Blog

Recent natural devastations have brought up important concerns for engineers. When it comes to preparing for a new concrete structure project, one thing that has become increasingly essential is to use preventive measures to minimize damages caused by earthquakes.  How do earthquakes happen? Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates move in different directions causing blocks of the Earth to slip over the fault plane. This is followed by seismic waves to release the energy that is stored up when the blocks move and overcome the edges of the fault.  So how can FRP bars prevent severe damage? There are 3 main…

The SFTec team is happy to announce the establishment of their new office in the United States. With the objective to make SFT-Bar® and FRP products more accessible to the North American market, SFTec has hired several representatives around the USA to ensure all territories can easily be serviced.  Currently, SFTec has representatives in Texas, Kentucky, and Florida. These areas offer numerous opportunities in the construction industry especially at the concrete reinforcement level. SFTec’s products include GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) bars, also known as SFT-Bar®, which are the ideal building material in concrete structures. They offer several benefits including…

For years now, FRP rebar has been applied in several types of concrete structures but with little global recognition. For manufacturers and distributors of FRP products, this meant having to go above and beyond to explain the value of using FRP bars in the construction industry. With the growing demand for this more sustainable alternative, several resources and associations have made it their priority to review FRP applications and incorporate them in codes for construction requirements. Here's a few examples.   The Masonry Society The Masonry Society has included, for the first time, FRP rebar as part of their most…

Why do we use concrete? How was it discovered? Why does it need reinforcement? All reasonable questions we will attempt to answer in the following article, sharing a few industry secrets. What we know from history Concrete has been around for centuries. The earliest concrete-like mixture was developed by the Egyptians to strengthen structure in 3000 BC. The ingredients recorded to create this first version of concrete material were lime, chalk or oyster shells, and gypsum. This type of mix was used for a long time before the introduction of a newer type, in 1824, by Portland cement. This last…

Change is never easy and it’s not different when it comes to the concrete industry. For years now, we have been using Steel bars to create strong concrete structures, and several challenges have surfaced. However, it is what we are accustomed to, and moving away from this solution shouldn’t be hard. At SFTec, we believe the best way to adopt a new solution, like SFT-Bar®, or FRP bars, in your construction projects, is by learning more about it. Here are a few steps you can take to help you make your decision.    Step 1 - Read about it The…

We are very confident that the FRP industry will see tremendous growth in the coming years thanks to the various benefits associated with these building materials. In fact, following a few discussions with our Canadian distributors, a common belief is that the need for GFRP bars will increase as long as we are able to successfully educate the market, as lack of knowledge represents the major challenge against the adoption of FRP.  Growing slowly, but surely As GFRP bars become more and more common, we can note a high customer satisfaction. While it is not a new technology, its benefits…

With all the information available online, it is very easy to get lost. That is why at SFTec Inc., we do our best to make the facts easily accessible to our visitors and customers. If you have landed on this page, you are already planning your next concrete project and you are looking for the right building materials. Simply put, SFTec offers a variation of products, in different types, shapes, and sizes, adapted to your project needs.  Our 3 main products are the following: SFT-Bar® SFT-Bar® is the perfect material for concrete reinforcement. You’re gathering your project assets and you…

Rock Bolts are used in concrete as anchors for stabilizing concrete structures. The most popular type of Rock Bolts are made out of steel, and due to the growing popularity of GFRP in the market, GFRP Rock Bolts are facing a growing demand. SFTec is happy to introduce their own version as an addition to their product line: the SFT-RockBolt.  What is SFT-RockBolt? SFT-RockBolt is a rock-bolting system based on a fully threaded solid GFRP bar. It was introduced to be applied in mine & tunnel support, face stabilization, slope protection, and can be used for temporary or permanent applications. …

When Polycorp reached out to SFTec three years ago, it was the beginning of a solid partnership. Polycorp, a developer and a property management company, was looking for products that will help reduce the lifecycle costs of the buildings they operate, while respecting the budget of their project.   Their project, at the time, consisted of building a waffle slab reinforced with GFRP - something that had not been successfully achieved anywhere in the world. SFTec is proud to be part of this journey and to share a few insights with our audience.  About Polycorp Polycorp is a progressive development and…

SFTec’s distributor, Westek Enterprises (president Brent Neudorf, P.Eng.), was approached by a client for a concrete sandwich wall shop project. In order to clearly demonstrate the advantages of SFT-Bar, Westek set off on a testing procedure with the help of Duracon Concrete Corp (https://www.duracon.rocks/) to assess and evaluate the potential of GFRP for this type of project.  The tests were scheduled to be held at Duracon and would replicate a sample of the project requirements to help the client make the best decision for this structure. In the context of the series of tests that were conducted, the following criteria…