Design, fabrication and evaluation of a steel fibre reinforced concrete column for grinding machines

Abstract In this study a column of a grinding machine has been designed and fabricated using steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) and its static and dynamic performances have been compared with its cast iron counterpart. The static tests indicate that the cast iron column has marginally higher static stiffness than the SFRC column. However, in terms of dynamic qualities relevant to a machine tool structure, the SFRC column exhibited much better performance. This study establishes that SFRC is potentially a good material for the replacement of cast iron in machine tool structures.