Flexural Behavior of RC Beams Made with Electric PVC Wires and Steel Fibers

Abstract

The manufacture of electronic devices produces a lot of plastics wastes, mainly PVC. This type of waste is usually burned, producing harmful gases during incineration; therefore, recycling PVC waste is becoming a global concern. The prospective of using electric PVC wires in concrete and the influence of PVC waste on the flexural behavior of the RC beams are studied in this research. The compressive and tensile behaviors of concrete made with PVC wires and steel fibers are also investigated. Eight RC beams were tested under four-point loading test. Different percentages of PVC wires and steel fibers were included separately in concrete: 5%, 10%, and 15% of the total cement weight. Test results showed that for flexural strengthening of RC beams made with plastic wires, the ductility factor of the RC beams was significantly increased up to 3.5 times that measured in the control specimen, where the maximum enhancement was measured with 15% PVC wires. The deflection and the flexural strength were also increased when using PVC wires. PVC wires are superior to steel fibers in increasing the ductility of RC beams. Finite-element models were also developed using Abaqus and they were able to predict the experimental behavior. Test results confirmed the possibility of using PVC wires in concrete, while they showed that PVC can significantly increase the ductility of RC beams.