%0 Journal Article
%T Manufacturing Light Concrete with PET Aggregate
%A Francisco Casanova-del-Angel
%A Jorge Luis V¨¢zquez-Ruiz
%J ISRN Civil Engineering
%D 2012
%R 10.5402/2012/287323
%X The manufacture of concrete using a polymer instead of a stony coarse aggregate known as gravel is presented. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the polymer used, recycling soft drink containers with sufficient tenacity. PET is a material commonly used by engineers as a structural element, not as an aggregate. The research work revealed that PET aggregate produces good quality mixtures with lower volumetric weight but mechanical behavior similar to that of natural concrete with adequate granulometry. The water/cement (W/C) ratio is lower for light concretes than for natural concrete. Regarding stress and Flexural strength, it was found that for 300£¿kg/cm3 and higher cement consumption, which may be due to the fact that at low W/C ratios, the coarse aggregate behavior prevails, while at high W/C ratios, the paste behavior prevails. This leads us to the fact that PET aggregate is best applied on low cement consumption up to 300£¿kg/m3, since expensive mixtures for higher consumption may result from use on higher consumption. Modulus of elasticity for light concretes is lower than for natural concretes. Deformations are lower for light concretes than for natural concretes. A feature of using PET to substitute coarse aggregate is volumetric weight, since it is 68.88% lighter than concrete with natural aggregates. 1. Introduction Throughout history, plastics may have been considered a major technical breakthrough in the XX Century, mainly due to the fact that they have preceded new inventions and have substituted other materials in already existing products. They are light, durable, and versatile, as well as resistant to humidity, chemical products, and degradation. However, such properties constitute a challenge for solid and dangerous waste agents. Plastics recycling around the world has increased considerably due to the need to solve the problem of accumulation of solid urban waste, which has promoted developing alternative recycling systems and assessing the value of waste, particularly nonreturnable containers. By means of the combined use of concrete and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in building, a technology scarcely studied in Mexico is being projected. There exists research leading us to consider PET as an aggregate and not as substitute in the mixture [1]. International research regarding the use of PET as an aggregate already shows some progress worth considering. There exists a research on the surface microstructure of PET waste from plastic bottles used as a lightweight aggregate to examine the effect of granulated blast-furnace slag [2]. PET
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.civil.engineering/2012/287323/