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https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/events

The Use of Recycled Plastic in Concrete Pavements - Phase II

Phase 1 of this Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT)-funded study provided the first feasibility study of incorporating recycled plastic aggregates (RPA) and recycled plastic fibers (RPF) into concrete. Early findings indicated that incorporating up to 10% RPA or 1.5% RPF did not compromise key fresh and mechanical properties such as slump, air content, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, or modulus of rupture in comparison with the control mix (47B concrete). In fact, compressive strength values at 28 days exceeded 4,500 psi across tested mixtures. Furthermore, semi-circular bending (SCB) fracture testing revealed substantial improvements in ductility and fracture energy as ductility indices increased by as much as 135% for RPA and up to 225% for RPF mixtures, while fracture energy rose by 14– 45% for RPA and 47–147% for RPF mixtures. These results confirm the potential of recycled plastic to reduce crack propagation, enhance energy absorption, and improve overall structural resilience. Such improvements are particularly promising for paving applications, which must be able to withstand heavy traffic loads without cracking.