Mechanical properties of papercrete

Abstract

This paper studies the uses, of waste paper as an additional material in concrete mixes. Papercrete is a term as the name seems, to imply a mixture of paper and concrete. It is a new, composite material using waste paper, as a partial addition of Portland cement, and is a sustainable, building material due to, reduced amount of waste paper being put to use. It gains, latent strength due to presence of hydrogen bonds in microstructure of paper. Papercrete has been, reported to be a low cost alternative, building construction, material and has, good sound absorption, and thermal insulation; to be a lightweight and fire-resistant material. The percent of waste paper used (after treating) namely (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) by weight of cement to explore the mechanical properties of the mixes (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, density), as compared with references mixes, it was found that fresh properties affected significantly by increasing the waste paper content. The compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength and density got decreased with increase in the percentage of paper.