Literature review: Fibre Concrete based on wasted

aluminium
1. Introduction
Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials. It is composed of aggregate,
an inert filler material, and cement, a binder material. Chemical reactions between cement and
water harden the concrete within the mold and allow the material to set and harden quickly.
However, due to the low tensile strength of concrete, its tendency to crack and break under
tension, steel reinforcement is commonly used to provide additional strength. Fiber reinforced
concrete is another type of concrete that uses fibrous material to enhance its structural
integrity. Commonly used fibers include steel and synthetic fibers, providing tensile strength
and reduced crack propagation. Here in this study, it is aimed at exploring the potential of
using wasted aluminum as fiber reinforcement. The aluminum used in industries can come in
various forms, such as dross or clippings created during the processing of aluminum ingots.
There has been limited use of wasted aluminum in concrete production for many years. In this
project, the waste is expected to be fully utilized in the fiber concrete. The production of
aluminum metal is increasing and it has been estimated that the production will reach 120
million tonnes by 2020. As a result, the amount of wasted aluminum is expected to grow
significantly over the years. In this regard, the usage of aluminum waste as fiber
reinforcement in concrete will provide an alternative solution for the environmental issues and
a more sustainable material for the construction industries. The objective of this project is to
investigate the potential of using aluminum waste as fiber reinforcement in concrete. The
properties of fiber concrete with various mix designs and different volume fractions of
aluminum waste are studied and compared with the conventional concrete as well as the
conventional fiber concrete. The mechanical properties, such as compressive strength, tensile
strength, and flexural strength are investigated. Besides, the workability studies, such as
slump test and compaction factor test are also carried out to study the effect of wasted
aluminum on the fresh concrete. Last but not least, analysis shall be conducted on the cost
comparison between the conventional fiber concrete and the wasted aluminum fiber concrete,
as well as the benefit to the environment. It is expected that the results of this project will
provide insights for the material improvement and findings will benefit the construction
industries.
1.1. Background
Millions of tonnes of aluminium are used annually to produce different engineering products.
In the process of producing the various products, about 70% of the aluminium ends up as
waste and finding an environmentally friendly and technically viable recycling solution for
this vast amount of unused material is a major challenge for the industry. Many of the
suggested recycling methods involve some form of melting the aluminium with a view to
reuse the material as either molten metal for new products or as a powder for other
applications. However, most of these processing methods require a relatively high quality of
input material; something that the secondary aluminium source, which is the material from
which this project will be based, does not have. There is also the issue of the amount of
energy that many of the proposed recycling methods use in order to be both technically viable
and environmentally friendly. Recycled waste aluminium also suffers from poor material
properties compared to primary aluminium because of the original melt quality and the
impurities and alloying elements which tend to accumulate in the recycled material as a result
of the low quality recycling techniques. Most of these impurities can have deleterious effects
on the material properties; hence reducing the range of structural applications for the recycled
waste aluminium. Some of the most common and obvious impurities include copper, zinc,
magnesium, and silicon, all of which may be present in both ferrous and non-ferrous recycled
metals. In order to study the potential and the feasibility of utilizing this recycled waste
aluminium and to explore possible engineering applications, the focus of the study on one
particular offers the best compromise for the foreseeable future. This is a process by which
molten aluminium and iron slag are reacted in a controlled environment to provide an
aluminium cellular structure which has found usage in the production of lightweight, cellular
concrete and heat exchange material. The project aims to provide further guidance and clarity
on the potential application of the recycled waste aluminium cellular structure. For the
particular project, the research will also involve some other experimental work in addition to
just reviewing the current available literature. For example, a thorough materials processing
and selection process has to be undertaken at the initial stage to fully characterize the recycled
aluminium material properties in response to different kinds of heat treatment. With some
information available from the initial investigation and the literature review, it is planned to
conduct some basic experimental work, for instance, to see if the chosen processing method
of producing recycled aluminium foam-based material does result in a microcellular structure
as anticipated or to investigate the effect of different processing variables on the final material
properties.
1.2. Objective
The primary objective of this work is to develop and design a new type of fiber concrete using
wasted aluminum. Although there have been many other studies in which different types of
fibers such as glass, steel, nylon, polyester, and many more have been used to reinforce the
concrete, using wasted aluminum to produce the fiber is something very new and has
enormous potential in the field of concrete technology and construction industry. The study
should focus on the methods through which the wasted aluminum can be processed in order to
form a continuous fiber from it and then this fiber can be added as one of the concrete
ingredients to form the fiber concrete. However, it is also important to understand the
fundamental properties of that new concrete, for example, the workability, strength and the
possible uses of that concrete in construction. This study is also trying to find out the benefits
that can be achieved by using this new type of concrete over the traditional types of concretes.
By using the new type of concrete, we are not only saving the environment but also we are
saving a lot of energy and reducing the damage which is caused to the nature from the cement
production industry. This is because the major ingredient of concrete is cement and cement
production can produce a lot of greenhouse gases and it is a huge consumption of energy in
the production as well. However, if a new type of concrete can be developed and used which
can reduce the amount of cement in the concrete, then we can reduce the damage to the
environment. This is exactly why the research of this study is so important and it is because it
provides a solution to different environmental and energy dilemmas. Also, the project should
demonstrate the efficiency of the wasted aluminum in the concrete fiber.

2. Properties of Fibre Concrete

2.1. Strength
Strength of fibre concrete is its ability to endure enduring mechanical solidarity. The classic
instance of strength is usually displayed by making a compression force. Fibre concrete has a
tendency to have the identical level of compressive strength similar to the normal concrete. It
is because fibres are only effective in attracting tension forces and therefore if we like to copy
the compression power we need to use a lot of fibres and very close to each other so that they
set up a random network all over the system and that would be an expensive strategy. In
normal, fibre concrete can withstand a bit greater compression force. Flexural strength shows
how much compression a fibre concrete can withstand. But there is a massive difference
among ordinary concrete and the fibre concrete with regards to flexural strength. When
compressive force is utilized then top and bottom layers of the materials are underneath
compression as good because the centre substances are beneath tension. But while manifold
fibres are introduced up to the centre of the specimen, they may be not only due to the
presence of such fibres, they could raise excellent amount of extra strength to the material.
Tensile strength is the ability of a fibre concrete to face up to a tension force. Tensile force is
advanced on the edges in which the great majority of the fibres are located so what we are
saying here is that fibres are the maximum powerful on this mode than compressive mode.
Because it is the most important mode for fibre so fibres having simply depended on to
provide tensile strength to the fabric. Fibre concrete, due to the presence of the fibres within
the form of discontinuous community, suggests giant ductility and tensile strength evaluation
to the traditional concrete on which no person can anticipate any ductility.
2.1.1. Compressive Strength
The strength of fibre concrete is defined by its compressive, flexural, and tensile strength
characteristics. The innovative research works mainly focus on the compressive strength due
to the reason that it is the key parameter for many of the technical applications. It is the
capacity of a material to withstand axially directed pushing forces. The compressive strength
is meager in fibre reinforced concrete as compared to the normal concrete, while the
compressive failure is catastrophic in nature. The reduction in the compressive strength of the
fibre concrete is mainly due to the reason that the weak aggregate bond strength around the
cracks. On the other hand, the employments of the steel fibre can increase the compressive
strength significantly. The most of the available works in this arena conclude with confidence
that the fibres can enhance the compressive and flexural strength of the concrete remarkably.
Usually, the compressive test is performed in order to determine the performance of the fibre
reinforced concrete. The test is carried out by using the compression testing machine. In the
compression test, the specimen is subjected to a compressive loading gradually, and the load
deformation behavior is studied in the compression test. When compared to the plain
concrete, the load carrying capacity of the fibre reinforced concrete is increased, while the
deformations are significantly reduced. The increased slope in the curve of the load and
deformation behaviour denotes the improvement in the ductility of the concrete. Also, the test
results prove the enhancement in the useful energy absorption capacity which signifies the
benefit of using the fibre reinforced concrete. The optimal mix design has to be decided on the
testing of the specimens. For an instance, in a particular research work involves six different
volume fractions of the steel fibre, and then for each fibre volume fraction, 9 numbers of
specimens are tested after the cubes are suitably cast and compacted. So, after a period of 28
days of moisture curing, the compressive tests are conducted for all the 54 specimens and the
average strength values for the volume fractions are reported. The obtained test results justify
the increment in the strength at a maximum volume fraction, then it shows the decrease in the
mean strength value at the further addition of the fibre in the mix. It very interestingly proves
that only a certain ratio of fibre volume can direct the enhancement of strength in the material.
We should be very careful about the curing procedure as well as the standard impact of the
specimens in the test provisions. Also, the increase in the stiffness and brittleness of the
concrete may be occurred when the fibre content is raised up to a large extent. So, the mix
design criteria have to be strictly scrutinised for each and every scenario according to the
volumetric end uses.
2.1.2. Flexural Strength
These points are decisive for the development to use enhancing materials in the current
situation, and that's why the knowledge and conceptualization of the flexural strength is
highly important for both academically and practically.
However, the great advantage of using high strength concrete is the significant reduction in
the member's self-weight. The utilization of space can be maximized and increased. This is
noticeable when a specially designed structure is necessary to use concrete in order to support
its self-weight, for instance, sections of buildings that must be designed to support the floors
above.
It is essential nowadays, particularly when more and more buildings and structures are going
to use concrete with high strength. By choosing a high strength material, it is possible to
provide a safe and economic design. From another point of view, efficient and minimum
design is always desirable in the construction industry. With a better knowledge of the
flexural strength of the material, it can help eliminate over-design. The space and material can
be saved, and the cost for construction can also be reduced.
Nowadays, ultrahigh-strength concrete is being developed and it has the potential to replace
normal strength concrete. Its superior material properties compared to traditional concrete
make it capable of certain applications. However, the material properties, especially the
flexural strength, should be fully understood in order to ensure the concrete will possess
acceptable performance. The understanding of the numeric value of the flexural strength is
directly related and can be practically used in structural design.
By knowing the flexural strength, the maximum size of the concrete member can be designed
because we can find the compressive force and the tensile force that will cause the generation
of a crack in the member. It is a particularly important parameter in the design and analysis of
concrete floors and pavements. It is also a systematic way of being sure about the safety factor
being used in the design, rather than empirical methods that may not be applicable to some
specific issues.
In a 3-point bending test for concrete, when a crack is initiated, compressive failure happens
first at the top of the beam where tensile stress is at the maximum. When the crack propagates
from the top to the bottom, a sudden increase in the downward force on the loading nose is
seen. The force will keep increasing until the final failure of the test specimen. This unique
behavior is well known and used by engineers to find the flexural strength of the concrete.
In fact, the tensile stress is always the main cause of failure for any material, including
concrete. However, concrete shows a completely different performance from other materials
such as steel or aluminum, which are metals and have very good ductility.
When a concrete sample is loaded in a 3-point bend test, the compressive and tensile force
will be located at the top and bottom of the beam. This causes a downward force at the top
and upward forces on both sides at the bottom. The test will measure the number of fibers
undergoing tensile stresses and the number of fibers under compression.
One of the most common and useful tests for the material properties of the material is the 3-
point bend test. The test involves bending the test specimen under tension, and the number of
fibers elongated in tension and the number of fibers shortened in compression is considered.
A beam formed from mortar or concrete is also a common test. The beam is held in a fixture
while a loading nose is forced down against the center of the beam, providing the force
applied at the top of the test specimen.
Flexural strength, also known as modulus of rupture or bend strength, is a measure of a
material's resistance to breaking under flexural stress. The flexural strength of a material is
defined as its ability to resist deformation under load. For most materials, the stress is in the
outermost fibers and is parallel to the upper surface of the beam.
2.1.3. Tensile Strength
One of the key features of fibre concrete is its high tensile strength, which can be found in
many construction applications. The addition of fibre to the concrete mixture creates a matrix
that resists the formation of cracks and crack propagation. This is in contrast to traditional
steel reinforced concrete, where there is no effect on tensile strength; the failure of the
concrete itself is only avoided if the steel within it can provide the required tensile strength.
As the fibre concentration increases, so too does the tensile strength of the concrete. This
relationship is due to the fact that the fibres help to carry the load, thereby increasing the
capacity of the material to withstand greater tensile forces. The alignment of fibres also plays
a significant role in the distribution of tensile forces throughout the material. In fibre concrete,
the fibres will tend to orient themselves in the direction of tensile force application, which
helps to significantly increase the tensile strength of the material in that direction. This is
known as the strain hardening effect; as the fibres align and start to carry more of the load, the
tensile strength of the concrete actually increases. This is useful to consider in applications
where the concrete is likely to experience forces from different directions. When tensile
forces are applied in a direction perpendicular to that of the aligned fibres, the full benefits of
strain hardening cannot be realized. However, research has shown that in many fibre concrete
materials, the formation of numerous microcracks will actually start to occur in the initial
stages of force application. This effectively forms a network, with the concrete cracking in a
number of random directions. This can result in an increase in the tensile strain capacity of the
material as these microcracks stifle any propagation of further cracking in the material. This
property is known as tensile strain capacity and allows fibre concrete to be adapted for areas
that are likely to experience multidirectional tensile forces. In conclusion, a fibre
reinforcement typically has a pronounced effect on the tensile strength and helps to maintain
the concrete integrity as a whole. The alignment of fibres affects the distribution of the tensile
forces and the strain hardening is a mechanism by which the tensile strength increases after
initial cracking. Researchers in this area are trying to establish the relationship between fibre
orientation and tensile strength, as well as optimizing the material for specific applications.
2.2. Durability
2.3. Workability

3. Recycling Aluminium Waste

3.1. Environmental Impact
3.2. Methods of Recycling
3.2.1. Mechanical Recycling
3.2.2. Chemical Recycling

4. Fibre Types for Concrete Reinforcement

4.1. Steel Fibres
4.2. Synthetic Fibres
4.3. Aluminium Fibres

5. Benefits of Using Wasted Aluminium in Fibre Concrete

5.1. Enhanced Mechanical Properties
5.2. Lightweight Concrete
5.3. Sustainable Construction

6. Manufacturing Process of Fibre Concrete with Wasted Aluminium

6.1. Collection and Sorting of Aluminium Waste
6.2. Fibre Production
6.3. Concrete Mixing and Casting

7. Applications of Fibre Concrete based on Wasted Aluminium

7.1. Building Construction
7.2. Infrastructure Projects
7.3. Decorative Elements

8. Challenges and Limitations

8.1. Cost Considerations
8.2. Availability of Aluminium Waste
8.3. Compatibility with Existing Concrete Structures

9. Conclusion