Impact of Tyre-Rubber Aggregate on the Strength Properties of Concrete

Rubber is known to have excellent energy absorbing characteristics. Researchers have found that rubber can effectively improve the ductility, reduce the weight, lower modulus of elasticity and prevent brittle failures of materials of which it is a component part. Concrete is believed to be the second most widely-used material in the world. As such, using rubber in concrete can help consume large amounts of waste rubber tyres, by replacing conventional (naturally-occurring) aggregates of concrete with rubber. Thus, reusing waste rubber tyres as replacement in concrete could be a potential solution to the environmental nuisance such tyres have hitherto posed. This research studied strength-characteristics of concrete using waste tyre-rubber as partial replacement for coarse aggregate in concrete construction and compares the results to those of conventional concrete. The specimens were produced with percentage replacements of the coarse aggregate by 5%, 10% and 15 % of rubber aggregate. A control mix with no replacement of the coarse aggregate was produced, to make a comparative analysis. The samples consisted of concrete cubes, cylinders and beams.