Evaluation of mechanical properties of carpet fibre reinforced concrete

Incorporating suitable material in concrete to improve its performance is an important consideration in the construction industry. Using short fibres as an additive to improve its mechanical properties has been of great attention. Different types of fibres can be used as intrinsic reinforcement to enhance concrete performance. Some of the fibres used in concrete are recycled waste materials such as carpet fibres. This paper aims to investigate the static properties of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) utilising short carpet fibres shredded and prepared from the carpet industry waste. Thereafter, the economic considerations regarding use of carpet fibres in concrete are discussed. There have not been any comprehensive studies on the effectiveness of carpet fibres in concrete, whereas there is a more comprehensive literature available for other types of fibres such as steel fibres. The effect of adding recycled carpet fibres on the strength development of FRC have been studied and the results are compared to control concrete. Fresh properties i.e. slump, air content and wet density and hardened properties i.e. compressive strength and modulus of rupture after 7 and 28 days of ageing are reported