Effect of waste PET fibre on rheological and mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete

One of the prevalent environmental issues is the disposal of solid waste, particularly polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which primarily originates from plastic drinking bottles. The objective of this study is to observe the impact of incorporating PET waste fibres (PETWF) on the rheological and mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC). Different volumetric ratios of waste PET bres (0%, 0.25%, and 0.5%) with fibre lengths of 2 cm and 4 cm were used. Fresh concrete tests showed that mixes with PETWF having a length of 2 cm meet the criteria of self-compactability of concrete, irrespective of the fibres content. The hardened concrete tests showed a slight enhancement in compressive and tensile strength of mixtures that incorporate 0.25%PET fibre (2 cm), and also showed that the plastic fibres have a significant impact on enhancement the flexural strength of mixtures containing (0.5%PET) fibres (4 cm). The achieved results are very interesting and suggest the potential use of PETWF in structural components of SCC, as the inclusion of these fibres in concrete retards the formation of micro-cracks.