POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) AND RUBBER CRUMB AS FINE AGGREGATE IN CONCRETE

Abstract

One of the most environmental challenges facing municipalities around the world is the disposal of plastic bottles and automobile tires. This paper reported the investigation carried out on the suitability of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and rubber crumb (RC) as fine aggregate replacement in concrete. This is as a solution to utilize these waste materials into valuable resources. The performances of the concretes were assessed through its compressive strength, flexural strength, water absorption and skid resistance. The fine aggregate was replaced by PET and rubber crumb at 10%, 20% and 30% by weight of binder and tested for 7, 28, 60 and 90 days of curing. The results showed that by increasing the replacement of PET in higher proportion (up to 20%) and rubber crumb (up to 10%) the compressive strength of concretes decreasing. The same trend happened based on flexural strength results as the flexural strength reduces as the replacements level of PET and rubber crumb increased. The water absorption of concretes increased with the increased of PET and rubber crumb replacement. For skid resistance, RC concrete were higher compared to control, rubberized-PET and PET concretes. Overall, it can be concluded that the PET and rubber crumb can be utilized up to certain percentages in replacing fine aggregates in concrete production.