USAGE OF THE PLASTIC WASTES AS AN AGGREGATE IN CEMENTITOUS MIXTURES

Due to its many advantages, polymer materials have a wide range of usage areas. There are some processes that must be applied to polymer wastes within the legal framework. Recycling is one of these processes. However, because it is a difficult and costly process, it becomes attractive to reuse these wastes. From this perspective, evaluating the feasibility of polymer wastes in cementitious mixtures as raw materials will be very useful research. In this study, cementitious mixtures containing plastic wastes in different proportions were studied. Mechanical properties were investigated by using plastic waste in two ratios with aggregate substitution in cementitious mixtures. As a result, it has been observed that some mechanical properties could be improved with the use of plastic wastes whose specific gravity is much lower than aggregate. The improvement in mechanical properties varies according to the type and amount of plastic wastes. Namely, it has been observed that 50% of the substitution of polystyrene and polycarbonate wastes and 10% of thermoplastic elastomers and electrical cable wastes increase some of the mechanical properties. It has been determined that the gradation of plastic wastes directly affects these properties such as fresh state properties and toughness of the cementitious mixtures. It is envisaged to obtain improved fresh state properties and high mechanical properties where the raw materials have more appropriate gradation.