Effect of partial replacement of sand by plastic waste on impact resistance of concrete: experiment and simulation

The effect of partial replacement of sand by plastic waste on the mechanical properties of concrete under impact load was investigated experimentally and numerically. Specimens were prepared with 0%, 5%, 10% and 20% plastic waste as sand replacements. For each case, three beams of 100 mm wide, 50 mm deep and 400 mm long were loaded to failure in a drop-weight impact machine by subjecting it to 30 N weight from 400 mm height after 90 days, while another three beams of the same size and age were tested under static load. The load-displacement and fracture energy of the plain and concrete with plastic beams subjected to static and impact loads were studied. The dynamic beam behavior was also analyzed numerically using the finite-element method (FEM) based LUSAS software. In general, the experimental results reveal that the impact tup increase by 39% with 20% sand replacement by plastic waste, while the static peak bending load always decreases. The concrete with plastic waste is stronger and more energy-absorbing under impact loading, than under static loading. The predicted load against displacement behaviors of both plain concrete and concrete with plastic waste, are well matched with the experimental results.