Sustainability 2011, 3(7), 965-983; doi:10.3390/su3070965
Article

Proportioning of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Mixes for Pavement Construction and Their Impact on Environment and Cost

Constantia Achilleos 1,* email, Diofantos Hadjimitsis 1 email, Kyriacos Neocleous 2 email, Kypros Pilakoutas 2 email, Pavlos O. Neophytou 3 email and Stelios Kallis 3 email
1 Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cyprus University Of Technology, Archbishop Kyprianos 31, Limassol Savings Co-operative Bank Building, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus 2 Centre for Cement and Concrete, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Frederick Mappin Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield S13JD, UK 3 Public Work Department, Ifestou 9, 8100, Paphos, Cyprus
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 22 May 2011 / Accepted: 16 June 2011 / Published: 8 July 2011
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment)
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Abstract: Steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) is a construction material investigated for more than 40 years including for pavement applications. A number of studies have demonstrated the technical merits of SFRC pavements over conventional concrete pavements; however little work has been carried out on the environmental and economical impact of SFRC during the pavement’s life cycle. Therefore, extended research was undertaken within the framework of the EU funded project “EcoLanes” to estimate the environmental and economical loadings of SFRC pavements. The innovative concept of the project is the use of recycled steel tyre-cord wire as concrete fibre reinforcement, which provides additional environmental benefits for tyre recycling over landfilling. Within the project framework a demonstration of a steel-fibre-reinforced roller-compacted concrete (SFR-RCC) pavement was constructed in a rural area in Cyprus. In order to assess the economical and environmental picture of the demonstration pavement, life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) studies were undertaken, which also compared the under study pavement design with four conventional alternatives. The main output of the studies is that SFR-RCC is more environmentally and economically sustainable than others. In addition, various concrete mix designs were investigated by considering parameters such as fibre type and dosage, cement type, and transportation distances to the construction site. Fibre dosage has been highlighted as a crucial factor compared with economical and environmental loadings in SFR-RCC pavement construction.
Keywords: steel fibre reinforced concrete; life cycle assessment; tire recycling

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Achilleos, C.; Hadjimitsis, D.; Neocleous, K.; Pilakoutas, K.; Neophytou, P.O.; Kallis, S. Proportioning of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Mixes for Pavement Construction and Their Impact on Environment and Cost. Sustainability 2011, 3, 965-983.

AMA Style

Achilleos C, Hadjimitsis D, Neocleous K, Pilakoutas K, Neophytou PO, Kallis S. Proportioning of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Mixes for Pavement Construction and Their Impact on Environment and Cost. Sustainability. 2011; 3(7):965-983.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Achilleos, Constantia; Hadjimitsis, Diofantos; Neocleous, Kyriacos; Pilakoutas, Kypros; Neophytou, Pavlos O.; Kallis, Stelios. 2011. "Proportioning of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Mixes for Pavement Construction and Their Impact on Environment and Cost." Sustainability 3, no. 7: 965-983.

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