries rely on Fibercon stainless steel rein­forcing fibers for their refractories. Fibercon is approved by major refractory manufacturers, engineering firms and petro­chemical companies.

Fibercon fibers are proven to be of extremely high quality, both in terms of metallurgy and dimensional tolerance. Use of Fibercon substantially improves refractory durability and performance, and reduces refractory installa­tion, maintenance and materials costs.

The technology offers long refractory life, exceptional spalling resistance, excellent fracture toughness, better abrasion resistance, superior thermal and mechanical shock resistance and uniform alloying characteristics.

A unique contribution of Fibercon fibers is the bridging of the weak zone in a refractory subjected to a thermal gradi­ent. Refractory strength is high in the hydraulic zone, where temperatures aver­age 1,400 degrees F., and also in the ceramic zone, where temperatures run as high as 1,800 degrees F. But strength declines sharply between these two tem­peratures. Fibercon fibers are designed to sustain refractory strength in this temper­ature range.

  

Quality Assurance

To meet the demands of its customers in high-temperature processing industries, Fibercon International continually strives to improve product performance, purity and consistency, as well as customer service and price. The company has received ISO 9001 certification for the last four years.

While Fibercon stainless steel rein­forcing fibers consistently meet or exceed ASTM standards, the company also demands that all facilities adhere to its corporate-wide quality assurance procedures. These efforts include upgrading facilities as needed and contracting independent researchers to assess product quality.

 

Expanding to meet customer needs

Over the years, the company earned a reputation for excellent slit-sheet products. But to meet the steadily growing demand of its customers worldwide and be competitive in all areas, Fibercon wanted to expand its product line to include melt extract fiber.
Gunning Vessel

In 1997, a search for new customers led George Mitchell on a trade mission to the Hebei Province in China. What he found there, however, was a new opportunity to produce melt extract fiber. The Sifangtai Alloy Works Melt had become available for purchase under the Chinese Government’s new privatization policies.

Fibercon International purchased the facility in 1999, made many improvements, increased wages, guaranteed steady work to its labor force and began manufacturing melt extract products to distribute to European customers.

To bring this facility up to Fibercon International’s QA standards, the company made several physical improvements to the plant to increase the cleanliness, flowability and handling of the product. It also trained employees to use a spectrograph for ongoing metallurgical testing of the product. Renamed Fibercon Metal Technologies Co., Ltd., or Fibercon Metaltec, as it is commonly known, the facility now produces the finest quality melt extract product for a wide variety of refractory applications.

With is acquisition of this new facility, Fibercon has become the first company to offer all three types of stainless steel fiber: slit sheet, drawn wire and melt extract. Each type is available in various Grades, sizes and shapes to suit diverse applications.

Fibercon International’s product line now includes melt extract, slit sheet and drawn-wire fibers in all commercial Grades. Users can select custom-designed, straight and deformed types in a range of sizes.

Fibercon also offers custom-designed products for special requirements, as well as customized packaging by weight, box or bag. For instance, while Fibercon Metaltec typically provides melt extract product with a nominal diameter of 0.5 to 0.7 mm for optimal handling charac­teristics, it also produces fibers of any specified diameter or length at no addi­tional premium.

With manufacturing facilities in the United States and China, a sales office in the United Kingdom and toll conversion arrangements in Europe, Fibercon is able to provide its customers with quality products at very competitive prices. And with six warehouses throughout the world, the company offers rapid delivery to its ever-widening global marketplace, with customers from virtually every continent in the world. The company now has 30 employees in the United States and 30 in China.

  

Looking to the future

From simple beginnings and through years of hard work, Fibercon International has grown steadily, at dou­ble-digit percentage rates over the last 10 years.

While Fibercon’s expansion in the area of refractories is defined, Mitchell foresees tremendous growth in the construction concrete industry and predicts that in 10 years the company will be producing 50,000 tons of fiber per year.

For information on world­wide product shipping and engineering, contact Fibercon International Inc.

Slit Sheet

Melt Extract

Drawn Wire

Reprinted with permission from Refactory Access Network

(Fourth Quarter 1999)