Effect of Partially Replaced Plastic, Rubber and Glass Powder on the Compressive Strength of Concrete

In response to escalating environmental concerns and the depletion of natural resources, this study explores the mechanical behavior of concrete when partially incorporating recycled waste materials as aggregate replacements. In particular, chopped plastic and rubber particles were utilized to partially replace coarse aggregates. Whereas fine aggregates were partly substituted with powdered glass. The tests done in this study are specific gravity test, slump value test and compressive strength test. The test was performed after 28 days of curing. Seven different types of concrete were used to cast 21 specimen’s size of 8"×4". Specimen with 0% replaced aggregate (RA 0), specimen replaced with coarse aggregate with 5% plastic (RAP 5), specimen replaced with coarse aggregate with 10% plastic (RAP 10), specimen replaced with coarse aggregate with 5% rubber tire (RAR 5), specimen replaced with coarse aggregate with 10% rubber tire (RAR 10), specimen replaced with fine aggregate with 5% glass powder (RAG 5), specimen replaced with fine aggregate with 10% glass powder (RAG 10). Results show that a 5% replacement of fine aggregates with glass powder (RAG 5) achieved the highest compressive strength at 17.93 MPa, exceeding the control mix 16.37 MPa. In contrast, concrete with plastic aggregates (RAP 5) and (RAP 10) exhibited significantly reduced strength, with the lowest value recorded at 4.49 MPa. The findings suggest that limited glass powder incorporation can enhance strength and sustainability, whereas chopped plastic and rubber should be cautiously used in load-bearing applications due to mechanical performance limitations.