Schoeck, a leading international supplier to the building industry, has launched its newly developed glass fibre reinforcing bar, Schoeck ComBAR, in the Middle East.

One of the primary causes of damage to concrete structures is the corrosion of the steel reinforcement. This is especially true in harsh environments such as the hot and humid climate encountered in the Middle East. Schoeck ComBAR provides designing engineers and owners in the region with a guaranteed solution to this problem, a statement said.

Various measures are undertaken today to mitigate rebar corrosion ranging from the installation of epoxy coated or stainless steel rebars to the sealing of the entire surface of the concrete structure. With the development and market introduction of high strength glass fibre reinforcing bars a new, highly durable solution is now available which completely eliminates the deterioration process rebar corrosion, it stated.

Schoeck ComBAR is a reinforcing bar made of highly corrosion resistant glass fibres and an extremely durable diffusion tight Vinylester resin matrix. The material is much stronger and stiffer than commonly known glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars.

The high fibre content and the linear alignment of the fibres are achieved in the so called pultrusion process which is used in the production of the bars. Helical ribs are cut into the hardened bars to insure an optimal bond between the rebars and the surrounding concrete. This is essential when the bars are to be placed close to the concrete surface or in slender concrete elements, such as facade plates and pilasters. The finished bars are then coated to guarantee their extreme durability even in chemically aggressive environments.

“We believe that this is an ideal solution to the woes of many developers, designers and engineers in this region and we are fully committed to serving this region to an international standard,” said Christoph Spitz, managing director of Schoeck.

ComBAR has been certified in Germany, the Netherlands, the US and in Canada, according to European and North American codes and guidelines. In the Middle East it has been certified by the Dubai Municipality and tested at The King Fahd University and at the Arab Center for Engineering Studies in Doha.-TradeArabia News Service