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Bing 2014

This study investigates the use of tire-rubber particles as a replacement for coarse aggregate in concrete, examining various replacement levels and the addition of emulsified asphalt (EA) to improve mechanical properties. Results indicate that increased rubber content decreases slump, compressive strength, elasticity modulus, and flexural strength, while EA addition can enhance certain properties of rubberized concrete. The research highlights the potential for using rubberized concrete in structural applications while addressing environmental concerns related to tire disposal.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
13 views8 pages

Bing 2014

This study investigates the use of tire-rubber particles as a replacement for coarse aggregate in concrete, examining various replacement levels and the addition of emulsified asphalt (EA) to improve mechanical properties. Results indicate that increased rubber content decreases slump, compressive strength, elasticity modulus, and flexural strength, while EA addition can enhance certain properties of rubberized concrete. The research highlights the potential for using rubberized concrete in structural applications while addressing environmental concerns related to tire disposal.

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Bhat Aabid
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Experimental Research on Properties of Fresh and

Hardened Rubberized Concrete


Chen Bing, Ph.D. 1; and Liu Ning, Ph.D. 2

Abstract: In this study, the use of tire-rubber particles as a replacement for coarse aggregate in concrete is investigated. Rubber has replaced
coarse aggregate at content levels of 25, 50, 75, and 100% in concrete by volume. Also, emulsified asphalt (EA) was used to improve
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the mechanical properties of rubberized concrete. Four different series of concrete mixtures were designed to investigate the effects of
the water-cement (w/c) and EA-cement (EA/C) ratios on the properties of rubberized concrete. The slump, air content, dry unit weight,
compressive strength, elasticity modulus, and flexural strength have been compared to the corresponding properties of controlled concrete.
Consequently, an increase in rubber content leads to a decrease in slump and an increase in air content because of the rough surface of rubber.
An increase in rubber content decreases compressive strength, elasticity modulus, and flexural strength because of its lower stiffness and
poorer bonding between rubber and the paste matrix. In the case of equal levels of rubber particle content, the addition of EA greatly increases
slump. However, the effects of EA on the properties of rubberized concrete, such as air content, strength, and elasticity modulus, are based on
the EA/C ratio. A certain level of EA addition can improve the compressive and flexural strength of rubberized concrete. EA addition reduces
the elasticity modulus of the concrete. Adding EA is a good way to improve the bonding between rubber particles and cement paste. DOI: 10
.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000923. © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Rubberized concrete; Emulsified asphalt (EA); Compressive strength; Fresh concrete.

Introduction rubberized concrete. Khatib and Bayomy (1999) studied rubberized


portland cement concrete and offered some practical uses for it, as
In recent decades, disposal of scrap tires has become a major envi- well as the limitations of and concerns about using tire-rubber con-
ronmental problem. An estimated 1 billion tires reach the end of crete. Topcu (1995) investigated the effects of tire-rubber particle
their useful lives every year (Pacheco-Torgal et al. 2012). Currently, size and content on the mechanical properties of concrete. He found
enormous quantities of tires are already in stockpiles or landfills, that although the strength was reduced, the plastic capacity was
3 billion inside the Europe and 1 billion in the United States. There enhanced significantly. Those results showed that the strength of
are some alternatives for disposal other than sending used tires to rubberized concrete decreased as the amount of rubber phase in
landfills. Tire-rubber waste is already used for paving; however, the mixture increased. Khatib and Bayomy (1999) attributed this
this application can recycle only some of the waste (Vieira et al. strength loss to the lack of adhesion between rubber particles
2010). Another alternative is artificial reef formation, but some and the paste. Therefore, some researchers have suggested that
investigations have already questioned the validity of this option the loss in strength might be minimized by prior surface treatment
(Hartwell et al. 1998). Tire waste also can be used in cement kilns of the tire-rubber particles. Li et al. (2004a, b) tried to improve the
for energetic purposes and for producing carbon black by tire strength and stiffness of used tire-modified concrete by using larger
pyrolysis (Siddique and Naik 2004). However, the latter solution chipped rubber fibers and NaOH treatments. They concluded that
is actually not economically viable because of the difficulties of such fibrous rubbers perform better than do chipped rubbers, but
marketing the low-quality final products of this pyrolysis (Farcasiu the NaOH surface treatment does not work for larger chipped tires.
1993). In Pelisser et al. (2011), NaOH also was used to treat the rubber
Recent research has been devoted to the possibility of using surface to enhance its hydrophilicity. Their results showed that
rubber recovered from scrap tires to replace natural aggregates NaOH treatment enhances the adhesion of tire-rubber particles
in concrete. The results indicate that the size, proportion, and sur- to cement paste, and mechanical properties such as flexural strength
face texture of rubber particles affect the strength of used tire rubber and fracture energy improved with the use of tire-rubber particles
contained in concrete (Eshmaiel et al. 2009). Eldin and Senouci added to, rather than substituted for, the aggregate. Some reduction
(1993, 1994) used tire-rubber particles as concrete aggregates, elu- in compressive strength was observed that was lower than that re-
cidated the properties of rubberized concrete, and proposed an ported in the literature. Segre and Joekes (2000) also used NaOH
analytical approach to predicting the strength of these particles in to treat the rubber surface. They concluded that rubber particles
treated by NaOH show better cohesion with cement paste. Their
1
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong Univ., results indicated that flexural strength was improved by using this
Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China (corresponding author). procedure, but a 33% decrease occurred in compressive strength.
E-mail: [email protected] Guneyisi et al. (2004) investigated the properties of silica fume-
2
Lecturer, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong Univ.,
containing concrete with six different levels of rubber content.
Shanghai 200240, People’s Republic of China.
Note. This manuscript was submitted on May 14, 2013; approved on Their findings showed that the addition of silica fume to the matrix
August 19, 2013; published online on August 21, 2013. Discussion period can improve the mechanical properties of rubberized concrete
open until October 5, 2014; separate discussions must be submitted for in- and diminish the rate of strength loss. Huang et al. (2004, 2013)
dividual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in Civil used a two-stage surface treatment to treat rubber particles for
Engineering, © ASCE, ISSN 0899-1561/04014040(9)/$25.00. improving the performance of rubber-modified cement composites.

© ASCE 04014040-1 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.


100
Their results showed that after the two-stage surface treatment of % Rubber particle
rubber particles, the compressive strength of rubber-modified ce- % Coarse aggregate
ment composites could be increased by up to 110%. Those previous % Sand
80
studies indicate that loss in the strength of rubberized concrete
might be minimized by prior surface treatment of the tire-rubber
particles. Emulsified asphalt (EA), as a modifier, is strongly com-

Percentage
60
patible with cement paste and rubber particles (Ozsahin and Oruc
2008). Hence, the use of EA might be an alternative way to improve
the properties of rubberized concrete for structural applications. 40
In this work, an experiment was conducted on the development
of rubberized concrete mixtures with and without EA, and their
basic engineering properties were investigated. The rubber particles 20
were used to replace coarse aggregates in concrete. A total of five
different rubber particle content levels in the coarse aggregate were
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used: 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%. For EA concrete, the rubber particle 0
content of the coarse aggregates was designated as 50 and 100%. In 0.1 1 10 100
total, 16 concrete mixtures were cast at water-cement (w/c) ratios of Log. size (mm)
0.60 and 0.40 and tested for slump, air content, dry unit weight,
compressive and flexural strengths, and modulus of elasticity. Fig. 1. Grading of mineral aggregates and rubber particles
The reason why the w/c ratio of 0.60 was chosen was that the intent
was to investigate the effects of rubber particles on low-strength
concrete. The initial compressive strengths of the control mixtures content of 450 kg=m3 , and the second group of mixtures was de-
were 61.5 and 38.5 MPa for high and low w/c ratios, respectively. signed with a constant w/c ratio of 0.60 and cement content of
350 kg=m3 . For the two groups, coarse aggregate was substituted
for rubber particles at five different content levels: 0, 25, 50, 75, and
Experimental Details 100%. The third and fourth series of mixtures were each designed
with a constant rubber particle volume of 100% and three different
Materials and Mix Proportions EA/cement (EA/C) ratios: 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15. The EA/C ratio was
calculated by mass and used the total mass of cement. Therefore, 16
Ordinary portland cement (OPC) with a 28-day compressive different concrete mixtures were designed, and their details are
strength of 57.5 MPa was used throughout. Crushed stone gravel summarized in Table 3.
with a 20-mm maximum size served as a coarse aggregate, while
natural sand with a 4.75-mm maximum size served as a fine ag-
gregate. Tire-rubber particles were obtained from the mechanical Specimen Preparation
shredding of rubber automotive industry waste. The properties of
All the concrete was produced in a laboratory using a paddle mixer.
fine and coarse aggregates were determined according to ASTM
The coarse aggregate fraction was mixed first, followed by the ce-
standard test methods C127, C128, C129, and C136 (ASTM
ment, part of the required amount of rubber particles, sand, and
2006a, b). The properties of the gravel, sand, and rubber particles
water containing three-quarters of the required amount of super-
are summarized in Table 1. The grading curve of rubber materials
plasticizer. One-quarter of the amount of superplasticizer was
was determined by using crushed stones in each sieve in order to
always retained and then added during the last 3 min of the mixing
provide adequate pressure on the tire-rubber particles to pass the
period. The mixture was mixed for 5 min and then settled for 3 min
sieves. The sieve analysis was carried out in accordance with
of rest. The concrete slump was measured during the settling time.
the requirements of ASTM C136 (ASTM 2006c), and the grading
The mixture was stirred for 2 min after the slump test. For the rub-
curves are presented in Fig. 1. The gravel and rubber used in the
berized concrete with EA, the rubber particles were first mixed with
study are in a saturated surface dry condition. A polycarboxylic
EA for 1 min, then the cement, coarse aggregate, sand, and water
ether type superplasticizer (SP) with a specific gravity of 1.07
diluted with superplasticizer were added. The total mixing time was
was employed to achieve the desired workability in concrete mix-
almost 7 min. This method improved the uniformity of rubber par-
tures with lower w/c ratios. Moreover, EA was used to improve the
ticles with other materials in the concrete samples. This procedure
interfaces between rubber particles and cement paste; its properties
was adopted to improve the adhesion of the matrix formed by the
are listed in Table 2.
cement with the aggregates (gravel, rubber, and additives).
In this study, the rubber particles replaced a volume fraction of
The test specimens were cast by a vibrating table to achieve
the coarse aggregate. Different levels of replacement (0, 25, 50, 75,
proper and consistent compaction. After casting, all concrete spec-
and 100%) were studied. In order to investigate the effects of the
imens were covered with wet burlap in the laboratory at 20°C
w/c ratio and EA on the properties of rubberized concrete, four dif-
(1°C) and 65% relative humidity for 24 h. At that point, 24 h after
ferent series of concrete mixtures were designed. The first group of
placing concrete in the molds, samples were removed and kept in
mixtures was designed with a constant w/c ratio of 0.40 and cement
a completely humid environment [95% (3%) relative humidity
(RH), 22°C (2°C)] to cure until testing.
Table 1. Properties of Aggregate and Rubber
Aggregate Specific Absorption Fineness Unit weight Test Program
type gravity (%) modulus (kg=m3 )
The tested properties of the fresh concrete mixture sample include
Gravel 2.60 2.43 N/A 1,650 slump and air content. The test procedures used for the slump test
Sand 2.65 4.50 2.80 1,700 and pressure method were in accordance with ASTM C 143 and
Rubber particles 1.16 42.1 N/A 1,150
ASTM C231-03, respectively. Properties of the tested hardened

© ASCE 04014040-2 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.


Table 2. Properties of Anionic EA
Residue
Cement mixing Storage stability Solid content Penetration Softening point Ductility
Average particle size (μm) of EA (%) (5days, 25°C) (%) (%) (25°C,100 g, 5 s) (0.1 mm) (R&B) (°C) (25°C) (cm)
1.8 23.5 1.4 60.5 64 46.5 135

Table 3. Concrete Mixture Proportions


Rubber particles
Air
Mix Water EA Cement Gravel Sand Replace gravel Superplasticizer contents Slump
Series number w/c (kg=m3 ) (%)a (kg=m3 ) (kg=m3 ) (kg=m3 ) (kg=m3 ) by volume (%) (kg=m3 ) (%) (mm)
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I 1 0.40 180 N/A 450 1,120 680 0 0 9.10 2.5 135


2 0.40 180 N/A 450 840 680 122.5 25 9.10 3.5 120
3 0.40 180 N/A 450 560 680 245.1 50 9.10 5.3 113
4 0.40 180 N/A 450 280 680 361.8 75 9.10 6.0 110
5 0.40 180 N/A 450 0 680 490.3 100 9.10 6.8 98
II 6 0.60 210 N/A 350 1,120 680 0 0 0 3.2 140
7 0.60 210 N/A 350 840 680 122.5 25 0 4.3 125
8 0.60 210 N/A 350 560 680 245.1 50 0 6.2 110
9 0.60 210 N/A 350 280 680 361.5 75 0 7.0 90
10 0.60 210 N/A 350 0 680 490.3 100 0 7.5 80
III 11 0.40 180 0.05 450 560 680 245.1 50 9.10 5.0 115
12 0.40 180 0.10 450 560 680 245.1 50 9.10 5.2 128
13 0.40 180 0.15 450 560 680 245.1 50 9.10 4.8 135
IV 14 0.40 180 0.05 450 0 680 490.3 100 9.10 6.5 125
15 0.40 180 0.10 450 0 680 490.3 100 9.10 6.8 138
16 0.40 180 0.15 450 0 680 490.3 100 9.10 6.8 140
a
Weight of cement mass.

composite included dry unit weight, as determined by geometric resists the normal flow of concrete under its own weight. Based on
measurements and weighing. The compressive strength test was the results of the current study, the reduction of the slump can be
performed according to the ASTM C 1231/1993 specifications attributed to the jagged surface of the rubber particles, which results
at the temperature of 20°C (3°C). Three specimens were tested in a rough surface texture that increases the friction between the
under the saturation water condition for each concrete type and particles and the mixture, and the nonpolar nature of rubber par-
at an aging time of 28 days. An electric hydraulic testing machine ticles, which results in high water absorption and decreases slump.
with a 200-t capacity and a 0.5 MPa=s loading rate was used. The As the amount of rubber particles replacing coarse aggregate in-
elastic modulus was determined from the stress/strain curve creases from 0 to 100%, the slump of series I and II mixtures de-
obtained from the compressive strength test. The modulus was de- creases from 135 to 98 mm and 140 to 80 mm, respectively. The
termined from the tangent between the initial 0.5-MPa stress at decreased amplitude of series II is higher than that of series I, which
30% of the concrete strength. The compressive strength of the con- indicates that the superplasticizer in series I helps to reduce the
crete was obtained by an average of the three strength tests previ- undesirable effect of rubber particles on workability. Fig. 2(b)
ously conducted. Flexural strength tests were also carried out shows the effect of EA/C on the slump of mixtures with rubber
according to the ASTM C78 specification, using prism specimens particle content levels of 50 and 100%. From this figure, the slump
measuring 100 × 100 × 500 mm. Scanning electron microscopy of series III and IV mixtures increases as EA content increases.
(SEM) analysis was performed using specimens measuring 2 × When the amounts of water and superplasticizer are the same,
2 cm that were cut from the concrete samples without any etching. the slumps of rubberized concrete containing 50 and 100% rubber
particles increase from 113 and 90 mm to 135 and 140 mm, respec-
tively (i.e., increase by 20 and 55%, respectively). The introduction
Experimental Results and Discussion of EA greatly improved the workability of rubberized concrete.
This effect may be due to improvements in the nonpolarization
characteristics of the surface of the rubber particles by the EA,
Properties of Fresh Concrete
which greatly reduces the water absorption capacity of the rubber
The variation of the slump of fresh concrete with rubber particle particles and increases slump. In general, the rubberized concrete
concentration is presented in Fig. 2. The workability of fresh con- specimens have acceptable workability in terms of ease of handing,
crete, defined as the ease with which it can be mixed, transported, placement, and finishing.
and placed, is affected by the interactions of rubber particles and The air contents of rubberized concrete mixtures, with respect to
mineral aggregates. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the slump of series I and both rubber particle content level of the coarse aggregate and EA/C
II mixes decreased as the rubber particle content in place of coarse ratio, are displayed in Fig. 3. The illustration clearly indicates that
aggregate increased, which agrees with the findings of other re- the addition of rubber particles to the cement matrix increases the
searchers (Turatsinze and Garros 2008; Khaloo et al. 2008; Senouci level of air content. However, compared to the control mix, an in-
and Eldin 1993). Senouci and Eldin (1993) explained the phenome- crease in air content is observed as a function of level of rubber
non as the rubber particles forming an interlocking structure that particle content, yielding the quasi-linear relationship illustrated

© ASCE 04014040-3 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.


145 145
Series I Series III
140
Series II 140 Series IV
135
135
130
125 130
120
125

Slump (mm)
115

Slump (mm)
120
110
105 115
100
110
95
105
90
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85 100
80
95
75
0 20 40 60 80 100 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15
(a) Rubber particle content (%) of coarse aggregate (b) Emulsified asphalt/ Cement ratio

Fig. 2. Slump of rubberized concrete: (a) effect of rubber particle content of coarse aggregate; (b) effect of EA/C ratio

8.0
Series I 7.0 Series III
7.5 Series II Series IV
6.8
7.0
6.6
6.5

6.0 6.4

6.2
Air content (%)

5.5
Air content (%)

5.0 6.0

4.5 5.8
4.0 5.6
3.5
5.4
3.0
5.2
2.5
5.0
2.0
0 20 40 60 80 100 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15
(a) Rubber particle content (%) of coarse aggregate (b) Emulsified asphalt/ Cement ratio

Fig. 3. Air content of rubberized concrete: (a) effect of rubber particle content of coarse aggregate; (b) effect of EA/C ratio

in Fig. 3(a). According to Reda Taha et al. (2003), this result may be For EA/C ratios exceeding 0.05, the values of air content increase
due to the capability of rubber particles to entrap air at their rough with that ratio. This may be due to either or both of the following:
surfaces due to their nonpolar nature. The present work confirms 1. When the EA/C ratio was less than 0.05, most EA droplets
that the hydrophobic nature of rubber helps to increase the air con- were adsorbed onto the surfaces of the rubber particles and
tent when the rubber particle content of coarse aggregate increases. thus reduced the surface roughness of the rubber, which
Reviewing past research on air entrainment revealed that it is clearly resulted in less air content.
an extremely complex process that is affected by many factors, in- 2. When the EA/C ratio exceeded 0.05, the excess EA would be
cluding the mixing process, material mixture proportioning, fine dispersed in the cement slurry.
and coarse aggregates, physical and chemical properties of cement, The surfactants in the EA droplets could entrap air during
water amount, and several other parameters. The increase of water mixing, so as to increase the air content.
content during mixing also incites the entrapment of air (Benazzouk
et al. 2006). For identical rubber particle content levels in the coarse Hardened Concrete Properties
aggregate, the air content in series I mixtures is higher than that of
series II mixtures; the water amount in series II is higher than that
in series I. However, the addition of EA affects air content of rub- Dry Unit Weight
berized concrete mixtures differently. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the The variation in dry unit weight with the content level of rubber
air content of rubberized concrete decreased when EA was added. particles in the coarse aggregate is shown in Fig. 4. This illustration

© ASCE 04014040-4 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.


2400
Series I (Ghaly and Cahill 2005), as expected, the compressive strength
2300 Series II of concrete mixtures generally decreases as rubber particle content
2200
of coarse aggregates increases. As seen in Fig. 5(a), for series I
mixtures with 25% rubber particle replacement, the compressive
2100 strength was reduced by 26.5% relative to that of the control mix-
Dry unite weight (kg/m )
3

2000 ture. Rubber particle replacement levels of 50, 75, and 100%
in coarse aggregates reduced their strengths by 47.1, 58.5, and
1900
74.3%, respectively. This detrimental effect was discussed by
1800 Turatsinze et al. (2005, 2007) for mortar. The same causes seem
1700
to be involved in the case of rubberized concrete (e.g., the high
Poisson ratio), which may induce premature cracking of the con-
1600 crete when compressed, the low stiffness of rubber, the bond
1500 defects at the rubber-cement paste interface, and the high porosity
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of rubberized concrete. However, the strength reduction of the


1400
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 series II mixture is lower than that of the series I mixture. For
Rubber particle content (%) of coarse aggregate the series II mixture, rubber particle replacement levels of 25,
50, 75, and 100% in coarse aggregates reduced their strengths
Fig. 4. Variation of dry unit weight of mixtures with rubber particle by 15.6, 41.5, 54.5, and 70.0%, respectively. The results indicated
content of coarse aggregate that a large number of rubber particles can be used for concrete that
do not require a higher level of strength.
Fig. 5(b) displays the effect of EA/C ratio on the compressive
strength of rubberized concrete, and the compressive strength of
clearly indicates that the addition of rubber particles reduces the dry rubberized concrete increased for EA/C ratios lower than 0.10
unit weight as expected, considering the lower density of rubber and reached a maximum value when the EA/C ratio was 0.10.
particles (1.16) compared to that of coarse aggregate (2.60). For For EA/C ratios exceeding 0.15, the compressive strength was re-
instance, 50% replacement of coarse aggregate by rubber particles duced. For series III, when the EA/C ratio is 0.10, the compressive
induced a reduction of 12% in the unit weight. However, a calcu- strength increases by 4.6% over that of rubberized concrete without
lation based on the density difference between rubber particles and EA addition. For series IV, when the EA/C ratio is 0.10, the com-
coarse aggregate shows that the simple replacement of coarse ag- pressive strength increases by 7.5%, which is higher than that of
gregate by rubber is insufficient to justify the observed amplitude of series III. As discussed in the previous section, one reason for the
the decrease in unit weight. Such a result was not surprising, based reduction in the compressive strength of rubberized concrete was
on the variation of the air content induced by the rubber particles lack of proper bonding between rubber particles and cement paste
discussed in the previous section. (compared to the bond between cement paste and aggregates). In-
corporation of a certain amount of EA forms a layer of film on the
surface of the rubber particles that improves the interface between
Compressive Strength
the rubber particles and the cement matrix, thus improving the con-
The compressive strength of the concrete mixtures was deter- crete compressive strength of the rubber particles. Meanwhile, ex-
mined after 28 d aging, and the results are presented in Fig. 5. cessive inclusion of EA (i.e., EA/C ratios higher than 0.10) affect
The curve was drawn using the average value from three tests the hydration of cement and thus affect a corresponding decrease in
at each point. Consistent with the findings of other researchers the compressive strength.

70
Series I 34
Series II
60 32
Series III
30
Series IV
Compressive strength (MPa)

Compressive strength (MPa)

50
28

40 26

24
30
22

20 20

18
10
16

0 20 40 60 80 100 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15


(a) Rubber particle content (%) of coarse aggregate (b) Emulsified asphalt/ Cement ratio

Fig. 5. Compressive strength of rubberized concrete: (a) effect of rubber particle content of coarse aggregate; (b) effect of EA/C ratio

© ASCE 04014040-5 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.


25
Modulus of Elasticity Series III
24 Series IV
The variation in the modulus of elasticity with rubber particle con-
tent in the coarse aggregate is illustrated in Fig. 6. In general, the 23
decrease in the modulus of elasticity when rubber particles are used 22

Elasticity modulus (GPa)


can be logically justified by the well-established fact that the modu- 21
lus of elasticity of a concrete depends on the modulus of elasticity of
the aggregates and on their volumetric proportion in the matrix 20
(Hobbs 1971). Therefore, aggregates with large moduli of elasticity 19
will result in concrete with large moduli of elasticity. For aggregates 18
with higher moduli of elasticity than cement paste, a higher volume
17
of aggregates used in the concrete mixture will result in a high
modulus of elasticity. Hence, an increase in the rubber replacement 16
level of coarse aggregates in concrete will cause the modulus of 15
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elasticity of the aggregates and, consequently, the modulus of elas-


14
ticity of concrete to be reduced. This result is directly related to the
volume of rubber added. However, for identical rubber particle con- 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15
tent levels in the coarse aggregate, the reduction of the elasticity Emulsified asphalt/ Cement ratio
modulus of series I is lower than that of series II; the basic strength
of series I is higher than that of series II. For series I, rubber particle Fig. 7. Effect of EA/C ratio on the modulus of elasticity
replacement levels of 25, 50, 75, and 100% in coarse aggregates
reduced the elasticity modulus by 13.0, 36.0, 44.0, and 57.0%, re-
spectively. Meanwhile, for series II, the corresponding reductions of strength are much lower than those of compressive strength. For
elasticity modulus are 30.0, 40.0, 53.6, and 69.5%, respectively. series I, replacements of 25, 50, 75, and 100% of the coarse aggre-
The effect of EA/C ratio on the elasticity modulus of rubberized gate by rubber particles reduced the flexural strength by 18.8, 44.0,
concrete is shown in Fig. 7. The trend was different from that of 52.0, and 63.0%, respectively. Meanwhile, for series II, the corre-
compressive strength; the elasticity modulus of rubberized concrete sponding reductions of flexural strength are 12.0, 32.0, 49.6, and
decreased with the addition of EA. As shown in Fig. 7, the elasticity 59.3%, respectively. According to a general principle governing
modulus of rubberized concrete decreased with an increase in EA/C flexure, flexural stresses exerted on concrete produce tensile stress
ratio, which may be due to the lower elasticity modulus of EA com- on one side of the neutral axis and compressive stress on the other,
pared to that of cement paste. so that, with the combination of coupled tensile and compressive
forces, the compressive moment is neutralized. Due to the low ten-
sile strength of concrete relative to its compressive strength, failure
Flexural Strength will occur for lower stresses and before concrete reaches its ulti-
Overall, the results presented in the previous sections depict the mate strength in the compression region. As a result, the most im-
poor basic mechanical performance of rubberized concrete. How- portant factor in reducing both flexural and compressive strength is
ever, as a soft material, rubber particles can act as a barrier against lack of strong bonding between the rubber particles and cement
crack growth in concrete. Therefore, flexural strength in concrete paste. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 9, the addition of EA to improve
that contains rubber should be higher than in the control mixture. the bonding strength between rubber particles and cement paste
However, the results showed the opposite of this hypothesis. As enhances the flexural strength of rubberized concrete. For rubber-
shown in Fig. 8, the flexural strength decreased as the rubber par- ized concrete with rubber particle content of 50%, the flexural
ticle content of coarse aggregate increased for both mixtures, and strength increases from 2.50 to 3.20 MPa as the EA/C ratio in-
only the reduction rate was different. For the same rubber particle creases from 0 to 0.15. The flexural strength increases by 28%.
content replacement level, the reduction rate of series I is higher However, the increase ratio of flexural strength decreases as
than that of series II. However, the reduction rates of flexural EA/C increases.

45 5.0
SeriesI
4.5 SeriesI
40
SeriesII SeriesII
35 4.0
Flexural strength (MPa)
Elasticity modulus (GPa)

3.5
30
3.0
25
2.5
20
2.0
15
1.5
10 1.0
5 0.5
0 0.0
0 25 50 75 100 0 25 50 75 100
Rubber particles content (%) of coarse aggregate Rubber particles content (%) of coarse aggregate

Fig. 6. Effect of rubber particle content of coarse aggregate on the Fig. 8. Effect of rubber particle content of coarse aggregate on flexural
modulus of elasticity strength

© ASCE 04014040-6 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.


3.4 Series III rubberized concrete modified by EA appeared to have completely
Series IV filled the voids and possibly coated all surfaces of the rubber par-
3.2
ticles. The EA film in its entity has a fine-grained texture, as shown
3.0 in Figs. 10(c and d), which improves the bonding strength between
Flexural Strength (MPa)

rubber particles and cement paste. Therefore, a certain content of


2.8
EA incorporated into rubberized concrete can improve its proper-
2.6 ties, including compressive and flexural strength.
2.4

2.2 Conclusions
2.0
Based on the experimental parameters and investigation conditions
1.8 employed in this study, the following conclusions were drawn:
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1. Workability of fresh rubberized concrete was affected by the


1.6
content levels of rubber particles and EA. Slump is reduced by
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 increasing the rubber particle content of coarse aggregate, and
Emulsified asphalt/ Cement ratio the superplasticizer can help to reduce the undesirable effects
of rubber particles on workability. For the same rubber particle
Fig. 9. Effect of the EA/C ratio on flexural strength content level of coarse aggregate, the introduction of EA
greatly improved the workability of rubberized concrete. How-
ever, rubberized concrete with rubber particles exhibits accep-
Microstructure Analysis table workability in terms of ease of handing, placement, and
finishing.
This analysis was performed by SEM to determine the morphology 2. The addition of rubber particles increases the content level
and porosity of the interface between the rubber and the cement of air in a fresh mixture due to both their texture and greater
matrix. The analysis was performed with samples of rubberized specific area. However, the addition of EA affects the content
concrete both without and with EA. Fig. 10 presents morphologies level of air based on the EA/C ratio. For EA/C ratios lower
of rubberized concrete without EA and modified mixes by EA, as than 0.05, the addition of EA increases the content level of air;
well as EA film. The mixtures without EA were observed to contain for higher EA/C ratios, the content level of air decreases as
voids or interparticle spacing, including gaps at the interfacial EA/C ratio increases.
boundary between cement paste and rubber, as shown in Fig. 10(a). 3. As expected, the presence of rubber particles in the place of
A porosity reduction in the transition zone can be verified for rub- coarse aggregate causes a reduction in the unit weight of con-
berized concrete with EA modification, which was caused by the crete. This trend is due to the low specific gravity of rubber and
coalescence of EA on the surface of rubber [Fig. 10(b)]. In fact, the high content level of air in rubberized concrete.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Fig. 10. Morphologies: (a) cement matrix with rubber particles; (b) cement matrix with rubber particles containing EA; (c) details showing the
interface of rubber and cement with EA; (d) the EA film

© ASCE 04014040-7 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.


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6. The flexural strength of concrete was reduced with increased Khatib, Z. K., and Bayomy, F. M. (1999). “Rubberized portland cement
levels of rubber particle content of coarse aggregate in con- concrete.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(1999)
crete. The most important reason for this trend is a lack of 11:3(206), 206–213.
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Acknowledgments Ozsahin, T. S., and Oruc, S. (2008). “Neural network model for resilient
modulus of emulsified asphalt mixtures.” Constr. Build. Mater., 22(7),
The financial support from the National Natural Science Founda- 1436–1445.
tion of China with Grant No. 51378309 and the scientific research Pacheco-Torgal, F., Ding, Y., and Jalali, S. (2012). “Properties and durabil-
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Grant No. 2013G008-F. ene terephthalate bottles): An overview.” Constr. Build. Mater., 30(1),
714–724.
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J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

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