Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

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Case Studies in Construction Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cscm

Case study

Experimental study of the effect of waste steel scrap as

reinforcing material on the mechanical properties of concrete
Yohannes Werkina Shewalul
Civil Engineering Department, Jimma Institute of Technology, Jimma University, Ethiopia

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article history: This research presents an experimental finding on the mechanical properties of concrete
Received 30 August 2020 with waste steel scrap. The recycling of scrap metal as a concrete base reinforcement
Received in revised form 30 December 2020 eliminates the issue of disposal. The laboratory tests for compressive strength and splitting
Accepted 4 January 2021
tensile strength were conducted for different percentages of waste steel scrap (0%, 0.5 %,
0.75 %, and 1.5 %) determined by the volume of concrete. The compression behavior was
Keywords: obtained using uniaxial compression tests while the tensile behavior was obtained using
Fiber-reinforcement
splitting tensile tests. Laboratory testing of 12 cubic specimens and 12-cylinder specimens
Compressive strength
Steel scrap fiber
was conducted on the 28th day of curing. With the addition of waste steel scrap, it was
Tensile properties found in the test results that the compressive strength increased by 26.8 % for 0.5 %, 30.7 %
Workability for 0.75 %, and reduced by 5.3 % for 1.5 % by volume of concrete. The splitting tensile
strength increased by 11.2 % for 0.5 %, 5.8 % for 0.75 % and 2.5 % for 1.5 % by volume of
concrete. The test outcomes showed that the modulus of elasticity and peak strain contains
a remarkable increment with the increase in waste steel scrap volume. Compared with
plain concrete, the strength properties of concrete with steel scrap were improved,
however, with an increased amount of waste scrap, the workability of concrete was
reduced.
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction

The concrete usually consists of binders, fine and coarse aggregate, mixed in the presence of water. Concrete is a quasi-
brittle material and it acquires a low tensile strain capacity [1]. However, the addition of the steel fibers in the mix during
concrete production significantly improves the tensile characteristics of the concrete [1].
The use of fibers in the concrete as a reinforcing material is the earliest known practice, and they were primarily used to
improve the load-carrying capacity of members.
Steel scraps are lathe-made waste materials and industrial products. These waste materials do not have good scrap value
and are not properly reused. Such waste can be used efficiently in reinforced concrete [2]. The physical properties of steel
scrap give the concrete additional reinforcement, resulting in additional tensile strength for the concrete [3–5]. The number
of waste fibers produced from various metal industries will increase with an increase in the population and industrial
activities. These types of industrial waste fibers can be used to produce high-strength fiber-reinforced concrete after their
adequacy has been tested [6].
As used in construction, fiber-reinforced concrete is mainly concerned with the environmental effect or acceptance of the
material under all environmental circumstances [7]. The use of materials such as lathe steel scrap in concrete as a fibrous

E-mail address: yesoro.work@gmail.com (Y.W. Shewalul).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2021.e00490
2214-5095/© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Nomenclature

P is the applied compressive load

st is the splitting tensile strength
s Peak is the peak compressive strength of concrete
D is the cylinder diameter
L is the cylinder length
fck is the compressive strength of concrete
E is the modulus of elasticity
EPeak is the peak modulus of elasticity
e is the strain
eU is the ultimate strain
d is the maximum deflection

material helps to minimize the main solid waste such as lathe steel scrap from the steel manufacturing industries, which is a
main concern in the world [7]. It is a safe resource if these non-biologically degradable solid wastes are used in concrete [7].
The steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) is a composite material that consisted of cement, sand, coarse aggregates, and
discontinuous discrete steel fibers. SFRC only fails in tension when the steel fiber is broken or pulled out of the cement matrix
[8]. The mechanical characteristics of SRFC are affected by the aspect ratio, type of fiber, fiber volume, and aggregate size
[8,9]. Since steel fibers have a positive effect on the concrete mechanical properties, they also negatively affect workability
[10]. Concrete workability from the slump test decreases proportionally to the increase in the fraction of waste steel scrap
added [7,11].
Steel fiber-reinforced concrete specimens displayed ductile behavior after their compression strength was reached [9].
A substantial study had been undertaken to determine mechanical properties as tensile, compressive, flexural, and
impact strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete. However, there is a limited experimental study on the mechanical
properties and the utilization of waste steel scrap as reinforcing material in concrete. It has not been widely examined to
estimate the optimum volume and percentage of steel scrap. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out further research on the
mechanical properties of concrete and estimate the optimum volume by the addition of waste steel scrap.
The goal of this research is to examine the improvement of concrete mechanical properties with the application of fibrous
waste steel scrap as a reinforcement material. The reuse as a construction material of waste steel scrap has significant
environmental impact advantages. Many changes in concrete mechanical properties are observed in comparison to plain
concrete by incorporating waste steel scrap from the experimental studies.

2. Materials and methods

An experimental program aimed at obtaining material properties and main characteristics of concrete with different
contents of steel scrap was performed. The considered volume fractions of steel scrap were 0% (control), 0.5 %, 0.75 %, and 1.5
%. The effects of the addition of these steel scrap volumes were investigated on the workability and mechanical properties of
concrete (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, peak strain, modulus of elasticity, and load-displacement
response) as well as the stress-strain response by using slump test and compression machine, respectively.

2.1. Material characteristics and properties

Characterizing properties of materials were based on their physical and chemical composition. The physical properties
tests were done in the laboratory for cement, fine, and coarse aggregate materials used in mix proportion.

2.1.1. Cement
In this study, 42.5R grade Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) produced by Dangote Cement PLC was used as a binding
material. The physical properties of the cement (Dangote OPC): standard consistency, specific gravity, initial and final setting
time were conducted by using the requirements specified by American Society for Testing and Materials ASTM C 191, ASTM
C187, ASTM 184 and ASTM C 188 specifications [12–15]. The physical properties are indicated in Table 1.

2.1.2. Fine aggregate

The fine aggregate utilized in the study was natural sand and particles larger than 4.75 mm has been removed by sieve
analysis. The physical properties of fine aggregate: Silt content, moisture content, specific gravity, and fineness modulus
(sieve analysis) were done and Table 2 shows the summary of experimental results.

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Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Table 1
Dangote OPC physical properties.

Description Test result

Standard Consistency (%) 32.6
Specific gravity 3.09
Initial setting time (min) 75
Final setting time (min) 280

Table 2
Fine aggregate physical properties.

Description Test result Recommended value

Type of fine aggregate Natural sand Good quality
Silt content (%) < 6%
Moisture content (%) 1.13 Reducing water in the mix
Specific gravity 2.63 –
Absorption (%) 2.46 2.5
3.5
Unit weight (kg/m3) 1528.5
Fineness modulus (%) 2.83 2.3
3.1

2.1.3. Coarse aggregate

In conducting the study strong, dense, clean, and free from any vegetable type coarse aggregate having an average size of
20 mm were used. Sieve analysis was conducted to get gradation or relative particle size distribution of coarse aggregate by a
series of square or round opening sieve. The retained value of aggregates on each different sieve sizes is given in Fig. 1.
The aggregates were washed to keep the quality. Specific gravity, fineness modulus, water absorption, and unit weight
laboratory tests were performed. Their results summary is tabulated in Table 3.

2.1.4. Water
In conducting the study municipal water was used in mixing and curing concrete. Mixing water was the amount of water
that comes in contact with cement, effects slump of concrete, and was determined from water to cement ratio. Water-
cement ratios for fibrous mixtures must be carefully controlled, and ratios on the category of about 0.35 to 0.50 are normal
[16].

Fig. 1. Coarse aggregate particle size distribution curve.

Table 3
Coarse aggregate properties.

Description Test result

Type of coarse aggregate Manufactured aggregate
Moisture content (%) 1.0
Specific gravity (%) 2.91
Water absorption (%) 1.01
Unit weight(kg/m3) 1670.0

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Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Fig. 2. Waste steel scrap prepared for a mix.

2.1.5. Waste steel scrap

Waste steel scrap collected from the Hibret Manufacturing and Machine Building Industry, which specializes in the
production of machines and spare parts utilized by the Ethiopian National Defense Force, was used. The waste steel scrap
collected from the industry was directly brought to the laboratory. The effect of corrosion after mixing was not considered
but steel scrap used was not corroded by exposure during storage.
There were two shapes, straight and coil spiral, of waste steel scrap selected for mix purposes as shown in Fig. 2. Based on
ACI 544.3R-93 specification [16] of steel fibers, the aspect ratio(l/d) was fixed to 50–60 because waste steel scrap acts as steel
fiber in concrete. For straight steel scrap, the thickness was used as d and for coil spiral steel scrap coil diameter was used as d
in calculating aspect ratio. The waste steel scrap inherits the material properties of the main structural steel, the elastic-
perfectly plastic model was adopted due to its adequate accuracy and simplicity. Poisson's ratio was set to 0.3, relative
density to 7850 kg/m3, and young's modulus to 205,000 MPa. Three volume ratios of waste steel scrap were selected, 0.5 %,
0.75 %, and 1.5 %, and added to concrete during mix by volume of concrete.

2.2. Concrete mix design and proportioning

The design of a concrete mix to achieve the correct proportions of cement, sand, and aggregates was done for structural
strength. The purpose of the mix was to find the most effective and feasible combination of materials that were readily
available to manufacture concrete that fulfilled the performance requirements under unique conditions of use. Concrete
proportioning comprised the assessment of the relative quantities of materials producing a concrete of the needed
workability, and its desired strength, volume consistency, durability, and economy [17]. The mixture requires a smooth
dispersal of the fibers to avoid fiber segregation or balling. The mix design was performed as per ACI 544.3R-93 [16]. The
configuration of the mix is shown in Table 4.
A slump test was conducted by following the specification recommended by ACI 544.2R-89 [18] to verify the workability
of fresh concrete.
The raw materials and fresh concrete with the addition of waste steel scrap are shown in Fig. 3.

2.3. Test program for uniaxial compression tests

In this study, the uniaxial compression test with standard cubes specimens with dimensions (150  150  150) mm as per
ACI 544.2R-89 specification [18] was conducted to investigate the compressive behavior of concrete. The variables were
compressive strength, steel scrap volumetric ratio, and aspect ratio. Four steel scrap volumetric ratios 0%, 0.5 %, 0.75 %, and
1.5 % were considered, and waste steel scrap with aspect ratios of (50–60) were used. The addition of steel scrap was done per
volume of the total mix proportion. To investigate the effect of compressive strength, the concrete grade C-25 compressive
strength was targeted.

Table 4
Concrete mix design and proportions.

Material The total weight (kg/m3)

Steel scrap volume 0% 0.5 % 0.75 % 1.5 %

Cement 398.93 398.93 398.93 398.93
Fine aggregate 761.86 761.86 761.86 761.86
Coarse aggregate 1140.77 1140.77 1140.77 1140.77
Steel fiber 0 51.93 77.89 155.98
Water 199.43 199.43 199.43 199.43

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Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Fig. 3. Mix materials and fresh concrete.

The uniaxial compression test was conducted in the Construction Materials Laboratory of Jimma Institute of Technology
for both fibrous and non-fibrous (control) concrete. The specimens were loaded uni-axially using the Universal Compression
Testing machine.
Three cube samples were cast per test series, resulting in 12 samples of 4 test series. One day after casting, the specimens
were demolded and then cured until the compression experiments took place in a period of 28 days. The top and the bottom
surfaces of both specimens were ground to prevent the specimens from being subject to potential eccentric loading [9]. The
specimens were subjected to uniaxial compression. Fig. 1 shows the concrete specimens.

2.4. Test program for splitting tensile tests

The tensile response of material was evaluated using an indirect tensile test method, splitting tensile strength test. It was
carried out in the Construction Materials Laboratory of Jimma Institute of Technology on non-fibrous (control), and fibrous
concrete specimens using standard cylinder specimens having 100 mm diameter D and 200 mm height L as per ACI 544.2R-
89 specification [18]. The splitting (tensile) strength was calculated from Eq. 1:
2P
st ¼ ð1Þ
pLD
Three-cylinder specimens per test series were cast as shown in Fig. 4, which resulted in 12 specimens for 4 test series. The
specimens were demolded after one day of casting and then cured up to the age of 28 days when the splitting tensile strength
tests were conducted.

2.5. Compressive stress-strain responses

From the load-displacement response determined from the uniaxial compression test, the compressive stress-strain
response was obtained.
The equation proposed by [1] was used for the computation of strain since it is essential to know that the fiber-reinforced
flexural components generally exhibit a linear relationship between the compressive strain (e) and the maximum deflection
(d). Eq. 2 was used to compute the value of the strain from the observed deflection values during the experiments.

d ¼ 72:04e þ 0:02 ð2Þ

Modulus of elasticity, E for steel fiber-reinforced concrete was calculated using Eq. 3 confirmed by [19].
qffiffiffiffiffiffi
E ¼ 3320 f ck þ 6900   for   f ck  100  MPa ð3Þ

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Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Fig. 4. Concrete compressive test and tensile test specimens.

Table 5
Slump test results.

Steel scrap volume (%) Slump (average, mm)

0 65
0.5 40
0.75 34
1.5 12

3. Results and discussions

3.1. Workability (slump test) results

It was noticed that the workability of concrete reduced on increasing of the steel scrap content. As shown in Table 5, the
value of slump reduced from 65 mm at 0% steel scrap content to 12 mm at 1.5 % steel scrap content. The presence of waste
steel scrap in the concrete mix induces a property of rigidity as a result of the interlocking of each waste steel scrap in the
concrete mix. This condition results in strength on fresh concrete.

3.2. Uniaxial compression test results

As mentioned in the methodology, three cubes of each mix were tested to acquire a representative compressive material
behavior.
The uniaxial compression test result given in Fig. 5 shows that the compressive strength is increased for 0.5 % and 0.75 %
steel scrap by 26.8 % and 30.7 % respectively, however, the compressive strength is reduced by 5.3 % for 1.5 % steel scrap. The
test result shows that the addition of steel scrap enhances the compressive strength compared to the conventional concrete,
and the optimum percentage is 0.75 % by the volume of concrete. Table 6 summarizes the result obtained from the
experiments.

3.3. Compressive stress-strain responses

Fig. 6 shows the load-displacement response obtained from the experimental compressive strength test. It is confirmed
that the increase in steel scrap volume increased the displacement. The addition of steel scrap enhances the ductile behavior
of the concrete. The peak load result shows a maximum value of 0.5 % and 0.75 % steel scrap.
The compressive stress-strain response under the compressive given in Fig. 7 was determined from the load-
displacement response. The ultimate strain obtained is 0.00455 for 0%, 0.0053 for 0.5 %, 0.006 for 0.75 % and 0.007 for 1.5 % of

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Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Fig. 5. Uniaxial compression test results.

Table 6
Peak compressive strength, ultimate strain, and modulus of elasticity results.

Parameter Steel scrap volume [%]

0 0.5 0.75 1.5

Avg.a CV Avg. CV Avg. CV Avg. CV

s Peak [MPa] 27.69 3.58 35.10 3.26 36.18 7.66 26.29 7.65
eu 0.0045 0.0053 0.0061 0.0069
EPeak [MPa] 24370.4 26569.4 26869.7 23922.9
a
Avg: Average, CV: Coefficient of variation.

Fig. 6. Load – displacement response under compressive tests.

steel scrap by volume of concrete. Thus, the effect of the addition of steel scrap on the ultimate strain is directly proportional
to the volume of steel scrap.

3.4. Tensile behavior (splitting test) results

The objective of steel scrap additions in concrete is often to obtain ductile failure behavior since plain concrete is
characterized by its brittle failure behavior in tension. The effect of waste steel scrap addition on tensile behavior is clearly
shown in Fig. 8.
The splitting tensile strength obtained were 3.93 MPa, 4.37 MPa, 4.16 MPa and 4.03 MPa for 0 %, 0.5 %, 0.75 % and 1.5 % steel
scrab respectively. Thus the percentage increased are 11.2 for 0.5 %, 5.8 for 0.75 % and 2.5 for 1.5 % steel scrap addition. From
Fig. 7, it is examined that the splitting tensile strength of 0.5 % of steel scrap shows a slightly higher increment than 0.75 % and
1.5 % steel scrap. The optimum percentage is 0.5 % by the volume of concrete.
Data indicate that splitting tensile strength is very sensitive to the change of the steel scrap content and the concrete
composition but increasing steel scrap content always produces a significant increment in tensile splitting strength which is
approximately proportional to the steel scrap volume.

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Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Fig. 7. Compressive stress-strain response under compressive tests.

Fig. 8. Splitting tensile test results.

4. Conclusion

In this study, material tests are carried out to determine the strength properties of concrete by applying waste steel scrap
to concrete under the uniaxial compression test and splitting tensile test. Analysis of the test results verified that in
proportion to the volume of waste steel scrap the associated mechanical properties, strain at maximum stress, and elasticity
modulus, are improved at a given strength.
The inclusion of steel scrap marginally increases the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of concrete. In line
with the cube compressive strength test results, it’s observed that the cube compressive strength of specimens made up of
the C-25 grade of concrete with an addition of 0.75 % steel scrap has increased appreciably compared to other specimens with
different percentage of steel scrap. However, the changes in compressive strength observed are not proportional to the
increases in the volume of steel scrap. It is concluded that the compressive strength is increased by 30.7 % by the addition of
steel scrap compared to plain concrete.
Splitting strength increments are essentially proportional to the addition of steel scrap volume when compared with
plain concrete. The maximum increment of 11.2 % in splitting strength by the addition of steel scrap is obtained.
With an increasing volume of waste steel scrap, the workability of fresh concrete is reduced. This is due to the interlocking
behavior of steel scraps.
By increasing the contents of steel scrap, the downward branch of the stress-strain diagram is less steep and relatively flat.
The addition of waste steel scrap improves the mechanical properties of concrete so that the recycling of these steel scraps
as a reinforcing material helps reduce solid waste disposal and environmental pollutions.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Acknowledgment

I would like to start by thanking my family for their support and guidance throughout my life. I am thankful to those who
helped me with experimental activity knowledge and research writing.

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Y.W. Shewalul Case Studies in Construction Materials 14 (2021) e00490

Finally, senior staff at the Jimma Institute of Technology are fully recognized for their valuable guidance.

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