Experimental Study on the Properties of Artificial Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Reinforced with Carpet Waste Fiber

Abstract

Lightweight concrete is a low-density concrete that can be made by replacing coarse aggregate with artificial lightweight aggregate such as bloated clay, crushed bricks, or coarse fly ash. This paper presents a study of the influence of carpet waste fiber on the properties of artificial lightweight aggregate concrete. Tests are performed on 30 concrete cylinders of 150 mm in diameter and 300 mm in height with various additions of carpet waste fiber, namely 0%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1.00%. Superplasticizer is added at 2% of cement weight for convenience of casting. We find that using artificial lightweight aggregate can reduce concrete density to a maximum of 1.94 t/m3. The compressive strength of artificial lightweight aggregate concrete increases by 17.22% with addition of 0.44% carpet waste fiber, while the split tensile strength of artificial lightweight aggregate concrete increase by 75.18% with addition of 0.85% carpet fiber.