Buckeye UltraFiber 500™ - The Next Generation in Concrete Reinforcing Fiber

UltraFiber 500^® is the revolutionary,custom-modified cellulose polymer, which is alkali resistant and provides numerous advantages like superior finishing and excellent crack reduction. UltraFiber 500^® is derived from a renewable resource.

UltraFiber 500^® meets ICC code evaluations and is patented.

UltraFiber 500^® is manufactured from one of the strongest cellulose fibers known to man. Our product is not derived from oil, therefore UltraFiber 500^® does not depend on foreign oil imports and prices.

UltraFiber 500^® has over 700 million crack-fighting fibers per pound! These fibers disperse evenly throughout the concrete. This facilitates their ability to intersect micro-cracks as they may form, disperse the tensile stress, and reduce macro-cracks.

Each small 5mm x 6mm UltraFiber 500^® chip (see picture) contains over 33,000 fibers! These chips readily disperse into individual fibers when mixed with concrete.

The UltraFiber 500^® unique chip form enables the product to be automatically conveyed and metered for accurate and reliable loading into the mixer.

UltraFiber 500® - Superior Finishing, Absolutely, Always

Owners want a beautiful and durable concrete job. Contractors want consistent finish ability and crack resistant concrete. Cracks and surface defects add cost, reduce durability, and make the job difficult to sell.

UltraFiber 500^® provides the performance you require plus superior finish ability.

UltraFiber 500^® does not ball under the broom, does not display surface fuzz, and does not create unsightly surface blemishes. UltraFiber 500^® does not require any change in the finishing process or timing.

UltraFiber 500® Provides Excellent Crack Reduction

Based on our research and testing, UltraFiber 500^® excels in secondary reinforcement resulting in outstanding crack control.

When tested in accordance with ICC code requirements, UltraFiber 500^® in concrete results in 85% fewer cracks than concrete without fiber, when using 11/2 pounds of UltraFiber 500^® per cubic yard of concrete.

With over 700 million fibers per pound, extremely high surface area, extensive bonding with cement, high fiber tensile strength, hydration enhancements, and extremely close fiber spacing, UltraFiber 500^® is outstanding at intersecting micro-cracks as they form, dispersing the tensile stress, and reducing visible macro-cracks.

When you want to minimize cracking, specify Buckeye UltraFiber 500^™.

UltraFiber 500® Improves Cement Hydration

UltraFiber 500^® fibers are hydrophilic, meaning that when you add UltraFiber 500^® to concrete, millions and millions of fibers are holding onto some moisture throughout the fresh concrete (polypropylene fibers are hydrophobic meaning they repel water). The hydrophilic nature of UltraFiber 500^® supports more complete cement hydration as observed through petrographic examination in accordance with ASTM C 856.*

How does this work?

As water becomes scarce during the later stages of initial curing, the moisture held by UltraFiber 500^® is given up to unhydrated cement. This results in concrete containing less unhydrated cement, which helps reduce early moisture loss. This increases overall concrete quality and durability.

*Independent petrography research September 2004 by Dixon & Associates, Inc.

UltraFiber 500® Provides Better Bonding with Cement

The hydrophilic nature of UltraFiber 500^®, combined with its tremendously high surface area, enables this fiber to bond extensively with cement paste.

As seen under a microscope, UltraFiber 500^® achieves excellent bonding with cement paste, while polypropylene fiber (a synthetic fiber) shows minimal bonding if any.

UltraFiber 500® has met ICC Code Evaluation and is Lab Proven by Independent Tests

UltraFiber 500^® was successfully tested against ICC Acceptance Criteria 217 as reported in ICC-ES ESR-1032.

Testing by Certified Independent Labs includes the following:

ASTM 1018, Static Flexural Strength
ASTM C 173, Air Content and Unit Wt.
ASTM C 39, Compressive Strength
ASTM C 78, Flexural Strength
ICC AC217-Annex A, Evaluating Plastic Shrinkage Cracking
ASTM C 666(A), Freeze Thaw
ASTM C 234, Bond Strength
ASTM D 6942, Alkaline Stability
ICC AC217-Annex B, Evaluating Impact Resistance
ASTM C 856, Hydration
ASTM C 1399, Average Residual Strength
ISO 834, Fire Resistance
AC1544, Impact Resistance

Physical Properties:

Avg. Fiber Length 2.1mm
Avg. Denier 2.5
Avg. Fiber Diameter 18 microns
Fiber Count 720,000,000 fibers/lb
Fiber Density 1.1 g/cm3
Fiber Surface Area 25,000 cm2/g
Avg. Fiber Tensile 110 KSI
Patent Granted and Patents Pending

In concrete at 1.5 lb/cy dosage:

Fiber Count 1,080,000,000 fibers/cy
Fiber Spacing 640 microns