An experimental study of the mechanical properties of macro synthetic fiber-reinforced concrete

The uprising surge in plastic waste disposal poses significant environmental problems to the ecosystem. In Australia, approximately 2.68 million tons of PET bottles are manufactured and only 13% are recycled and reused. Various methods have been explored to recycle PET waste in construction materials. This study proposes a novel polyethene terephthalate (PET) fiber produced using recycled drinking water bottles to reinforce concrete mix for infrastructure development. The dispersibility of PET fibers prevents bulging in the concrete mix while enhancing its mechanical properties. Therefore, this study investigates the mechanical properties of concrete prepared with PET fibers with various fiber volume ratios (V_f) of 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6%. This study assessed concrete cylinders and beams to examine the compressive strength, tensile strength and flexural strength of fiber-reinforced concrete. The experimental results indicate that PET fibers are more effective in improving the compressive strength of concrete and enhancing the pre-cracking load for the flexural strength of the beam. The tensile strength of concrete is also improved with 0.2% of PET fiber. This adequate amount of fiber provides a good fiber-bridging action between the concrete matrix. Thus, the incorporation of PET fiber in civil engineering applications contributes to sustainable development.