Assessment of Construction Demolition Waste (CDW) with Polypropylene Fibre by Using Mechanical Characteristics and Microscopic Analysis for Sustainable Pavement Material

Abstract

The current study investigated the performance of rubber concrete by fully replacing coarse aggregate with construction-demolished waste (CDW) and fine aggregate with natural sand (NS) and recycled sand (RS) by using polypropylene. The test samples were prepared with CDW, NS, RS, and an addition of polypropylene (PPF) at various percentages, such as 6%, 8%, 10%, and 12%. This study examines the enhancing properties of concrete mix, such as compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, and fracture analysis of concrete mix. Further, the study also focused on the elements in the concrete mix and its microstructure arrangement, which were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The study concludes that the higher compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength at CDW-100%, RS-90%, and 10% replacement of PPF are 28.76 Mpa, 2.06 Mpa, and 2.5 Mpa, respectively. In the other case, the maximum strength was obtained with the replacement of 8% of PPF along with 92% of RS. The study addressed the higher compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength at 28.92 Mpa, 2.26 Mpa, and 3.1 Mpa, respectively, at 8 percent PPF. The SEM tests were conducted to determine the combination of cementitious paste and the structural arrangement of the concrete mix with polypropylene fibre. The study results show better performance and understanding in making use of CDW and CR in pavement application. The study indicated the effective utilisation of waste material in pavement structures while reducing environmental concerns.