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Fired clay brickwork in buildings is prone to cracks and deterioration upon exposure to long-time acidic contamination and water absorption, hence decreasing the bearing capacity of masonry walls. As its contribution toward resolving this challenge, this study assessed the durability and morphological characteristics of high-strength performance bricks produced from a mixture of PET waste (PW) and foundry sand (FS). The PET waste bricks (PWBs) were produced through different proportioning (PW: FS) of 20%, 30%, and 40% of the dry mass of FS. The PWBs produced were tested for durability and compressive and tensile strengths and compared to fired clay bricks to evaluate their load-bearing capacity under compression and tension. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests were employed to analyze the morphological structure of the bricks. The test results revealed that the PWBs recorded an appreciable strength of 1.5–2 times that of fired clay bricks, and lower water absorption whilst retaining their ultimate strengths after complete immersion in water and acidic concentrations. The morphology of PWB possessed greater intercluster bonds on the surface compared to clay bricks. The findings demonstrate a reasonable methodological approach toward the production of masonry bricks using a mixture of PET waste and spent foundry sands.

The documented results form part of a larger research program to study the mechanical and environmental properties of asphaltic mixtures containing incinerator bottom ash aggregate (IBAA). The fracture characteristics of four mixtures containing 0%, 30%, 60%, and 80% IBAA by weight were investigated under monotonic and cyclic semi-circular bending conditions. The linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approach was used to evaluate crack resistance of the tested mixtures with the aim of investigating the effect of IBAA content on these properties. LEFM led to the determination of the stress intensity factor, the J-integral, fracture energy, and Paris law parameters. Crack propagation was monitored with a digital camera, and a program developed in-house was adopted in interpreting crack growth. In addition, a new approach was presented to obtain asphalt fatigue damage parameters from fracture tests. Results showed a benefit to be gained in adding IBAA up to a certain amount, beyond which cracking properties become close to those of the control mix.

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