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09/07/2017, 10:21 PM | #1 |
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GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete)
Has anyone used this material before
https://youtu.be/bKV4sEe-9mQ It's basically concrete using chopped glass fiber as the filler. While it still needs to be sealed, I think it has potential for large structural walls, beams and floors in a big tank? Why concrete and not plywood? Concrete adheres to silicone... which adheres to glass. The idea is to make a composite tank with concrete for structure and glass for the viewing. I've built plywood tanks, so I know how to use the silicone as a compression seal against a window frame. I also know that the window frame method can be done with glass inside concrete. But that's not what I want. I want a clean smooth glass on glass edge and then a clean glass to concrete edge on the bottom (no lips) and back? So - anyone done this?
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09/07/2017, 11:18 PM | #2 |
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Oh . I have been wanting to do this for a long time . A friend of mine has this big heavy glass that was used in a bank . He doesn't want it and just asked me if I wanted it . I sai yes but it would probably sit in my garage forever because I didn't know how to attempt it . So I will follow along . My issue was sealing the glass to the walls . The glass fiber reinforced concrete was originally used by concrete slab manufacturers making table tops . What they used to use was rebar and the concrete had to be way thicker and heavier than what they wanted just to imbed into the concrete . So they used these fibers to produce a more flexible concrete that was stronger with the fibers . Thus allowing a thinner slab or tabletop. Now it really can't prevent big flex because concrete still has limitations of being easily cracked at stress points . The table tops are usually supported by plywood underneath so they don't handle very much eneven downward pressure . The pressure is spread out evenly so no cracking . Once this material is cast they usually take a flame to the surface to burn away any exposed fibers .
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09/07/2017, 11:30 PM | #3 |
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I would think you would still need a thick portion of concrete to support the outward pressure of the water . As to how much I don't know . My original idea was to make the walls out of cinder block reinforced with rebar. I thought of pouring a slab with the rebar imbedded and then adding cinder block on the upright rebar . Then I would fill in with cement and vibrate it to get all the air out . I thought of fiberglass the inner surface but I didn't know if silicone would adhere to that . But if you say that silicone sticks well to concrete then that may be my answer . There is a local aquarium manufacturer that does the high end installations but I know I would never get an answer as to how they do it. But they do these huge built in tanks with a monstrous piece of acrylic that is really a showstopper .
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09/07/2017, 11:35 PM | #4 |
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I'm going to make a scale model and test it first.
The first will be the in-tank floor/structural support... the next will be to replace the back and floor. Here's the construction I'm considering (overall tank is 12' x 8'): I'm still not certain of the adhesion strength. I'm willing to experiment though. https://d-lab.mit.edu/sites/default/..._Adhesives.pdf
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09/07/2017, 11:37 PM | #5 |
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Karimwassef . Since you live in Dallas you probably know the manufacturer I am talking about since they started in Houston and branched out to Dallas and Austin
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09/07/2017, 11:42 PM | #6 |
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Is this in a room or building or outside? . I was only thinking of a front viewing panel where all the other sides were concrete. I wanted a lagoon where I could see from above and on the side of the lagoon .
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09/07/2017, 11:53 PM | #7 |
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It's in a large greenhouse/sunroom
the build thread is all over the place: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...589632&page=25
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09/07/2017, 11:55 PM | #8 |
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the local vendor uses PVC, as far as I know.
I was planning on plywood/epoxy for the bottom with a groove that the glass seats into. The back is glass with plywood backing for structural support.
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09/09/2017, 11:49 AM | #9 |
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Anyone have experience with GFRC?
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Failure isn't an option It's a requirement. 660g 380inwall+280smp/surge S/L/Soft/Maxima/RBTA/Clown/Chromis/Anthias/Tang/Mandarin/Jawfish/Goby/Wrasse/D'back. DIY 12' Skimmer ActuatedSurge ConcreteScape |
09/09/2017, 07:16 PM | #10 |
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Karim, you should look into undergrad "concrete canoe" projects. Lots of ideas, and likely a few papers covering the topic.
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09/09/2017, 07:21 PM | #11 |
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wow! great advice. They're solving the same problem...
make it strong, make it light, make it waterproof!
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09/14/2017, 07:04 AM | #12 |
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Looks like this should work, but I'll have to run some experiments first to get a handle on strength, shrinkage, etc...
Added a video that shows how I plan to use it to my main http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...589632&page=25 Separately, there a material called concrete canvas that comes in rolls - some interesting potential http://www.concretecanvas.com/concre...al/what-is-it/
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