SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PYROLISED RECYCLED STEEL FIBERS FOR USE IN REINFORCED CONCRETE

Abstract

The increasing amount of waste tires worldwide has had egregious environmental implications. Such implications are magnified in a developing country like Ethiopia, where an environmentally sound waste removal/recycling platform is still in its rudimental stage. Innovative approaches for reuse of tire products are paramount to claim the enormous potential that lies in tire-recycle and reuse. One area for exploitation in this regard is the use of scrap tires for developing steel fiber reinforced concrete. Results of this study indicate that steel fibers extracted from used tires can improve the concrete flexural and compressive strength. The main contributions of this paper are: a) development and characterization of steel fibers from scrap tires, for use in concrete as Recycled Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (RSFRC), b) study of RSFRC’s mechanical properties in fresh and hardened state, and c) quantification of the benefits obtained by the concept of RSFRC over conventional concrete. This is done through the appropriate measurement and comparative analysis of slump values, compressive strength, and flexural tensile strength; among other mechanical properties.