Influence of plastic recycled aggregates in the hardened properties of concretes

Abstract

The use of the new resource of man-made plastic aggregates as an alternative to natural aggregate could be a viable answer for developing new construction material. Not only would we eliminate a harmful waste but also preserve natural resources from overexploitation. This paper deals with the production and analysis of the properties of concretes employing recycled plastic (being high-density polyethene) aggregates in replacement of up to 75% of natural aggregates. The analysis of the concrete properties was undertaken in the fresh state and hardened state after 28 days of curing. The results revealed that the employment of a higher percentage of plastic particles in substitution for natural aggregates resulted in a decrease in the density of concrete as well as its thermal conductivity. The compressive strength of concretes also decreased; however, the toughness of the recycled plastic aggregates concretes increased with respet to that of conventional concrete.