Using GLP as Partial Replacement in Cement Mortars

For the last decade, recycled construction wastes were promoted to be reused in concrete manufacture process to achieve sustainability of structures. Recently, crushed glass has been investigated many researchers [1-9] as a partially replacement for coarse and fine aggregates, finally; cement. This study investigated the influence of both the mechanical behaviour and microstructure of cement mortar when partially replaced by powder glass. Here in, six mixes were design for six percentages of replacement; considered incrementally, each 5% (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) of cement weight. 36 mortar cubes and 18 prisms were cast and cured for 28 days. Then after, the specimens were tested in compression and indirect splitting tensile strength to determine their influence on mechanical properties. In addition, scanning electron microscope as well X-ray diffraction was used to examine their microstructure cement. The results showed that 20.5% increase in compressive strength at 7 days while at 28 days, the compressive strength increases insignificantly by value of 0.3% when using 5% GLP replacement. In addition, 46.9% increase was achieved in flexural strength at 28 days. Furthermore, the SEM micrographs observed some clear glass particles while the XRD clearly monitored the high count of silica and could not detect the calcium silicate that represents the amorphous part

Manufacturing of Wood–Plastic Composite Boards and Their Mechanical and Structural Characteristics,

Engineered wood products including wood-plastic composites have been manufactured with different mix designs and different manufacturing techniques within the last years. However, there are still some materials that are not used to manufacture such composites, like recycled high-density polyethylene and camphor wood, although they are available in good quantities as industrial by-products. In this research, wood-plastic composite (WPC) panels were manufactured from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste at 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, and 40% of total weight together with camphor wood waste. Physical, mechanical, and structural properties of the panels were studied and compared according to current standards. The results showed that the properties of the manufactured engineered wood product were significantly affected by the kind and percentage of the wood fiber and plastic waste. Ultimate values of the bending strength of the WPC panels as well as the maximum values of Young\u27s modulus were reached at 40% plastic content. The water absorption of the panels was found to be inversely related to the HDPE content. The bending strength of the panels with recycled HDPE was less than in the case of using virgin HDPE. The water uptake for WPC panels when using recycled HDPE was higher than the water uptake when using virgin HDPE. Furthermore, the compressive strength of the samples was directly related to its plastic content; it was comparatively low for recycled HDPE panels compared to panels using virgin HDPE

Manufacturing and Mechanical Testing of Casuarina Glauca Blockboards

Wood, or timber, is light, cheap, and easy to transport and work with. On the contrary, reinforced concrete is more expensive, heavy & difficult to transport and slower to build. Previous research has proven that relatively cheap Casuarina Glauca wood could have sufficiently high strength that makes it a strong candidate for structural usage. In the construction field in Egypt, most of the used wood is blockboard composed from imported wood. The importing of wood represents a significant segment and Egypt invests a lot of its money in this segment, thus a research such as this one would significantly help Egypt to save money in the import business. This research aims to produce and test Egyptian blockboard made from Casuarina Glauca wood farmed in Egypt. The blockboards were produced and tested for their mechanical properties and compared to their imported counterparts. Moreover, these blockboards proved to be of a sufficiently high strength. Based on the results, this engineered wood product could be a structurally sound alternative for structural usage