Proportioning and characterization of lightweight concrete mixtures made with rigid polyurethane foam wastes

Abstract

International audienceThis paper presents the results of an experimental study concerning the incorporation of polyurethane (PUR) foam wastes into cementitious mixtures in order to produce lightweight concrete. A semi-empirical method is first proposed to predict the density of fresh PUR foam-based concrete mixtures. Seven concrete mixtures containing various PUR foam volume fractions (from 13.1% to 33.7%), and two reference concrete mixtures (without PUR foam) were prepared and characterized. In particular, their thermal and mechanical properties were determined. This permitted to quantify the influence of the PUR foam volume fraction on these parameters. Some specimens were maintained under water during 28 days, while the others were dried in air. The PUR-foam concrete thermal conductivity and compressive strength are, respectively, 2–7 times and 2–17 times lower than those of the reference mixture, depending on the volume fraction of PUR foam and on the curing conditions. Besides, the use of PUR foam in concrete implies a strong increase in the drying shrinkage and in the mass loss during the first seven days. These results can be related to the high porosity and the weak compressive strength of alveolar polyurethane

Waste polyethylene terephthalate as an aggregate in concrete

“…Different types of plastic waste have been used as aggregate, filler or fibre in cement mortar and concrete after mechanical treatment. They include: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, polyvinyl chloride, PVC pipes, high density polyethylene, HDPE, thermosetting plastics, mixed plastic waste, expanded polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, polycarbonate, and glass reinforced plastic [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] . The details about the generation of PA as well as the properties of concrete containing PA are presented in a recent review 22 .…”

A Study on the Characteristics of Palm-Based Polyurethane as a Lightweight Aggregate In Concrete Mix

“…The yellowish particle was granular, rough and grainy Mounanga et al (2008) utilized PU particles at a density of 40 kg/m 3 . Two categories of aggregates were used, that were coarse aggregates (8-20 mm) as lightweight aggregate in concrete and fine aggregates (0-8 mm) as lightweight aggregate in mortars.…”

“…Commercial river sand with particle size of 5 mm following BS882: 1983 standard was used. The lightweight aggregate, LWA used was rigid polyurethane (PU) that has been ground and sieved to particle size of 5 mm (Kan & Demirboga 2009;Mounanga et al 2008).…”

“…Generally, there are studies on LWA in the production of LWC such as oil palm kernel shell (OPKS) (Alengaram & Jumaat 2013;Mannan & Ganapathy 2001;Shafigh et al 2010), coconut shell (Gunasekaran et al 2011;Yerramala & Ramachandrudu 2012), kenaf (Akil & Omar 2011;Khalil et al 2010), empty fruit bunch (EFB) (Jawaid at al. 2011;Kolop et al 2010), expanded polystyrene (EPS) (Bakri et al 2007;Kan & Demirboga 2007;Laukaitis et al 2005;Madandoust et al 2011;Yi et al 2012) and polyurethane (PU) (Demharter 1996;Mounanga et al 2008).…”

The evolution of shrinkage strain of pet-mortar composite eco-materials

“…Le choix des matériaux utilisés a une répercussion directe sur la consommation en matières premières et en énergie [1,2]. Ainsi, l'utilisation de matières premières alternatives, comme les déchets plastiques exemple le polyvinyle de chlorure (PVC) [3], PET [4][5][6][7][8][9][10], les fibres de PET [11], le polyéthylène à haute densité (PEHD) [12], de la mousse de polyuréthane rigide [13], apporterait une réponse au problème d'épuisement des ressources naturelles.…”