Journal of Engineering Science and Technology
Vol. 13, No. 11 (2018) 3577 - 3592
© School of Engineering, Taylor’s University
3577
MODULUS OF ELASTICITY AND ULTRASONIC PULSE VELOCITY
OF CONCRETE CONTAINING POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE
(PET) WASTE HEATED TO HIGH TEMPERATURE
IBRAHIM H. ALFAHDAWI
1,
*, SITI A. OSMAN
1
, ROSZILAH HAMID
1
,
ABDULKADER I. AL-HADITHI
2
1
Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and
Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
2
Dams and Water Resources Engineering Department, College of Engineering,
University of Anbar, 21350, Ramadi, Anbar, Iraq
*Corresponding author: ibrahim_alfahad@yahoo.com
Abstract
The inclusion of plastic wastes in concrete to improve the properties of hardened
concrete and overcome the brittleness problem has attracted much research
interest. The residues of mineral water plastic bottles and beverage containers
made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are a considerable source of solid
wastes. A potential method of managing these PET residues is by using them as
concrete components under normal temperatures. However, the use of PET-
containing concretes exposed to high temperature needs further investigation. In
this study, varying percentages (i.e., 0.25%, 0.75%, 1.25% and 1.75%) of
rectangular-shaped PET crumbs were used as partial replacements of coarse
aggregates. PET-containing concretes were subjected to different temperatures
of 26 °C, 100 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C and 700 °C. The Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity
(UPV) and Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) tests were performed on the specimens
before and after being subjected to varying temperatures. Results proved that PET
at certain percentages can exert either a positive or negative effect on the
produced concrete. The effects of PET percentages on the MOE, UPV, dynamic
modulus of elasticity (Ed) and weight loss, as well as the effects of high
temperature on the PET form inside the concrete, were discussed. The addition
of 0.75% of PET was determined as the optimum percentage that enhanced the
MOE and UPV of the produced concrete.
Keywords: Concrete weight loss, High temperature, Modulus of elasticity,
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Ultrasonic pulse velocity.