A novel textile reinforced concrete U-drain incorporated with waste fishing nets

In this work, the first-of-its-kind U-drain made of Textile-Reinforced Concrete (TRC) reinforced with waste fishing nets is discussed. Utilizing waste fishing nets allows a new way to employ waste materials in construction products. The investigations employed an anchovy waste fishing net made of nylon with a 5mm aperture. To fortify the TRC U-drain, glass textiles, and waste fishing nets were integrated and coated with an additional layer of epoxy. The characterization of TRC, the flexural performance of TRC panels, and the macro-structural response along with cracking and failure pattern of TRC U-drain under flexural load are reported. Characterization studies showed that integrating waste fishing nets with conventional glass textiles improved their strength and stiffness. It was also observed that the utilization of the waste fishing net enables the optimization of textile reinforcement requirements in TRC. The results of the study also show how waste fishing nets can be utilized as reinforcement in TRC as a sustainable substitute for conventional textile reinforcement. Lastly, the TRC U-drain’s load capacity shows that it can be used for stormwater infrastructure, which can lead to a lot of opportunities for a new sustainable product in the construction industry.