Journal of Critical Reviews

ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7, Issue 5, 2020

Review Article

PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE

INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE
Mohammed Umar Usmani *a, Dr. A.S.M. Abdul Awalb
aPhD Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UTP
b Associate Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
*Corresponding Email: uusmani6@gmail.com

Received: 10.01.2020 Revised: 07.02.2020 Accepted: 04.03.2020

Abstract:
High consumption of plastic based products especially Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles had increased the volume of polymeric
waste which in turn causing environmental problems. With the increase of awareness in sustainable development, researchers have come
out with an idea of utilizing plastic waste fiber which is believed to offer some benefits such as waste reduction and resource conservation.
In this research an attempt has been made to investigate the physical, mechanical and durability characteristics of concrete incorporating
PET fibers from recycled bottle wastes and was exposed to acid and sulphate attack. At the first stage, fiber length of 10mm, 20mm and
30mm with 0.5% of fiber content was included into the concrete matrix to find out the optimum length of fiber to be used. Once the typical
best length was determined, the fresh and hardened properties of concrete including workability, density, compressive strength, splitting
tensile and flexural strength are determined with fiber volume range of 0.5% - 1.5%. The results revealed that the presence of PET fiber in
concrete noticeably decreased the density and workability of concrete. Although a small amount of fibers increased the compressive
strength, higher amount caused a reduction in compressive strength. However, the splitting tensile and flexural strength as well as the
ductility of concrete were greatly enhanced. The concrete exposed to acid attack showed characteristic yellowish color and for sulphate it
combines with C-S-H or concrete paste and destroys the paste. Out of this study, the optimum length and fiber volume determined were
20mm and 0.5% fiber volume fraction respectively. In conclusion, the PET fibers in concrete provided satisfactory performance showing
good potential in concrete construction.

Keywords: Polyethylene Terephthalate; Durability; Flexural Strength; Workability; Compressive Strength; Splitting Tensile strength
© 2019 by Advance Scientific Research. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.05.187

INTRODUCTION: minute the plastic is presented to warm; harmful gases will be

Concrete is a composite material, principally comprises of three
essential components which are bond, aggregate and water.
Concrete is moderately great in pressure yet powerless in strain.
Another material called Fiber Reinforced cement is created in
which discrete filaments are included into a concrete based lattice
with a requested or arbitrary appropriation way. PET is an
individual from the polyester group of polymers and it assume an
imperative part as manufactured fiber in modern creation. PET
picks up its fame because of its attributes which are light weight,
dry in common state, semi-crystalline gum, phenomenal water
and dampness hindrance, and effect safe where it is less weak than
different materials. The world's PET generation rate is moderately
high, brought about high volume of waste creation in which its
yearly utilization rate speaks to more than 300,000 million units
and a large portion of the waste is disposed of to landfill. PET
waste is a non-biodegradable material which don't experience rot
process, stayed in nature for many years (1). Despite the fact that
the improvement of reused PET fiber in concrete is considered
moderately new development yet it is accept to profit both
development and PET reusing ventures if the usage of PET fiber is
being confirmed. (2) has expressed that impressive development
in the total populace over the most recent couple of decades has
prompted critical interest for minimal effort living and swing out
to enormous plastics creation and utilization. PET is a notable
material utilized as a part of nourishment and refreshment
pressing items and generally dominant part of these ventures
wind up disposed of to the landfill. These PET items, for example,
PET jugs won't rot and stay in nature for a long length of time
which may trigger air watered ground contamination.
Additionally, to decimate it, treatment technique through
cremation can be completed in light of the fact that plastic has low
softening point. All things considered, by mean of cremation, the
radiated and could be exceptionally perilous to human wellbeing.
Because of ecological effect related with the expansion in the
general attention to squander administration, the development
business is empowering the utilization of reused squander
materials to be added as a supplement to build the want
properties of cement. Inquires about are putting much endeavors
and endeavors to examine the use of waste strands into the solid
mass keeping in mind the end goal to manage and ensure the
biological community. The improvement of new PET fiber
development materials in concrete is still extensively new and is
in question as the physical and mechanical properties are still
under preparatory investigation. It is as yet a noteworthy test to
create reused plastic strengthened cement with adequate
mechanical properties.
LITERATURE REVIEW:
Concrete has considered to be one of the most seasoned
development materials that generally utilized as a part of
development field. Thus, the endeavors to enhance the physical
and mechanical properties of cement have never halted. The
expansion in practical advancement had conveyed out to the
presentation of fiber fortified solid where discrete strands are
included into concrete base network. As of late, a recently
improvement in development industry was found by including
strands from reused squander into concrete. The use of fiber from
squander in concrete is accepted to advantages to development
industry. Since it is a recently improvement, more inquires about
must be conveyed to check the likelihood of the usage of fiber from
reused squander. Plastic is sort of polymer made up of monomers
that consolidated in a chain through a procedure called
polymerization. Plastics items have gotten advantages to society
enhancing the general population ways of life and in addition

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 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE
TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE
financial exercises. As per the Plastics - the Facts 2013, an
examination completed by Plastics Europe, the world plastics
generation persistently development for over 50 years and rose
up to 288 million tons in 2012. Regarding that, Malaysia which is
one of the Asian recorded nations, are contributed also to the
addition of overall plastics creation. Malaysia plastics industry had
broadened the area by creating a variety of items which
incorporate car and media transmission segments, electrical and
gadgets parts, development materials et cetera. Among those
different sections, bundling is the key reason for the nonstop
development as of late.The measure of world plastics devoured
every year has been expanding constantly. This infers an ever
increasing number of plastics must be created to meet the
expanded of plastics request and thusly, more plastics squander is
being produced. In a light of urbanization, industrialization and
financial advancement, the strong waste administration had
turned into an issue worried by numerous tree huggers. This issue
is especially evident in megacities of many created and creating
Asian nations and in addition Malaysia where the patterns of
strong waste age encountered a disturbing rate of patterns. As per
(3), a landfill is a waste transfer technique generally known as
covered up where squanders are covered deliberately in the
ground (or based over the ground). (4) specified that the main
natural effects from the landfill are contributed by the measure of
plastic squanders disposed of to the landfill. The expanded in
plastic squanders had wound up with different negative effects
neither to the excellence nature or people. Terrible smells, visual
unsettling influence, arrival of unsafe chemicals through the
escape of leachate are among the effects caused via landfill
squanders. The spillage of leachate could make genuine
contamination the underground water and soil and thusly to
genuine medical issue. Leachate is the fluid that contained
assortment of contaminations, for example, benzene, toluene,
xylenes, ethyl benzenes and trimethyl benzenes (5). Additionally,
the losses in landfill will draw in creepy crawly or vector result in
wellbeing crumbling. Vectors could transmit various types of
illnesses flourish subsequently made the landfill destinations add
to persuasive spread of ailments (3). Plastic has a low softening
point, so it can be effectively demolished by methods for burning.
Other than that, cremation likewise radiates harmful gases which
profoundly hazardous to human wellbeing. (6) expressed that the
warmth created from burning procedure might be helpful
regardless the minute the plastic is presented to warm, harmful
gases may deliver. FRC is concrete containing pressure driven
bonds combined with aggregates and fusing in the primary
discrete fiber fortifications. General execution of cement is
essentially influenced by the kinds of materials included into it.
Distinctive kinds of fiber consideration into bond grid will deliver
particular impact on the solid properties in light of the reason for
development. The incorporation of fiber into typical cement had
extraordinarily help in enhancing certain properties of the solid.
The nearness of fiber in solid enhances the flexural and effect
quality and additionally to control splitting and the method of
disappointment by methods for post-breaking pliability. The
method of disappointment had changed from weak to pseudo-
flexible with the joining of fiber. At the interim, it additionally
gives a specific level of sturdiness to the solid (7). Another
examination did by (8) on the impacts of reused squander PET
containers on the attributes of cement played out the comparable
outcomes. The compressive quality, part rigidity and versatile
modulus of cement containing waste plastics were diminished as
the level of plastic trade expanded aside from the droop which
encountered an addition. Regardless of that, an exploration
completed by (7) on the quality of cement containing of polythene
strands revealed a negate result in which both compressive and
part elasticity were expanded when contrasted with plain
concrete. Over that, (9) investigated fiber fortification of solid
which use PET in two diverse ways. Normally, strands in concrete
are being used as short strips or fibers, by and by round filaments
Journal of critical reviews
and long strip had been utilized for fiber support by Dora. The
change in malleability conduct of cement was accounted for.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
First and foremost, preliminary work such as raw material
preparation should be completed before proceeds to the next
procedures. Raw materials preparation included the preparation
of Ordinary Portland Cement, crushed aggregate, fine sand, and
water as well as collection of recycled bottle wastes. Recycled PET
bottles were collected and cut into required fiber size. Secondly,
equipment such as moulds and concrete mixer had to be checked
on its availability and booked prior to casting. Once equipment
and materials were readily available, mixes could be developed
and tests could be carried out accordingly for every proportions
mixed. The fresh concrete properties that required to be obtained
from this research were density and workability, while the
hardened concrete properties consist of compressive strength,
flexural tensile strength and splitting tensile strength. All the
laboratory testing works were conducted according to British
Standard (BS) and Concrete Mix Design (DOE method) was used
in order to obtain the proportions of the mixing materials. The
various materials used in the procedure can be briefly described
as under:
Cement
Materials used in the production of concrete plays an important
role in producing a good quality of concrete. The quality of
concrete is highly dependent on its materials used. In this
research, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) manufactured by
Tasek Corporation Berhad was used in concrete mixing. In order
to prevent any changing in the quality of the cement due to
environment factors, it was stored in a clean and dry area with low
humidity. This measure was taken to help in prevents the prior
hardening of cement before it is being used due to presence of
moisture.
Aggregates
The presence of aggregates in concrete mix greatly influences the
fresh and hardened properties of concrete. In order to ensure the
internal structure stability of the concrete, both coarse and fine
aggregates were used in this research. The coarse aggregate that
would be used in the research was crushed with a nominal size of
10mm. The coarse aggregate was sieved to ensure that it fulfilled
the requirement of 100% passing through 12.7mm and 100%
retained on 9.5mm sieve. This measure was on purpose to obtain
consistent coarse aggregate size which believes to contribute
optimum strength result. On the other hand, river sand prepared
by FKA Structural Laboratory will be used as the fine aggregate.
Water
Basically, water used in the concrete plays an important role in
utilized the hydration process of cement to form binding matrix in
which the aggregates are held in suspension until the concrete
mixture was hardened. In addition, it also served as lubricant
between the aggregates and made the matrix workable. The
quantity and quality of water directly influenced the performance
of the concrete. Hence, it is important to make sure that water
used in the concrete mixing was clean and free from injurious
amount of impurities or contaminants. Normal tap water obtained
from FKA Structural Laboratory was used as mixing water in this
research.
PET Fibers
In order to ensure the uniformity of fiber’s thickness, post
consumed of 1.5 liters PET mineral bottles of single brand were
collected. The neck and bottom of the bottles were initially
discarded. To minimize cost and contribute to material recycling,
PET fibers were formed by manually cutting of the remaining
lateral sides of PET bottles with 2mm of width. The fibers length
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 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE
TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE

was kept approximately 10mm, 20mm and 30mm. Figure 1 show

the process of preparation the fibers.

Fig 1: Fiber preparation procedure

Specimen Preparation:
Once the materials and equipment were readily available, the
specimens were ready to be casted. Trial mix is a method to verify
the properties of concrete and adjust so that the resulting concrete
meets the requirement. Trial mixes are often performed when
new materials are to be used or when setting up batch data
whereby optimum materials in mixes can be determined and
maximized. Therefore, in order to examine the feasibility of the
design mix, trial mixes was first undertaken. Main specimens were
casted and cured until the age of testing once the design mix had
been verified. The processes were discussed in the following
sections.
Concrete Specimen:
The mix proportions for all the samples in this research were
designed based on the DOE method. In this research, the
characteristic strength of the concrete is specifically designed to
achieve 30 N/mm2 at 28 days with range of slump in between
30mm to 60mm. Control concrete (PC) was the concrete
containing cement, water, fine and coarse aggregates; while fiber
reinforced concrete was produce with addition of PET fibers to the
plain concrete mix to produce PET-FRC.
Trial Test:
The objective of the trial test is to control the concrete mix design
for plain concrete and also to determine the optimum length of
fibers to be used in the mix for all batches. Once the mix
proportion had been determined, trial mixes are carried out on the
control sample ( 0% PET fibers inclusion) and the results of this
test was shown how acceptable is the mix design. Length of fiber
is one of the factors that influenced the properties of concrete such
as workability and strength. Therefore, in order to obtain the
optimum length of fiber, trial mixes with different length of 10mm,
20mm & 30mm length of fiber were tested respectively. The
proportion of fiber was kept constant at 0.5% of fiber throughout
the whole stage of experiment as it will be difficult to analysis if
both length and percentage were manipulated at once. From the
analysis, the optimum length of fiber obtained would be selected
and added into the concrete with three different percentage that
were 0%, 0.5%, 1.0 % and 1.5%. The influence of different fiber’s
proportion on fresh and hardened properties of concrete would
be further investigated.
Experimental Programme:
After the completion of trial tests and obtained the results,
experimental program was started. The water/cement ratio of 0.5
and proportion of aggregates were held constant for all the
batches and only the fibers volume fraction were changed from
0% to 1.5% of fibers. The mix proportion of the samples is shown
in the table 1 below.

Table 1: Characteristic of various concrete mixes (All units in Kg/m 3).

Type of Fine Coarse PET
Free water Cement
concrete aggregates aggregate fibers
PC 215 425 820 890 0
PET-FRC0.5 215 425 820 890 6.95

PET-FRC1.0 215 425 820 890 13.90

PET-FRC1.5 215 425 820 890 20.85

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 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE
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Details of samples:
In this study, four batches of concrete mix with four different
fibers content were casted for different types of testing. Among
the types of samples that will be casted included 100 x 100 x
100mm cubes for compressive strength test, 100 x 100 x 500 mm
prisms for flexural tensile strength test, and 100 diameter x 200
mm cylinders for splitting tensile strength test. Table 2 shows the
details of samples required per batch in this research. For each
test that carried out, the results will be obtained by getting an
average of three samples for the purpose to improve the accuracy
of the results. Therefore, from Table 1 above, it shows that a total
of 27 concrete specimens are required to be casted per batch.
Since, there are four batches of concrete mixes with different fiber
inclusion of 0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% hence overall the number
of specimens required in this research were 108 in total.

Table 2: Number of specimens required per batches of concrete mix

Test Ages (days)

Number of

Tests Sample Types

7 14 28 Samples
Test Ages (days)
Compressive 100 x 100 x

3 3 3 9

Strength 100 mm Cube

Flexural

100 x 100 x

Tensile 3 3 3 9

500 mm Prism

Strength
Splitting

100 mm diameter x
Tensile 3 3 3 9
200 mm Cylinder
Strength

Mixing Process: Casting and Curing:

From the details of samples, the total volume for each batch of
casting was calculated that is 0.068m3 and 20% of contingency
was added to compensate the wastage during the mixing and
casting process. Hence, a total of 0.0818m3 of concrete was
required for each batch of mix designs. In order to produce a
consistent mix of concrete, mechanical concrete mixer was used
with proper guided from laboratory technician. Prior to any
mixing process, the concrete mixer (Figure 2) was “buttered” with
water to provide a wet inner surface condition of the drum. Excess
water was drained off. Both fine and course aggregates were feed
into the mixer accordingly and followed by half measured water
and cement. The mixer was allowed to rotate for one minute
meanwhile up and down movement was applied to the drum by
using the shaft to achieve uniform distribution of the particles as
well as to produce a homogenous mix. Eventually, the remaining
water was added into the mix and allowed to continue mixing
before it stopped at three minutes.
Once fresh concrete mix was ready, slump test and Vebe test was
carried out prior to casting. Both tests were conducted in
accordance to BS EN 12350-2:2009 and BS EN 12350-3:2009
respectively in order to determine the workability of the concrete
mix in fresh concrete state. After completed the slump test and
Vebe test, the concrete mix was transferred into moulds for
casting purposes. All the moulds were initially cleaned with
scrapper to remove stains and assembled to remove dirt. With
regard to prevent the concrete from adhering the mould and for
easy removal of samples out of the mould, grease was applied on
the inner face of the mould. As soon as the steel moulds were ready
(Figure 3), concrete mixed was immediately transferred into the
mould in three equivalent layers to prevent early set of the
concrete. Each particular layer was compacted 25 times with free
fall of tamping rod during the placing. Compaction is essential in
order to remove the voids in the samples. Once casting was
completed, the concrete samples were left in the mould for 24
hours for setting and hardening process (Figure 4). Wet gunny
sacks were used to cover and protect the specimens against shock,
vibration and dehydration. After 24 hours, the samples were
removed from the mould and cured until the day of testing (Figure
5). On the day of testing, the samples were ensured to be in an air
dried condition prior to any test carried out.

Fig 2: Concrete Mixer

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 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE
TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE
Fig 3: Preparation of moulds for casting
Fig 4: Casting and hardening of concrete specimens
Fig 5: Curing of concrete specimens
Slump Test:
Slump test is the most universal test method used to access the
workability of fresh concrete. In this research, slump test was
performed according to BS EN 12350-2:2009. The mould and the
base plate were initially damped and placed on the horizontal
surface. During the concrete filling process, the mould was
ensured to be firmly held against the base plate by clamping in
place. The fresh concrete was filled into the mould in three layers
and each layer was compacted uniformly with 25 strokes of the
tamping rod over the cross section of each layer. After the top
layer has been compacted, the mould was removed by raising it
carefully with a steady upward lift in a vertical direction.
Immediately after the removal of the mould, the slump h was
measured by determining the difference between the height of the
mould and that of the highest point of the slumped test specimen
as shown in Figure 6.
Fig 6: Slump Test
Vebe Consistency Test:
Vebe consistency test also specifies a method for determining the
workability of fresh concrete. This test was carried out in
Journal of critical reviews
accordance to BS EN 12350-3:2009. A cylindrical container with
internal diameter of 240mm and height of 200mm was in used
simultaneously with a vibrating table. A conical mould was
damped and placed into the container before filling up the fresh
concrete. The concrete was filled in three layers and each layer
was compacted with 25 strokes of compacting rod. After the top
layer has been tamped, the mould was removed from the concrete
by raising it in a vertical direction, using the handles. The
transparent disc was placed over the top of the concrete just it
comes into contact with the concrete. Then, the vibration and
timer were started at the same time. The timer was stopped and
recorded as soon as the lower surface of the disc is fully in contact
with the cement grout. Figure 3.8 illustrated the Vebe test
procedures.
Fig 7: Vebe consistency test procedures
Density Test:
Density test was performed on samples after 28 days of curing in
accordance to BS EN 12390-7:2009. Prior to any testing, the
samples were removed out from the curing tank and dried with
clean clothes to remove excessive curing water on its surface.
Once the concrete samples were dried, weighing process was
carried out and all the data were recorded.
Compressive Strength Test:
Compressive strength is the capacity of a structural body to
withstand compressive load prior to any failure. It is one of the
important hardened properties measured in structural analysis.
Compressive strength test (Figure 8) was carried out on samples
with the size of 100 x 100 x 100 mm for each addition of different
fiber volume fraction at 7, 14 and 28 day age. The compressive
strength of plain concrete and fiber reinforced concrete at each
age were determined by averaging the three samples according to
BS EN 12390-3:2009. During the test, load was applied until the
cube sample failed and the load at which the cube failed was
recorded and converted into compressive strength. An average
value of compressive strength was computed, analyzed and
presented in the relevant format. Failure mode and the cracks
pattern of all the samples were also evaluated to compare and
analysis the effects of the PET fibers to the concrete mix.
Fig 8: Compressive strength test with cube sample
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 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE
TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE
Splitting Tensile Strength Test:
The determination of splitting tensile strength test was conducted
based on BS EN 12390-6:2009 by crushing cylindrical samples of
size 100 mm in diameter and 200 mm in height longitudinally
after the concrete had reached at age of 28 days. Three cylindrical
samples of each batch were prepared in order to get an average
value of the indirect tensile strength.
Fig 9: Splitting Tensile Strength test with cylinder
Flexural Strength Test:
Flexural tensile strength was carried out in accordance to BS EN
12390-5:2009 where samples of size 100 x 100 x 500 mm were
tested after 28 days of curing. Each batch of casting produced
three specimens to obtain an average value of the flexural tensile
strength of the samples. Peak load (kN) with respective stress
(MPa) were obtained from the testing machine.
Table 3: Workability of concrete specimens incorporating different length of PET fibers.
Type of concrete Length of Fiber(mm) Slump value (mm)
PC 0 35
PET-FRC10 10
PET-FRC20 20
PET-FRC30 30
The initial slump test done on control sample (0 mm) produced a
slump height of 35 mm, which is within the desired slump range
of 30 mm to 60 mm. Despite that, as the PET fibers were added
into the concrete mixture, the workability of the concrete
decreased gradually. By adding 0.5% fibers of 10mm into the
concrete matrix, the slump value drop to 25 mm which
experienced about 30% of reduction in workability. By increasing
the length of fibers, the slump value obtained was relatively small.
The results indicate that an increment in fiber length leads to a
lower workability of concrete. The reduction in the workability
may be due to the fact that the waste PET fibers exhibit resistance
to the flow of the concrete. The presence of fibers in concrete mass
may obstruct the flow, creating interlocking movement of
aggregates. Besides, long fibers tend to mat together more easily
than short fibers, while short fibers cannot interlock and can be
dispersed by vibration. Figure 10 shows the relationship between
the workability of concrete with different length of fibers
incorporation.
Journal of critical reviews
Fig 10: Flexural Strength Test with prism
Durability Test:
The specimens were tested at 90 days after wrap method of
curing. Specimens were tested for durability test by immersing
them in a different solution. Hence, the weight change will be
observed after 90 days for every tanks every 24 hours immersion,
dried and measures the weight. After that the cubes are put in
different solutions and to check its compressive strength and
flexural tensile strength and graphs are drawn to see its change.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS:
Fresh concrete property:
Slump test is the most universal test method used to access the
workability of fresh concrete. Table 3 shows the workability of the
concrete specimens incorporate with different length of PET
fibers in 0.5% fiber volume fraction. The workability of the
concrete specimens was analyzed through the slump test
undertaken during the fresh state of the concrete mix. The slump
test conducted for every concrete mix incorporating with different
fiber length produced a true slump.
25
20
15
Figure 11: Graph of relationship between workability of
concrete with different length of fiber incorporation.
These results obtained are in agreement with a previous study
that showed the decrease in workability of fresh concrete mixture
with PET fibers by (10). He revealed that the use of PET fiber in
concrete mixture may end up in low workability of fresh concrete.
In addition, the use of longer fibers may result to an unstable fresh
concrete. Although the results obtained indicates that the increase
in length of fibers added into the concrete mass will decrease the
workability of concrete, however, if the desired strength and
deformation properties was achieved, it is still consider workable.
Alternatively, in order to produce a workable mixture, a super
plasticizer may be used in the future study but in this research we
didn’t use any chemical admixtures.
Hardened concrete properties:
Compressive strength test:
Generally, Table 4 summarizes the experimental results of
compressive strength at 7, 14 and 28 days for concrete
incorporating with different length of fibers. In addition, Figure 11
is plotted to observe the development of compressive strength of
concrete with respect to their concrete age.
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TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE

Table 4: Compressive strength of concrete incorporating different fiber length.

Type of Length of Compressive Strength (MPa)
concrete Fiber (mm)
7 days 14 days 28 days
PC 0 29.73 37.82 40.19
PET-FRC10 10 31.32 40.33 41.85
PET-FRC20 20 32.85 42.24 43.52
PET-FRC30 30 30.21 38.17 40.66

strength than other length of fibers. The splitting tensile strength

offered by PET-FRC20 (20mm) at age of 28 days was 4.47 MPa
which has increased by almost 10% of the strength of plain
concrete (PC-0mm).

Figure 12: Compressive strength versus age of concrete

From Table 4 the results shown the compressive strength of all

PET-FRC were higher than that of plain concrete (PC) at all ages in
Figure 14: The splitting tensile strength of concrete
the short-term period. It is obvious that among three different
incorporating different length of fiber.
lengths of fibers, 20 mm long recycled PET fibers increased the
compressive strength of 28-day-old concrete up to 8.3%. The
Durability Test:
increment in compressive strength is believed to be caused by the
Resistance to chemical attack:
addition of PET fibers into plain concrete. Besides, the results
Figure 14 shows the sample of mortar after immersion in three
shown for all types of concrete possess the same trend where
types of chemical solutions; hydrochloric acid (HCl), sodium
compressive strength increases with respect to the concrete age.
sulphate (Na SO ) and sodium chloride (NaCl), plus one as a
The increment in strength with respect to the days was due to the 2 4

hydration process of concrete. With increasing the number of
curing day, the formation of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (CSH) gel can
be developed continuously resulted in higher compressive
strength with respect to time.
Splitting Tensile Strength test:
The development of splitting tensile strength at 7, 14 and 28 days
for plain concrete and PET-FRC incorporating with different
length were shown in Figure 12. The splitting tensile strength
results obtained was similar in the development trend of
compressive strength whereby all the splitting tensile strength
increased as the concrete age increased. As mention before, the
control, water (H O). From the observation made after 90 days,
2
the different solutions gave different physical appearances of the
cement composites. The shape and colour of the mortar showed
an obvious physical change after being immersed in the chemical
solutions. The specimens immersed in the water showed no
significant physical changes to occur due to the fact that water acts
as a curing agent for the cement matrix. However, when the
specimens were immersed in HCl solution, the cement composites
showed changes in colour,shape and size. The specimens seemed
to change to yellowish and the edges of the mortar started to peel
off, which indicated the loss of bonding. In the NaCl and Na SO
2 4

increment in strength with respect to concrete age was due to the
continuity hydration process of cement particles. With increasing
the number of curing day, the formation of Calcium Silicate
Hydrate (CSH) gel can be developed continuously resulted in
higher strength with respect to time.
solutions, the samples become brighter compared to the one that
had been immersed in the water. The specimen that was
immersed in the Na SO also tended to crack as the fibre content
2 4
increased.

Figure 15: Concrete specimen after immersion in four

Figure 13: Splitting tensile strength versus age of concrete
Besides, from Figure 13 it can also be observed that the 20 mm
long of fiber in concrete offered the highest splitting tensile
different solutions as (a) H2O (b) HCl (c) Na2SO4 (d) NaCl
Some figures revealed the mean percentage of the weight change
of mortar reinforced with PET fibers in function with different
solutions after 90 days of immersion. The graph shows that the

Journal of critical reviews 914

 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE
TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE

weight of samples increased with the increase of fiber content in
Na SO and NaCl due to more absorption. It was expected that the
2 4
weight of the specimen immersed in the Na SO to decrease after
2 4
a certain period due to specimen spalling and falling apart. In the
HCl solution, the mortar containing higher amount of fiber
content, surprisingly suffered less deterioration as it was found
that mortar containing higher amount of fibers as reinforcement
was able to resist better against acid attack as weight loss
occurred in the least number. Natural fibers are known to possess
poor resistance to salt. Some of the salts are best known to damage
agents on mortar containing natural fiber as fiber reinforcement
are the sulphates. When the fiber was immersed in the sulphate
solution or exposed to sulphate environment, the fibers would
easily get damaged when the concentration becomes higher.
Expansion would occur if the fiber is continually immersed in the
sulphate solution. The deterioration of mortar exposed to Na SO
2 4
is the result of penetration of aggressive agents into the concrete
and their chemical reaction with the cement matrix.

Compressive strength:

Table 5: Compressive strength of concrete specimen immersed in different solution at 28 days and 90 days.
Solution Percentage Compressive Compressive
Strength for 28 Strength for 90
days days
H2O 0% 21.92 17.123
0.5% 20.23 12.125
1.0% 19.82 13.12
1.5% 18.83 10.123

Na2SO4 0% 24.125 12.098

0.5% 20.12 11.478
1.0% 19.87 10.258
1.5% 18.82 9.283

HCl 0% 20.874 15.265

0.5% 19.12 13.124
1.0% 18.236 12.458
1.5% 17.254 11.457

NaCl 0% 24.784 12.421

0.5% 22.368 11.874
1.0% 21.475 13.174
1.5% 19.124 12.141

Flexural Strength:

Table 6: Flexural strength of beam specimen immersed in different solutions for 28 days and 90 days.
Solution Percentage Flexural Strength Flexural Strength
for 28 days for 90 days
H2O 0% 16.54 10.988
0.5% 17.12 12.125
1.0% 18.19 13.12
1.5% 19.12 14.28
Na2SO4
0% 18.53 9.863

0.5% 18.90 11.284

1.0% 19.56 13.128
1.5% 20.52 14.453
HCl
0% 18.53 11.85
0.5% 18.78 12.90
1.0% 17.63 11.43

Journal of critical reviews 915

 PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL AND DURABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE INCORPORATING POLYETHYLENE
TEREPHTHALATE FIBER FROM BOTTLE WASTE
1.5% 20.12
NaCl
0% 20.85
0.5% 21.85
1.0% 23.68
1.5% 24.82
Weight change:
From the weight change table, it can be seen that the concrete
exposed to water with different percentages of PET fibers show a
decrease when checked the weight after taking out from water.
The same case prevailed with NaCL where also there was a
decrease in weight but in HCL it was found that the concrete
weight change was less as compared to the weight when taken
when it was not put in HCL. In Na SO , there is a decrease in weight
2 4
after the samples have been put out from the solution.
CONCLUSIONS:
The outcomes of the study have helped in visualizing the influence
of recycled PET fiber on fresh and hardened state properties of
concrete. Based on aim and objectives of the research and also
observations and analysis, therefore, the following conclusions
were drawn :
1. Inclusion of PET fibers in concrete significantly influenced
the workability of the concrete. As the PET fibers volume
fraction increased, the workability of concrete reduced.
2. As the densities of PET fibers are comparatively low, so its
effect on the density of concrete mix is not significantly
affected however, increasing the PET fibers volume fraction
slightly reduced the density of the concrete.
3. PET fibers increased the compressive strength of concrete to
a certain fiber volume fraction. The optimum strength was
observed at 0.5% of PET fibers content, there after
reductions in strength were observed.
4. In all cases, the addition of PET fibers into the concrete
enhanced the splitting and flexural tensile strength with
respect to control concrete (0% fibers content). The
maximum splitting and flexural tensile strength obtained
were at 0.5% of fibers content where the improvement of
strength were 8.29% and 14.25% respectively over the
control concrete.
5. PET fibers enhanced the failure mode of the concrete from
brittle to ductile nature. It also helped to absorb the tensile
stress and post-crack bridging, holding the concrete matrices
tightly together as an integral piece, with fibers interlocked
the particles.
6. PET fibers reduced crack widths and crack area, by
restricting the rates of crack propagation. Hence, only a small
of cracks over the entire length of the sample can be seen.
7. The experimental results generally proved PET fibers has
good potential to be beneficial in the improvement of
splitting and tensile strength of concrete. However, further
investigation needs to be carried out to verify the
practicability of PET fibers in concrete and construction
industries.
8. The weight of samples increased with the increase of fiber
content in Na2SO4 and NaCl due to more absorption. It was
expected that the weight of the specimen immersed in the
Na2SO4 to decrease after a certain period due to specimen
spalling and falling apart.
9. In the HCl solution, the mortar containing higher amount of
fiber content, surprisingly suffered less deterioration as it
was found that mortar containing higher amount of fibers as
reinforcement was able to resist better against acid attack as
weight loss occurred in the least number.
Journal of critical reviews
11.25
12.86
11.585
13.182
12.182
10. The deterioration of concrete specimen exposed to Na2SO4
is the result of penetration of aggressive agents into the
concrete and their chemical reaction with the cement matrix
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