Creep and drying shrinkage performance of concrete composite comprising waste polypropylene carpet fibres and palm oil fuel ash

Abstract

Creep and drying shrinkage are two critical time-dependent properties of concrete. This study presents the outcomes of an investigational work that addresses one-year creep and drying shrinkage performance in addition to the strength development of concrete comprising waste polypropylene carpet fibre and palm oil fuel ash (POFA). In this study, six fibre volume fractions of 0–1.25% with the fibres of 20 mm in length were used for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete mixes. Another six mixes were cast, whereby 20% of POFA replaced OPC. The experimental results revealed that the combination of carpet fibres and POFA enhanced the long-term compressive strength of concrete. At 365 days, the compressive strength was in the range of 43–54 MPa. The combination of waste carpet fibre and POFA, therefore, reduced the creep strain and drying shrinkage of concrete mixtures by approximately 15% and 27%, respectively. The effects of POFA on the strength gain of concrete were to be more noticeable at the ultimate curing ages. The outcomes of this study showed that there is a promising future for the consumption of industrial waste carpet fibres together with POFA in the production of green concrete as structural components.