Effect of Brick and Ceramic Powders on Fresh and Hardened Properties of Rubberized Concrete

The use of used tire waste in the production of concrete can help eliminate massive amounts of this waste that is generated each year. Several studies carried out over the last few decades have used waste tires in the composition of concrete. They highlighted a decrease in the mechanical properties of rubberized concrete. To overcome the mechanical properties reduction of rubberized concrete, this experimental work investigates the use of brick and ceramic waste powders in rubberized concrete composition. To accomplish this goal, rubberized concretes with 5 and 10% recycled tire rubber as fine aggregate were prepared. Then, 50 and 100 kg of brick and ceramic waste powders were added to the composition of the rubberized concrete mixtures. Slump, density, and air content tests were used to study the fresh properties, while the hardened properties were studied through compressive and flexural strengths, ultrasonic pulse velocity, water absorption, and chemical attacks. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the microstructure of the rubberized concrete mixtures. The results obtained showed that using 100 kg of brick and ceramic powders in the composition of rubberized concrete increased compressive strength by 24.22 and 18.48%, respectively. However, the use of brick and ceramic powders decreased the workability of rubberized concrete by 68.18%. The results obtained also revealed that rubberized concretes containing brick and ceramic powders had lower water absorption and greater resistance to chemical attacks.