Mechanical Properties of Sustainable Concrete Incorporating Steel-Binding Wire Wastes

Abstract

Incorporating steel binding wire waste into concrete offers a sustainable solution that aligns with green construction practices. This study aims to explore the feasibility of using untreated steel binding wire (SBW) waste as a material in concrete production. This research examines the mechanical properties of concrete containing SBW as a partial replacement for sand to improve the concrete’s structural performance by addressing its inherent weakness in tension. Two different shapes of SBW (powder and fiber) and three ratios of replacement of sand by SBW (10%, 15%, and 20%) were considered. The obtained results demonstrate that incorporating SBW wastes enhances the fresh concrete workability. The increasement ranged from 15% to 35% for powder and fiber of SBW, respectively compared to the ordinary concrete (OC). When fiber SBW is added, the concrete density increases from 3.62% to 5.9% for 10% and 20% of SBW, respectively compared to OC. Whereas for powder SBW incorporation, it decreases from 1.7% to 0.37% for 10% and 20%, respectively. The addition of SBW fiber improves compressive strength (CS), which increases as the replacement ratio increases by 73% and 104%, for replacement ratios of 10% and 20%, respectively. However, a low ratio of SBW powder increases the compressive strength by 49%, while higher ratio results in a decrease in CS and the gain drops to 2%. Both SBW fiber and powder addition concrete demonstrate similar behavior in tensile strength (TS) as observed in compression. The study concludes that adding up to 20% SBW fiber and less than 10% SBW powder significantly enhances the mechanical properties of concrete, providing a practical method for waste utilization and material performance improvement.