Mechanical and Material Properties of Mortar Reinforced with Glass Fiber: An Experimental Study

Abstract

The progressive increase in the amount of glass waste produced each year in the world made it necessary to start the search for new recycling methods. This work summarizes the experimental results of the study on mortar samples containing dispersed reinforcement in the form of glass fibers, fully made from melted glass waste (bottles). Mortar mixes were prepared according to a new, laboratory-calculated recipe containing glass fibers, granite as aggregate, polycarboxylate-based deflocculant and Portland cement (52.5 MPa). This experimental work involved three different contents (600, 1200, and 1800 g/m3) of recycled glass fibers. After 28 days, the mechanical properties such as compressive, flexural, and split tensile strength were characterized. Furthermore, the modulus of elasticity and Poisson coefficient were determined. The initial and final setting times, porosity, and pH of the blends were measured. Images of optical microscopy (OM) were taken. The addition of glass fibers improves the properties of mortar. The highest values of mechanical properties were obtained for concrete with the addition of 1800 g/m3 of glass fibers (31.5% increase in compressive strength, 29.9% increase in flexural strength, and 97.6% increase in split tensile strength compared to base sample).

Influence of Polypropylene, Glass and Steel Fiber on the Thermal Properties of Concrete

“…However, the concrete mixtures did not reach the melting temperature of any fiber material or even its softening temperature during the concrete production and later care, which could change the pH value. A similar trend was also reported by Małek et al [29], who tested the pH values of concrete mortars with fiber reinforcement and reported results in the range from 12.83 ± 0.03 to 12.97 ± 0.03.…”

“…Therefore, it can be concluded that the addition of fiber to the cement mix had no effect on the initial and final setting times. The same conclusion has been made by Małek et al [29,49], who reported no influence of glass and polypropylene fibers on the initial and final setting time of concrete mortars. The surfaces of PF, GF and SF are without roughness and smooth (Figure 4), therefore no agglomeration was observed during mixing.…”

“…In this study, new construction material is proposed as a partial solution that may contribute to reducing environmental damage caused by the construction industry, as it contains fibers derived from wastes. A similar approach can also be observed in recent studies, as authors also tried to use waste as dispersed reinforcement in composites [27][28][29].…”

An Experimental Study of Possible Post-War Ferronickel Slag Waste Disposal in Szklary (Lower Silesian, Poland) as Partial Aggregate Substitute in Concrete: Characterization of Physical, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties

“…Waste and by-products from other industry branches can be re-used by the construction industry as a component of concrete and mortar [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. According to current studies, they can be used as a replacement of natural aggregate [ 16 ] and cement [ 17 ], as dispersed reinforcement [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ] to lower surface stress and prevent microcracks or as a filler to increase thermal properties of final composite [ 22 ]. Ferronickel slag waste has a potential to substitute natural aggregate as it is a solid discharged from the smelting process of metal nickel or nickel-iron alloy.…”

Effect of High-Dispersible Graphene on the Strength and Durability of Cement Mortars

“…During the hardening stage for cement forming, cracks and voids are easily left in the structure [3]; these characteristics reduce the bearing capacity of the cement and accelerate the erosion effect of corrosive media, thus reducing the service life of the cement structure. Nowadays, the performance of cement has been improved by many efforts such as adjusting the cement mortars ratio, optimizing the aggregate gradation, and adding reinforcements [4][5][6][7]. However, these do not change the structure of cement hydration products, and the problems of high brittleness and cracking of the cement mortars still exist.…”