Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High-Performance Polyethylene-Fiber-Reinforced Recycled-Brick-Aggregate Concrete

Abstract

The utilization of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fibers (UHMWPEFs) to enhance recycled-brick-aggregate concrete represents an efficacious approach for ameliorating the concrete’s performance. This investigation addresses the influences of recycled-brick aggregates (RAs) and UHMWPEFs on the concrete’s slump, shrinkage, flexural strength, resistance to chloride-ion ingress, and freeze–thaw durability. The mechanisms through which UHMWPEFs ameliorate the performance of the recycled-brick-aggregate concrete were elucidated at both the micro and macroscopic levels. The findings underscore that the three-dimensional network structure established by the UHMWPEFs, while resulting in a reduction in the concrete slump, substantially enhances the concrete’s mechanical properties and durability. A regression model for the multifaceted performance of the UHMWPEF-reinforced recycled-brick-aggregate concrete (F-RAC) was formulated by employing response-surface methodology, and the model’s reliability was confirmed through variance analysis. The interactive effects of the RA and UHMWPEFs on the concrete were analyzed through a combined approach involving response-surface analysis and contour plots. Subsequently, a multiobjective optimization was conducted for the F-RAC performance, yielding the optimal proportions of RA and UHMWPEFs. It was determined that the optimal performance across the dimensions of the shrinkage resistance, flexural strength, chloride-ion resistance, and freeze–thaw durability of the F-RAC could be simultaneously achieved when the substitution rate of the RA was 14.02% and the admixture of the UHMWPEFs was 1.13%.