Base plate with polymer fibers and less reinforcing steel

Hello everyone,

I'll introduce myself briefly since I'm new here.

My wife and I decided to build a house at the beginning of 2023 and are building a small 1.5-story single-family house with the companies Danwood and Glatthaar.

We just had the construction start-up meeting with the company Glatthaar, so far so good - we are happy that it is finally getting started.

Afterwards, I was told on the phone that our house is suitable for a "hybrid foundation slab," and Glatthaar would like to install this to improve their ecological balance.

Today I received a letter about it. Unfortunately, it does not say anything concrete about how much steel will be omitted, how much plastic goes into the slab. No idea.

Now my question at this point is, is this something sensible? Of course, I am skeptical - like many others, we are building our house to live in it for quite a while. I don’t want it to fail because of the foundation slab or for us to have problems.

I quote Glatthaar from the letter:

“A combination of reinforcing steel and MasterFiber polymer fibers is to be used.” Furthermore, “the mixing of polymer fibers is approved by the DIBt (German Institute for Construction Technology).”

What do you think about it? Is it okay to do this, or should we rather stay away from it?

Best regards and thanks in advance for all answers!

What interests you about their eco-balance....

Build with steel then you know what you have. If you want to be sustainable, your everyday life offers you much better alternatives....

Technically, I can't say anything about the polymer plate - I just find it content-wise strange to pass the eco-balance onto the customer....

I would serve them a nice no thank you.

What does the construction supervising structural engineer say about it?

Introduction 2016:

The German Institute for Construction Technology (DIBt) has granted approval for three polypropylene (PP) microfibers and three polypropylene macrofibers of the MasterFiber product line from Master Builders Solutions®. Thus, the six polymer fibers can be used as concrete additives according to DIN EN 206 Part 1 in conjunction with DIN 1045 Part 2.

The newly approved PP microfibers MasterFiber 006, MasterFiber 012, and MasterFiber 018 can mainly be used in industrial floors, screeds, and thin-walled concrete components. They give the concrete better cohesion in the fresh state. In the event of cracks, the fibers bridge the cracks and reduce continuous cracks. This significantly reduces the formation of cracks due to plastic shrinkage (shrinking). Already at a fiber content of 0.1% of the concrete volume, the total crack area is reduced by 30 to 40%.

Compared to the microfibers, the macrofibers MasterFiber 244, MasterFiber 249, and MasterFiber 254 are approved for load-bearing purposes in concrete. The MasterFiber macrofibers made of extruded polypropylene are characterized by a low impact on the rheological behavior or workability of the fresh concrete. Due to the load-bearing effect of the macrofibers, steel reinforcement can be partially or completely replaced. The plastic fibers are corrosion-resistant. This allows durable and delicate components. Main applications are industrial floors, open spaces, agriculturally used areas, and precast concrete elements.

So basically suitable. In coordination with the structural engineer, I would have no concerns.

Wow, that was fast.

Thanks already for the answers.

I can completely understand the thought of .

I will, as and say, send the email directly to the structural engineer. Let's see what he says.

, is there a reason why this is mainly used for industrial floors? Are industrial floors subject to stricter guidelines than those in the private sector?

What I would also be interested in:
According to the statement from Glatthaar on the phone, a floor slab with polymer fibers is significantly higher quality and actually even more expensive.
Is that true regarding the price?

Afterwards, I was told on the phone that our house is suitable for a "hybrid floor slab," and Glatthaar would be happy to install this to improve their eco-balance.

Interesting. That the idea of "fleet consumption" has now already reached floor slab manufacturers was also new to me. But that it takes forty years to transfer ideas to other sectors has always been the case.

Build with steel, then you know what you have. If you want to be sustainable, your everyday life offers you far better alternatives....

Building a house is not a Persil advertisement, and an eco-balance can certainly be improved in several areas. How sustainable this is, I do not know: I am not aware of any recycling of such new concrete mixes. However, that would not prevent me from implementing this progress here overall.

Basically suitable. In coordination with the structural engineer, I would have no concerns.

I agree.

Is there a reason why this is mainly used for industrial floors? Are industrial floors subject to stricter regulations than those in the private sector?

At home, at most grandma might ride a motorcycle in the chicken coop, while forklifts roar across the floor daily in the industrial hall. The pressure and abrasion levels are incomparably higher.

According to Glatthaar's statement on the phone, a floor slab with polymer fibers is significantly higher quality and actually even more expensive.

I could imagine that producers are even subsidized to be able to spread the innovation without additional costs.

Steel contains immense amounts of process energy; rods don't grow on trees. They are just as much "synthetic fibers," only made of metals.