Study of the physical-mechanical characteristics of concrete in a concrete-PET mixture

Abstract

In the field of construction materials, concrete is today one of the most accepted mixtures of materials by the community. Cement is one of the most used products in the world, although large cities are already full of large buildings, cement is still requested in large works. One of the materials widely used as primary packaging are the thermoplastic polymers of the so-called PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate). These materials are currently very polluting mainly in oceans, seas and rivers. The properties of polymers could be exploited to reinforce the properties of concrete and at the same time reuse the polymer to reduce its contamination on the planet. For this research project the experimental methodology was applied consisting of establishing combinations of concrete-PET materials in different ratio. The results obtained from the different mixtures that were prepared from the Flexural Effort tests, it is observed that both in the mixture containing 0.5% PET and in the one containing 1.0%, the results of Flexural Effort are higher compared with the pure mixture.