Study of the mechanical behavior of hydraulic concrete: Addition of fibers and microparticles from plastic bottles

Abstract

The use of recyclable materials in the elaboration of hydraulic concrete is currently booming in order to reduce environmental impacts and improve the mechanical properties of concrete, representing optimal adhesion between aggregates, cement and water. The objective of this work was to evaluate the mechanical behavior of hydraulic concrete with the addition of nylon
fibers and microparticles of PET plastic bottles. The mortars or specimens had their physical properties evaluated in fresh state and hardened their resistance to compression and flexural tensile, for these 6 dosages were made: a control mixture and others with designed fibers. For the execution of the tests, an Amsler universal testing machine with a nominal capacity of 30,000 kilograms and a resolution of 10 kg, calibrated for analysis in accordance with ISO 376, was used. It was evidenced that the flexural strength improved by 80% (c), 75% (d), 80% (e) and 95% (f) at 28 days, for compression an 80% increase in strength was evidenced in all samples with respect to the control specimen. It was concluded that the performance of hydraulic concrete with the addition of PET fibers was better than conventional concrete, the properties of the studied specimens improve with respect to the control specimen.