Mechanical properties of high strength concrete with scrap tire rubber

Green construction has been a very important aspect in the concrete production field in the last decade. One of the most problematic waste materials is scrap tires. The use of scrap tires in civil engineering is increasing. This article investigates the effect of using scrap tires in high strength concrete on both the mechanical and dynamic properties. Two different rubberized concrete mixtures were designed. The first set; variable slump (VS) was intended to study the effect of rubber replacement of sand on the workability of concrete. The other set; constant slump (CS) was designed to keep the workability the same. The compressive strength of the concrete was reduced by the use of rubber with more severe loss of strength for VS compared to CS. The viscous damping ratio was investigated using free vibration tests with impact hammer on simply supported beams. The replacement of up to 30% of sand with rubber resulted in an increase in damping with the increase being more in the CS beams as well. The hysteresis damping for cylinders under cyclic loading was also investigated and the average hysteresis damping was found to increase. The results of this article give an insight on the properties of high strength concrete with scrap tire rubber. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.