SUITABILITY OF GLASS FIBERS IN HIGH STRENGTH RECYCLED AGGREGATE CONCRETE-AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

The use of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) is gaining importance throughout the globe due to the depleting sources of natural aggregate and disposal problem of demolished waste. The advancement in the prestressed concrete technology and multistoried structures has given impetus for making concrete of high strength. Also, it is well established that the fibers make concrete ductile. The aim of this research work is to determine the suitability of glass fibers for use in structural recycled aggregate concrete of high strength. The fresh and hardened state properties of partially replaced recycled aggregate concrete, with varying percentages of glass fibers, are compared with the corresponding conventional aggregate concrete. The compressive, split tensile and flexural strengths of M50 grade concrete with 0% RCA and 50% RCA have increased as the fiber content increased. The maximum values of all these strengths were obtained at 0.03% of fiber content for both the concretes of 0% RCA and 50% RCA. Large deflections of beams before failure indicated improved ductility with the addition of fibers.