Experimental examination of concrete using hazardous plasti-fiber and rub – fiber

Abstract

The most typical building material is concrete. It is used by communities all over the world second only to water. On the other hand, an increasing environmental threat is caused by the accumulation of unmanaged or non-decomposable waste from industries, such as plastic, rubber, tin, and others. As a result, it is actively encouraged to prepare concrete using unmanaged materials. However, there are few studies on using plastic and rubber as fibers in cement concrete. The current study focuses on the mechanical properties of Plasti-Fiber Reinforced Concrete (PFRC) and Rub - Fiber Reinforced Concrete (RFRC) made from hand shredded plasti- fibers 10 mm × 50 mm consisting of 40-µm polyethylene (PE) plastic bags and polyethylene teraphthalite (PET) bottles in a 1:4 ratio and cycle tyre rubber. The shear behaviour of PFRC and RFRC beams have been studied. At ages of 7 and 28 days, the M25 grade PFRC and RFRC with 0.25% and 0.5% fibers were evaluated for mechanical properties compared to conventional concrete. It was discovered that increasing the dose of plasti-fiber enhanced the compressive, flexural, and split tensile strength of PFRC. Concrete's mechanical properties were increased by 4%, 14%, and 17% with additions of 0.25 and 0.5% plastic fiber, as well as by 1%, 6%, and 10%. While additions of 0.25 and 0.5% of rubber fiber enhanced each by 7%, 15%, and 21% and 9%, 18%, and 26%, respectively. As a result, the use of non-biodegradable plastics and rubber as concrete fibers allows for greater sustainability through more effective and better concrete.