Feasibility of Recycled Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Fibers in Cementitious Composites: An Experimental Investigation

The purpose of the work presented here was to examine the viability of reinforcing high-strength concrete with recycled chopped carbon fiber-reinforced polymer fibers obtained from epoxy resin-coated fiber laminated sheets. The fibers were chopped to lengths of 3 mm and 30 mm, and dosages of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1% fiber volume fraction were tested. Compression and flexure strength tests, as well as the nondestructive tests of ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPVT) and rebound hammer, were performed on concrete samples after 28 days of curing. Carbon fiber-reinforced concrete samples were subjected to elemental analysis, mineralogical analysis, and surface morphological examination using EDX, XRD, and SEM, respectively. Using an analytical analysis method, a correlation was drawn between the mechanical properties and the various fiber lengths and doses. The experimental study found that a higher dosage and fiber content of carbon fibers improved the mechanical properties of the carbon fiber-reinforced high-strength concrete. UPVT results demonstrated unpredictability even when maintaining a fiber aspect ratio of 1:10, highlighting the need for more study in this area.