GRC is abbreviation of Glassfiber Reinforced Cement. Materials first introduced in England and this is one of the development of concrete. Although it is unusual, GRC is currently widely used in homes. Let’s further acquaintance with this new material.

Lightweight concrete

GRC called lightweight concrete because of its constituent materials is similar to ordinary concrete. Both the ordinary concrete and GRC is formed from a mixture of cement and sand. The difference is, if the concrete used to have steel reinforcement inside it, GRC using fiber (glassfiber) as reinforced. Since the material is a fiber amplifier, GRC is lighter than regular concrete. One 8-mm-thick GRC m2 weighs only 18 kg. Compare with the heavy weight of ordinary concrete can be reached … ….!

In addition to light, it also allows the use of fibers made of thin GRC. The thickness can be reduced to about 8 mm.

But the strength of GRC not be equated with the strength of reinforced concrete. GRC is made not to support the load. GRC is currently widely used as column coating materials, lisplank, gutters, even a dome-shaped roof. Please note, the roof of the GRC are here not accommodate any load unless the load of its own weight. While for the column, it’s only serves as a “skin”.

Printed Match Desire

One of the benefits of GRC is that it can be printed according to customer desires. Very complex shapes such as carvings were produced from the printing process capable of GRC. For this reason GRC much utilized as a decorative element on a building.

Having obtained in accordance with the desired shape, GRC-making process can begin. Which shall be prepared in the first time the grain. This GRC mold made of plywood, fiber matt (a type of fiber), GRC itself, or rubber. When making molds, first created a model using wood or gypsum. Suppose the desired form of carving, wood or gypsum had been carved by hand.

When ready for use, the mold is sprayed GRC raw material mixture of cement, sand and fiber. Spraying cement and sand alternately layer by layer with the fibers, in order to weave together all ingredients and form a strong unity. Having achieved the desired thickness, GRC spraying was stopped and left to dry. Prints can be released after one day and GRC-making process actually finished after three days.

For board-wide GRC size more than 60 cm x 90 cm, it need a kind of reinforcement in the area of the board. Reinforcement is also made of the same material is useless to the field of GRC is much stronger and more rigid (rigid).

Unattended

Because not a structural element, GRC can be installed immediately on the “body” of the building. How to install there are a variety of fields depending on the size and function. For a fairly large area, such as coating the column in high rise building, installation of GRC enough with Angkur. Angkur is welded into an iron plate bolted to the column body. If the form is directly attached to the casing wall surface, the installation of GRC is done by screwing.

Suppose that the field must be fitted with long or wide GRC, will form a connection or nat. This is because the factory can not print the GRC in size as well as very large or very long. This connection is usually combined with sealent. Sealaent used here should be specific so that when the GRC is painted, the paint is not peeling on the nat.

GRC arguably this is a maintenance-free building materials. This material can be equated with concrete in terms of durability and weather resistant. For this reason the GRC is often used as an ornament on the exterior of the building. GRC can even hold 25 to 30 years.