They differ in many ways, but as reinforcement for concrete, these differences are especially notable. Polypropylene, nylon and the other synthetic fibers used in concrete serve only one purpose: to restrain plastic shrinkage during the first 24 hours after concrete is poured. Because of their high elongation, or "stretchiness", these fibers are essentially useless for the drying shrinkage and other sorts of cracking that all concrete suffers from.

UltraFiber 500™, with all its benefits, offers a significant combined advantage versus polypropylene fibers - superior finishing, excellent crack reduction, improved hydration, better bonding with cement, higher fiber tensile strength, cost effective bulk dispensing, and more.

Yes. PVA has been used extensively to replace GFRC, producing a less expensive, lighter and more durable product.

PVA fiber is about the same price as glass, but you use 1/3 as much, so it ends up being much less expensive. It is a little more expensive than polypropylene and nylon, but it offers far greater performance. No. Even the best AR glass degrades in strength dramatically over time, up to 80%. Field studies have shown that PVA degrades about 1% over 20 years.

No. Unlike glass and carbon fibers, PVA cannot be overmixed. Overmixing can cause other problems, including too much air entrainment and loss of superplasticizer effectiveness.

No, no fiber can do that. Concrete can be made "waterproof" by paying close attention to mix design, especially maintaining a water to cement ratio below 0.40. But cracks play a large part in allowing water to penetrate the concrete. PVA fibers provide excellent control of all types of cracking, including plastic shrinkage, drying shrinkage, autogenous and map cracking, differential curing cracking, settlement and structural cracking.

UltraFiber 500™ in concrete has higher fiber tensile strength than typical polypropylene. The fiber tensile strength of UltraFiber 500 is 90-130 KSI, and this compares to typical polypropylene with fiber tensile strength of 30-70 KSI.

Absolutely. PVA fibers can be used to enhance the strength and ductility of your existing design simply by adding fibers while mixing the concrete.

Yes. PVA can be used in all types of mortar and concrete and can be used to enhance all types of reinforcement.

Yes. PVA fibers work well with very thin concrete elements. Even if there are cracks, PVA's hydrophilic bond helps keep the concrete in place.

All lightweight fibers can produce "hairy" concrete. The fibers that float, like polypropylene, suffer this problem to a greater extent. PVA has a density of 1.3, so the fibers do not float. However, you must finish the concrete properly or some fibers will be vertically aligned.

Steel fibers have greater tensile strength than PVA fibers, but this strength is rarely used. Steel fibers, like rebar, are passive reinforcement, meaning they have no reinforcing effect until the concrete cracks. The problem then is that steel fibers tend to pull out rather than hold the concrete together. Many techniques have been used to increase the mechanical bond of steel fibers--hooks and waffles are among the most popular--but even so the steel fibers pull out easily.

No. PVA is extremely tough and durable. You can bend PVA fibers over a hundred times before they break. No other concrete reinforcement fiber is so tough.

Polypropylene (PP) is a plastic with good chemical resistance, is strong, and has a high melting point making it good for hot-fill liquids. Polypropylene is found in flexible and rigid packaging to fibers and large molded parts for automotive and consumer products.

PVA is polyvinyl alcohol, an organic material that we use to make concrete reinforcement fibers, among many other uses. It is made from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

a. Polypropylene (also called Olefin) is the most durable and stain-resistant rug fiber. It is a synthetic yarn and is the most commonly used area rug fiber. On average, olefin is soft in texture and is fade resistant. b. Nylon is another synethic fiber commonly used in rugs. Its characteristics include: strong and elastic, retains its shape, and it is shiny. c. Wool is a natural fiber that comes from sheep, most commonly from New Zealand and Australia.

Timeless Touches fibers are all quality, high-grade commercial design fibers used by knitters and weavers. The fiber content varies and includes cotton, wool, linen, silk, mohair and rayon.

PVA-ECC is a micromechanically-designed cementitious matrix that achieves dramatic ductility and tensile strength, up to 500 times that of other fiber-reinforced mortars. ECC stands for Engineered Cementitious Composite. PVA-ECC was designed by Dr. Victor C. Li, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and director of the Advanced Civil Engineering Material Research Laboratories. Read an introduction to ECC.

Alpaca fiber is as fine as the finest wool, and much stronger. It is over 5 times as warm as wool. Alpaca is very soft, and is ideal for garments worn next to the skin. Alpaca comes in 22 natural colors, the widest range of any animal on the planet. It is among the world's most luxurious fibers. Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cashmere and alpaca garment.

There are typically three explanations: 1) the Felt manufacturing process, 2) the application the Felt is under, and/or 3) the type fiber used to manufacture the felt is not suitable for the application. The Felt Manufacturing Process : requires a set "needling" procedure to insure interlocking of the fibers so they will not "pull" out or simply "lay" on the surface.