Ultrasonic quality assessment of polymer-cement concrete with pet waste as the aggregate

Abstract

Elaborating composites containing waste materials requires study of basic mechanical properties and assessment of their structure quality. The subject of investigation was PPC concrete where aggregate was substituted with PET remaining after beverages bottles grinding. Substitution was done up to 25% (by volume). Waste material was fractioned and applied in various granulations. The main goal was to indicate the influence of such modification on the composite mechanical properties and to examine composite structure quality at macro level. Since PET and quartz differ greatly in density, to perform such examination it was possible to apply the nondestructive ultrasonic method, one of the most common NDT techniques used in material science and industry. The paper presents the effects of substitution of quartz with PET on ultrasonic wave propagation in PCC. The ultrasonic test results (measurements of wave velocity) compared with results of destructive tests (flexural and compressive strength) showed great correlation.