Evaluation of the sieve analysis effect on the efficiency of PVC waste as sand replacement in concrete mixtures

Recycling materials has become an immerging tendency as a way for preserving natural resources. The waste disposal of polymeric materials has a significant impact on the environment and public health through their practical application in civil engineering constructions. The current experimental study aims to investigate the possibility of using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste in concrete and also to evaluate the PVC concrete properties in comparison with ordinary concrete (OC). This investigation research involves reusing the left-over PVC tube wastes and their incorporation in concrete. Three different replacement ratios (5%, 10% and 15%) of natural sand by polyvinyl chloride were considered, taking into account two different sizes (fine and fiber) of polymeric wastes. The effects of each incorporated PVC waste on the compressive strength, and tensile strength were studied. The fresh properties of concrete were investigated by conducting a slump test. The results revealed a decrease in the workability of the fresh PVC concrete compared to ordinary concrete. It was observed that the concrete made with fiber PVC shows a lower workability (decrease of 54%) in comparison with the first one which contains fine PVC aggregates. The concrete made with fiber PVC aggregates improves the compressive strength up to 23.5%. This latter increased simultaneously with increasing the replacement ratio of PVC waste. However, the increase of fine PVC waste content caused a decrease in compressive strength till 21%. The test results also revealed that the concrete mixes with high fiber and moderate fine PVC ratios enhanced the concrete mechanical performance.