Physical and mechanical properties of concrete containing plastic tube fibers

Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 21, pp. e03809

Abstract

Plastic tube fibers (PTFs) are one form of plastic waste resulting from the production of plastic mats that end up in the landfill. Until today, no attempt has been made to explore the applicability of PTFs as a construction material for a circular economy. This paper investigates the applicability of PTFs as fibers in fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) production. A series of tests are carried out to investigate the effects of volume fractions (VFs) and the length of the fibers on the physical and mechanical properties of FRC-containing PTFs. The effects of the length and VFs on the unit weight, compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, pulse velocity, thermal conductivity, and microstructure of FRC are examined. Three different lengths of fibers of 20 mm, 30 mm, and 50 mm, and VFs of PTFs of 0 %, 0.5 %, 1 %, and 1.5 % are studied. Results show that although the mechanical properties of concrete decrease as the VFs increase from 0 % to 1.5 %, the rate of reduction becomes smaller as the length of the fiber becomes larger. The maximum reduction of compressive, tensile, and flexural strength was found to be as high as 35 %, 25 %, and 35 % compared to the control sample obtained for 20 mm fiber length having 1.5 % VFs. Formulas to predict the tensile and flexural strengths of concrete containing PTFs as a function of the compressive strength are proposed and found to be providing satisfactory results. From a microscopic view, it is seen that the sample containing higher VFs shows less density and homogeneity of concrete which leads to an increase in the micropores of the concrete. Furthermore, the ultrasonic pulse velocity and attenuation coefficient decrease as the VFs of PTFs increase.

Authors 6

1. Mohammed M. Attia corresponding

   Suez University

   Affiliation as printed

   Civil & Architectural Constructions Department, Faculty of Technology & Education, Suez University, Egypt

2. Rasha A. El-Sadany

   Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority

   Affiliation as printed

   Radiation Engineering Dep., National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt

3. Mervat H. Khalil

   National Research Centre · Housing and Building National Research Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Building Physics and Environment Research Institute, Housing and Building National Research Center, Egypt

4. Mizan Ahmed

   Curtin University

   Affiliation as printed

   Centre for Infrastructure Monitoring and Protection, School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia

5. Abedulgader Baktheer corresponding Aachen Institute of Structural Concrete

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Structural Concrete, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany

6. Shymaa M.M. Shawkya