Enhancing the Strength Properties of the Concrete by Partial Replacement of Conventional River Sand with Plastic Waste Fibers

Abstract

Urbanization is growing day by day with respect to time so the infrastructure also developing in chronologically ascending order, a major part of the construction infrastructure is concrete in the words, concrete is the most significant material in the construction industry, concrete is made of four basic ingredients water, cement, fine aggregate, and coarse aggregate from which coarse and fine aggregates are chemically inert materials they do not perform any chemical formation therefore the replacement of the fine aggregate can be possible with the chemically inert material which fulfill the mechanical strength criteria, in this research replacement of the fine aggregate is done with the waste plastic fibers to enhance the strength and durability without compromising the workability of the concrete, at replacement of 1.5% of fine aggregate with plastic waste fibers increase the compressive strength by 11.7% and flexure strength by 17%, but workability is reduced by 7 mm on the slumpcone workability test.

Introduction

The construction industry is expanding rapidly due to increasing urbanization and infrastructure development, with concrete being a key material. Concrete comprises cement, water, fine aggregate, and coarse aggregate. Since fine and coarse aggregates are chemically inert, they can be partially replaced with alternative inert materials—offering potential for sustainability without compromising strength.

Construction Sustainability

Traditional aggregates are non-renewable and being depleted, leading to unsustainable construction and increasing solid waste. Sustainable construction practices promote using recycled materials, such as replacing conventional aggregates with alternatives like plastic waste fibers, which helps:

• Conserve natural resources

• Reduce plastic and construction waste

Plastic Waste Fibers in Concrete

Plastic waste fibers, produced from waste plastics (e.g., used in carpets, bags), are:

• Chemically inert, ductile, and strong

• Effective in improving flexural strength and toughness of concrete

India generates 5.5 million tons of plastic waste annually (doubling every 5 years). While 60% is recycled, the remaining ~6,100 tons/day causes severe waste accumulation. Incorporating plastic waste fibers into concrete provides a viable reuse solution.

Literature Review Insights

1. Waste Accumulation: Rapid urban growth increases solid waste. Some cities (e.g., Singapore, New Delhi, Mumbai) have established Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste recycling plants.

2. Use of Fibers in Concrete:

   • Steel fibers improve tensile strength and ductility; used in tunnels and flooring.

   • Glass fibers enhance compressive and flexural strength.

   • Plastic, aramid, and natural fibers show varied improvements in strength; aramid fibers yielded the highest compressive strength in comparison studies.

   • Historical use of fiber-reinforced concrete in India dates back to the 1970s for precast and in-situ applications such as flooring, sewer covers, and blast-resistant structures.

Methodology

• Standard concrete mix of water, cement, fine and coarse aggregates.

• Plastic fibers added to enhance mechanical properties.

• PPC (Portland Pozzolana Cement) used as binder with strength comparable to OPC 43 grade.

Conclusion

1) Workability is in decreasing manner due to interlocking in between the particles, it becomes stiffer concerning replacement. 2) The optimum value of plastic waste fiber in concrete is 1.00% of fine aggregate which is obtained based on compression and tensile strength criteria. 3) At the optimum value of replacement slump value is reduced by 9mm. 4) At the optimum replacement of fine aggregate with plastic fibers compression strength increased by 14.5% and the tensile strength of the concrete increased by 18.50%. 5) Increment in tensile strength is more dominating with respect to conventional fine aggregate replacement with plastic fiber.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Shivam Gautam, Shashank Gupta. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.