Assessments of the Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Fibrous Self-Consolidating Concretes using Ingredients of Plastic Wastes

This paper focuses on the experimental investigation carried out on self-consolidating concrete (SCC) reinforced with micro-steel fiber and hybrid fibers (combination of micro-steel fiber and recycled high density polyethylene fiber derived from municipal wastes). The physical properties of fresh and hardened concrete including flowability, setting time and durability, the mechanical properties, namely, compressive strength and flexural strength, and microstructural analysis were studied. Micro-steel fiber addition was seen to enhance the flowability of concrete than the non-fibrous and hybrid fiber reinforced concretes. The setting time of SCC mixtures prolonged with the addition of fibers into concrete mixtures. Hybrid fiber reinforced SCC mixtures have displayed reduction in drying shrinkage. The compressive and flexural strengths of the fiber reinforced concretes show a marginal reduction in strength- when compared with the strength of unreinforced concrete. The results of the microstructure analysis clearly demonstrate that the hybrid fibers bond well with the cement matrix and stronger than the bonding between micro-steel fibers and cement matrix.