The Possibility of Using Waste Plastic Strip to Enhance the Flexural Capacity of Concrete Beams

Abstract

The most widely used material after water is the concrete composite. However, it is commonly accepted that concrete as a construction material is weak in tension compared to its compression, therefore, conventionally, it has been reinforced with steel rebars. Recently, reusing of waste plastic materials has been a great idea among researchers whom used it in different forms in improving some mechanical properties of the concrete such as impact and tensile strength. In this study the experimental laboratory work was conducted to investigate the possibility of using waste plastic strips as replacement for the main reinforcement steel bars to promote the flexural capacity of concrete beams at 28 days. For this purpose, a total number of 10 beams were casted with dimensions of (200mm x 200mm x 1200mm) to investigate the effects of using waste plastic strips in enhancing the bending capacity of the beams. The results showed that the incorporation of the plastic strips can improve the load carrying capacity and toughness of the concrete beams compared to unreinforced concrete beams.