A Study on the Mechanical and Durability Properties of Rubberized Concrete

Even though concrete is a huge contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, it has become an indispensable part of our everyday life. The use of recycled materials in concrete has the potential to provide an eco-friendly solution to concrete construction technology and reduce its carbon footprint to some extent. Research has been carried out for decades to make concrete an environmentally friendly material and the inclusion of rubber crumb as a replacement for aggregate is gaining popularity in recent times. This also solves the disposal problem of scrap rubber tires which is a serious concern considering the huge market of rubber tires all over the globe. Contrasting results are observed in previous research on the effect of crumb rubber in concrete. Moreover, a proper guideline is necessary for incorporating rubber crumb in concrete as its properties vary with the origin of the rubber scraps. To determine an optimum replacement level of crumb rubber in concrete, this study investigated the properties of cement concrete made with crumb rubber replacing particles at levels 10, 30, and 50% with fixed water-to-cement ratio of 0.31. Concrete properties that were examined in this comprehensive study include fresh property: slump and mechanical properties: compressive strength and failure pattern. It was observed that up to 10% replacement of sand with crumb rubber in concrete resulted in comparable mechanical properties.