Basanite basalt rebar chosen to reinforce underground concrete structures

Basanite Inc. (Pompano Beach, Fla., U.S.), a manufacturer of environmentally friendly, high-performance composite construction materials made from basalt fiber and basalt fiber-reinforced polymer, announced that it has been selected to manufacture and supply multiple concrete reinforcement products (notably its BasaFlex and BasaMesh products) for use in fortifying sea walls, concrete catch basins and stormwater structures for the 300-acre island municipality of Indian Creek Village.  

The selection by Indian Creek Village is the third announced municipal approval in Florida for Basanite’s products this year, as municipalities search for stronger and more environmentally friendly alternatives to steel reinforcement products.

The underground infrastructre application for which Basanite’s products have been approved is an integral component of the island enclave’s multi-phase Roadway Redevelopment Project. Indian Creek Village is directly latitudinal to the Town of Surfside in Miami-Dade, site of the oceanfront Champlain Towers collapse in June 2021 where rising groundwater, king tides and deteriorating concrete from the ensuing saltwater erosion were considered as potential factors of the disaster.

“Indian Creek is surrounded by the saltwater of Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade County, making it imperative for Village building officials to select the toughest, most resilient, reinforced concrete available on the market today,” Basanite director Fred Tingberg explains.  “The basalt fiber-reinforced polymer we manufacture to fortify concrete is not only the green choice, but it also significantly strengthens and extends the life of concrete structures.”

Basanite engineers, develops and manufactures sustainable, non-corrosive, lightweight, composite concrete reinforcing products such as BasaFlex and BasaMesh using basalt fiber as an alternative to conventional steel reinforcement.

BasaFlex rebar, Basanite say, has a 100-year design life, is non-corrosive and weighs just 25% of steel, but has a 2.5 times greater tensile strength. It is also transparent to magnetic fields, radar frequencies and other electro-magnetic radiated energy and both electrically and thermally non-conductive. BasaMesh, a line of composite geogrid mesh products made from basalt fiber, is intended to replace welded wire mesh (steel) and other fiber-reinforced polymer grids and/or geo-grid mesh products. It is supplied in rolls and can easily be cut to size on site. It is designed and engineered specifically for secondary and temperature shrinkage reinforcement, Basanite notes, and is designed to work in conjunction with BasaFlex rebar and other Basanite products for a total reinforcement program.

“We believe that concrete reinforced with BasaFlex and BasaMesh will be a key element in helping the iconic and historic community of Indian Creek maintain its security and structural integrity for decades to come,” Tingberg adds.