Sustainable fibre-concrete reinforcement using manufacturing by-products

Introduction/purpose: Concrete is a material with very high compressive strength compared to very low tensile strength, which makes it brittle under tensile and bending stresses, with premature failure manifested by cracking. These stresses can be improved by reinforcing concrete with different types of fibres derived from industrial or other wastes. Methods: In this context, this work aims to use industrial metal waste in concrete and compare it with metal fibre concrete to overcome this tensile strength deficiency. Two types of industrial fibres and two other types of waste were used, aluminium and steel waste (in the form of shavings) recovered from mechanical milling plants. The properties of the different fibre concretes in the fresh and hardened states are analysed and compared with natural non-fibre concrete. Results: The experimental results suggest that incorporating such waste in concrete reduces the workability of concrete mixtures, improves the tensile strength of concrete, and reduces considerably its shrinkage without affecting its compressive strength. Conclusion: Following a rigorous analysis of the obtained results, it was determined that the optimum percentage of recycled fibre in steel is 15%. The tensile strength at this level is comparable to that of industrial fibre-reinforced concrete. This finding is very relevant to the sustainable development strategy of the Algerian government, which promotes the improvement of characteristics and the conservation of natural resources.