How To Cut Composite Rebar

How to cut fiberglass reinforcement?

One of the advantages of using fiberglass reinforcement is the ability to cut the workpiece to the required size, which makes the production practically waste-free. But here a completely logical question arises. how to cut fiberglass reinforcement and what safety rules should be followed at the time of cutting.

There are the following options for cutting fiberglass reinforcement:

Sawing with a saw for metal;

Cutting with an angle grinder, aka angle grinder.

How to cut fiberglass reinforcement

Waste-free production is one of the main advantages of composite reinforcement. Unlike metal, it can be easily cut into pieces of the desired length and used without leaving any residue.

How to cut reinforcement:
• Angle Grinder. One blade is enough for cutting with a machine
• Nippers if the reinforcement has a small diameter
• Hacksaw for cutting metal

Protective mask

Sawing non-metallic rods generates fine dust, which, if inhaled, can cause allergies or illness. The mask will protect you from such troubles.

How to unwind fiberglass reinforcement

The fittings are supplied in coils and straight rods. both are acceptable. Coiled rods are not subject to deformation, as many consumers believe. The appearance of microcracks is possible only if the material is made without observing technology. After unwinding, it does not need to be straightened. It will happen naturally.

The rebar in the coil should be unwound very carefully, especially with a significant thickness of the rods.

How to do it:
• If you work alone. Use pliers to sever one end of the bay and place it under something heavy enough. The main thing is to fix one end of the rod. Then step back, gradually, slowly, unwinding the material
• If you work in pairs. The process will look approximately the same with one exception: one of the ends of the armature will be held by an assistant

Angle grinder and hacksaw

The most effective, practical and accurate way to cut fiberglass reinforcement is to cut an angle grinder equipped with a standard diamond or abrasive disc. The use of a hacksaw for metal in such types of work is justified only if a small amount of work is planned. Otherwise, if it is necessary to carry out a large number of cuts, the foreman’s hand gets tired, and the productivity and quality of work decrease.

How to cut glass reinforcement

Bolt cutter

Before using a bolt cutter to cut composite rebar, you should also study the pros and cons of working with this tool. You need to understand that the bolt cutter does not cut the composite bar, but rather bite it, which affects the technical characteristics of the material.

The advantages of using a bolt cutter:

• No power connection required;
• When working with a bolt cutter, a large number of small particles are not formed, therefore, bars can be prepared to size indoors;
• With bolt cutter in hand, you can move and work anywhere (no wires).

Disadvantages of using a bolt cutter:

• You cannot cut more than 3 bars at the same time using a bolt cutter;
• When working with this tool, it is necessary to use significant muscle efforts;
• The bolt cutter is rarely on the list of household tools. To work, you will have to rent or buy it, which is economically impractical;
• The use of a bolt cutter causes deformation of the material at the cut site (material crumbs and longitudinal cracks appear at the end of the rod). This deformation reduces the bearing capacity of the reinforcement and shortens its service life.

How to cut composite rebar?

Angle grinder

When the question arises of how to cut fiberglass reinforcement for the foundation (we have already written in more detail about the material itself here), builders first of all remember about the angle grinder. This tool allows you to cut a large amount of material efficiently, quickly and with minimal effort.

The advantages of using an angle grinder include:

• High speed of work;
• Using an angle grinder, you can cut a bunch of bars at once;
• Mechanized cutting does not require a lot of muscle strength;
• Ability to use discs with any cutting edge (for metal or stone).

Before cutting the fiberglass reinforcement angle grinder, you need to take into account the disadvantages of working with this tool:

• Cutting fiberglass with an angle grinder will not work without dust. The high speed of rotation of the disc leads to the dispersion of fine fiberglass particles in the air. The air blower to cool the tool motor further spreads the composite dust. Therefore, when working with an angle grinder, you need to use eye and respiratory protection, especially if you have to saw fittings indoors;
• An angle grinder must have an electrical connection point to operate.

In general, the cons are pretty trivial.

Ax

With limited funds, an ax can also be used to prepare the reinforcement. He, like the bolt cutter, cuts the bar, which affects the state of the reinforcement in the place of the cut.

Positive points:

• Any owner has an ax. No need to purchase the tool separately;
• Speed. When preparing the base for cutting reinforcement, the work can be done quite quickly.

Negative points:

• Inaccuracy of the cut. Not every craftsman can accurately and forcefully hit the right place with an ax to cut a composite bar;
• Deformation of the rod tip. During operation, water, cement, alkali can get into longitudinal cracks, which will lead to a violation of the technical characteristics of fiberglass and weakening of the entire structure. With temperature changes, the split reinforcement inside the product will change in volume, which will lead to the destruction of concrete.

Hacksaw for metal

If only a few cuts are to be made, you can use a regular metal hacksaw.

The use of a hand tool gives the following advantages:

• Every owner has a hacksaw for metal. This is the easiest and cheapest way to cut a small number of rods to tie the reinforcement cage;
• No spraying of fine particles as is the case with an angle grinder.

Negative aspects of using a hacksaw for metal for cutting composite reinforcement:

• Low speed of work;
• High workload on an employee if a large amount of work needs to be done;
• The ability to use only in individual construction with small amounts of work.

How can composite rebar be cut

One of the main advantages of composite reinforcement is the ease of cutting. Cutting of fiberglass reinforcement is carried out directly at the work site, which significantly reduces the construction time. To cut the rods to size, use the following tools:

• Ax;
• Bolt cutter;
• Hacksaw for metal;
• Angle grinder.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each tool.

How can composite rebar be cut

One of the main advantages of composite reinforcement is the ease of cutting. Cutting of fiberglass reinforcement is carried out directly at the work site, which significantly reduces the construction time. To cut the rods to size, use the following tools:

• Ax;
• Bolt cutter;
• Hacksaw for metal;
• Angle grinder.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each tool.

How to cut fiberglass reinforcement

Cutting fiberglass reinforcement is carried out by an angle grinder, as in the case of metal, only this process takes much less time than cutting metal rods, in 4. 5 seconds, you can cut several fiberglass rods with a diameter of 12mm.

Pros of cutting fiberglass reinforcement with a hacksaw for metal

We consider the presence and use of an angle grinder and a bolt cutter to be the optimal combination. "Angle grinder" cut the main part of the volume, and trim the "tails" with a bolt cutter. (Of course, if there is electricity on the site).

Hacksaw for metal

If only a few cuts are to be made, you can use a regular metal hacksaw.

The use of a hand tool gives the following advantages:

• Every owner has a hacksaw for metal. This is the easiest and cheapest way to cut a small number of rods to tie the reinforcement cage;
• No spraying of fine particles as is the case with an angle grinder.

Negative aspects of using a hacksaw for metal for cutting composite reinforcement:

• Low speed of work;
• High workload on an employee if a large amount of work needs to be done;
• The ability to use only in individual construction with small amounts of work.

Recommendations for the installation of fiberglass reinforcement

Working with fiberglass reinforcement is practically the same as working with metal reinforcement, and does not require any special skills and knowledge. These are the same reinforcing rods, only not metal, but composite, they are much lighter than metal, respectively, the installation of fiberglass reinforcement will be faster and easier, which significantly reduces labor costs.

Cons of cutting angle grinder composite rebar

How to cut fiberglass reinforcement?

One of the advantages of using fiberglass reinforcement is the ability to cut the workpiece to the required size, which makes the production practically waste-free. But here a completely logical question arises. How to cut fiberglass reinforcement and what safety rules should be followed at the time of cutting.

There are the following options for cutting fiberglass reinforcement:

Sawing with a saw for metal;

Cutting with an angle grinder, aka angle grinder.

Angle grinder and hacksaw

The most effective, practical and accurate way to cut fiberglass reinforcement is to cut an angle grinder equipped with a standard diamond or abrasive disc. The use of a hacksaw for metal in such types of work is justified only if a small amount of work is planned. Otherwise, if it is necessary to carry out a large number of cuts, the foreman’s hand gets tired, and the productivity and quality of work decrease.

Bolt cutter and ax

As for the cutting of fiberglass reinforcement with an ax and biting it with a bolt cutter, these two methods have significant disadvantages. Their main disadvantage is the negative impact on the reinforcing bar at the cut. As a result, deformation, splitting and crumbling of the material can be observed. Thus, the ends of the blank have a split appearance. Longitudinal cracking of the product, in turn, complicates its further use and reduces the service life of the reinforcement structure.

Defects imperceptible to the naked eye, which have a longitudinal character of cracking, penetrate into the depth of the rod. Such cracks in the future will become a place of accumulation of alkali, water, cement, dirt, when pouring concrete into the reinforcement. They also act as capillary channels for the penetration of these deposits inside the rod.

The main danger of such defects at the ends of the reinforcing blank is the subsequent, more abundant and deep cracking of the product at strong temperature changes, at the stage of its freezing and thawing. When a concrete solution enters the cracks, the destructive negative effect of the alkaline component of concrete on the core of the fiberglass product increases. The consequences of such an impact manifest themselves from the inside of the reinforcing bar.

Precautions in the process of cutting (dividing) fiberglass reinforcement

It is important to take precautions during the processing phase of fiberglass products, including protecting the respiratory tract, eyes and hands from splinters and dust. A special protective mask, worn at the stage of cutting the reinforcement, will protect the light of the master from basalt and glass fibers from dust, which negatively affect the state of the respiratory tract. An alternative to a mask can be a respirator, which must be securely fixed on the face. It is important to ensure that dust particles do not enter the respiratory tract bypassing the air filter element.

You can protect your eyes with special glasses. Hands should be protected with gloves. It should be noted that the thickness of the basalt-glass is similar in thickness to a human hair. Standard cloth gloves are not suitable to protect the skin of the hands from such particles. In cutting operations of reinforcement, cotton gloves with a latex layer should be used, or even better, silicone gloves. Ease of cutting also differs with different diameters of fiberglass reinforcement.