For nearly two millennia, the Pantheon in Rome has remained the largest unreinforced concrete dome — a stunning achievement of ancient Roman concrete engineering that still stands today.
SWOLE-CRETE® challenges that record.
Using a patented fiber distribution system delivering a Bouligand-inspired matrix (nature’s own helical armor, seen in the mantis shrimp), we deliver dramatic gains in strength, ductility, and long-term durability — all while using the same crews, mixers, and supply chains the industry already knows.
No new supply ordeals. No employee retraining. Just concrete engineered for the NEXT 2000 years.
The idea of streaming high strength fibers directly into concrete gave birth to two patents.
Having early ASTM 1609 testing go off the chart was fantastic. It encouraged us to engage top research labs so we could get serious quantitative data.
Watching the SWOLE-CRETE®
prove itself on a research load frame was a quatum leap.
SWOLE-CRETE® proved itself on little research lab specimens.
The real world has requirements that are huge! The apprehension when attempting to focus your efforts in the huge, global concrete market (where some estimates of the market approach $1,000,000,000,000) while at the same time considering the depth of regulation evolved over decades is beyond intimidating.
We chose to do large scale testing scaled on the regulatory burden because convincing a conservative industry based on lab results is possible. Regulatory friction is incalculable when every specification deals with steel content and we aren’t using any!
Slabs: cracks mean a sticking door
Highways: cracks lead to bumpy rides
Housing: cracks represent catastrophic danger
It was obvious that the first two options (foundations and highways) were basically the same product. Concrete on the ground. Designing a proper large scale test would address both domains!
We Built a 40′ x 10′ x 0.5′ Test Pavement
deliberately designed for catastrophic failure.
- 25% thinner than TXDOT minimum highway requirements (6″ vs 8″)
- Only 20% thicker than typical residential foundations (5″)
- ZERO subgrade preparation
- ZERO steel reinforcement
- 70% of Fiber Distribution Ring capacity
- Heavy Weight Deflectometer tested to 70,000 psi
- Delivered FAA heavy runway quality but dramatically thinner
Imagine SWOLE-CRETE® lab results if using 100% fiber loads instead of 70% testing loads!
