| Popis: |
Waste management is an area of significant global concern. The reuse of waste materials (such as: plastics, glass, wood, etc.) in concrete manufacturing has been studied for potential cost savings, improvements in quality, and reduction of environmental impact leading to sustainability. This study examines the performance of concrete containing recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste in granular form to replace the fine aggregate. A series of concrete specimens for Grade 32 concrete mix were cast using PET granules as partial replacement to fine aggregates in the mixture (0%, 10%, 30%, and 50% replacement by volume of fine aggregate). Important properties such as workability (slump), density, compressive strength, elastic modulus, tensile strength, flexural strength, and crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) were evaluated together with the microstructural observations. The experimental results indicated that volumetric replacement of fine aggregates with 10% recycled PET granules positively impacted the characteristics of the concrete. The findings further revealed an improvement in the ductility of concrete with recycled PET granules content, albeit the effect was more pronounced with the concrete containing 10% PET granules. The experimental results for the mechanical properties were compared against available Australian and American design guidelines and a strong linear relationship is observed. Lastly, the findings of this study on mechanical properties revealed an optimum performance relative to those reported in the available literature, particularly for the concrete with 10% of fine aggregate replaced by PET granules. |
