Mechanical properties of lightweight aggregate concrete reinforced with soda can waste fibre

Abstract

The use of lightweight concrete as building construction material can reduce the building’s self-weight and its vulnerability to earthquakes. This paper presents an experimental study on the mechanical properties of lightweight aggregate concrete reinforced with soda can waste fibre. The addition of the fibres may help prevent environmental damage. Twenty-four concrete cylinder specimens with a height of 300 mm and a diameter of 150 mm were cast. The volume fraction of the fibre was varied between 0, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9%. To facilitate the casting process, superplasticizer was added in a content of 2% by cement weight. We found that the fibrous concrete produced can be categorized as lightweight concrete with a density below 2000 kg/m3. The mechanical property that experienced the highest improvement, amounting to 61.00%, was the split tensile strength. The optimum fibre volume fraction for better performance in terms of strength is 0.3%.