Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Lightweight Concrete: Vegetal and Metalized Plastic Waste Fiber Synergy and Pull-Out Behavior

Abstract Using one or more fibers in concrete is called “hybridization.” Although single-fiber concrete offers excellent performance, concrete reinforced with hybrid fibers gains speed as the synergy between the fibers results in amplified performance. This experimental work reflects the effects of incorporating 1, 2, and 3 % untreated singular and hybrid fibers on the physical and mechanical properties of lightweight concrete (LC) at 3, 28, and 90 days. Six mixture types were used: control LC, LC containing metalized plastic waste fibers (MPWFs), LC containing date palm fibers (DPFs), LC containing sisal fibers (SFs), LC with MPWFs and DPFs (Hybrid A), and LC with MPWFs and SFs (Hybrid B). In the fresh state, fiber introduction affected all mixes’ workability and wet density, and the reduction in slump and wet density was proportional to the fiber dose. However, in the hardened state, the results indicate that compressive strength (CS) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) decreased for LC containing only plastic or SFs. However, these properties increased slightly over the long term for blends containing 1 % DPF. Excepting mixtures containing MPWFs, fiber introduction improved flexural strength (FS) for all blends containing 1 % and 2 % fibers at 28 and 90 days. The most significant gains in FS were 8 % and 4 % at 28 and 90 days, respectively, for samples containing 1 % DPF. Nevertheless, fiber hybridization improved these mechanical properties and created a positive synergy in long-term bending. At 1 % fiber dosage, CS, MOE, and FS increased respectively by 3.05, 3.10, and 8 % for Hybrid A compared with the control LC. Pull-out testing provides the best means to understand typical failure modes and assess maximum tensile strength. Consequently, microstructural analysis enabled us to examine the bonding quality at the fiber-matrix interface.