FEATURE Thermoplastic conquer the market. Within the next five to ten years,we expect fiber-strengthened composite rebars tomake up 10% of the market. For us, growth of just 1% reinforcements for concretein the US market would be a considerable success,representing the delivery of 300 million meters of THE ELIUM® our fiberglass-strengthened composite reinforcements. What does Elium resin offer® REVOLUTION for thermoplastic composite reinforcements? S.B. – Firstly, considerable improvement in productivity at the level of the supply chain. At present, the supply chain for thermoset resin reinforcements is Concrete reinforcements that can not very responsive and not very flexible: rebars need be bent at the last minute, and to be supplied in the right shape and length from the are ultra-tough and recyclable? manufacturer’s plant to the construction site. This can This is the major innovation from take an average of six to seven weeks and deliveries thermoplastic reinforcement bar are often over long distances.The consequences manufacturers in collaboration with of this are regular losses over this period as the Arkema. Explanations from Sonja construction project evolves.By using Arkema’s Blanc, CEO of Italian technical building Elium resin, Sireg has developed a heat bending® products manufacturer Sireg Geotech. machine and a procedure that can be carried out close to or even on the construction site. The result Why are you working with Arkema?Sonja Blanc – Sireg Geotech has thirty years’is considerably lower transportation costs, as the reinforcements are delivered straight and flat, and experience in producing composite materials for there are few or no losses, as they are bent on the the construction industry. We are a partner and a construction site at the last minute to the desired length customer of Arkema and we are working together and shape. Sireg Geotech advises and supports on creating the next generation of thermoplastic bending centers and construction companies during composite reinforcements for concrete, made from this stage. glass fibers and Elium resin. This is a real challenge!® Using these new rebars will help to ease the supply Is its performance similar to that of chain and provide improved mechanical performance and sustainability for buildings and structural works.steel reinforcements? S.B. – Absolutely, this is vitalif we want to What are the market's development persuade the construction industry to take up this prospects? new technology, now that the obstacle of production S.B. – They’re very promising. Currently, steel complexity has been overcome. I would even go reinforcements make up most of the market. Thermosetfurther in terms of performance, as composite composite rebars have so far been slow to emerge reinforcements do not suffer from the wear and tear owing to a lack of standardization in their design andthat the metal can experience.For structures such underdeveloped communication. But using Elium® as bridges—or coastal structures more exposed resin changes things, and this innovation is ready toto corrosion—this may prove valuable in terms of safety, durability and cost: a bridge with composite reinforcements can function without maintenance costs for 100 years. Lastly, to go back to production, we ® can envisage including seawater in the production “Elium resin process for concretes that use thermoplastic overcomes the reinforcements without this posing a problem. production obstacles What about their recyclability? S.B. – With Elium® resin,we can claim zero- of thermoset resin waste production. All production waste is crushed and reused for other applications. But the major reinforcements.” contribution of this innovation is not recycling but limiting losses at the production stage thanks to the Sonja Blanc, Sireg Geotech CEO flexibility provided by shaping reinforcements closer to the construction site at the right moment. 28