Accepted Manuscript

Recycling of waste tire rubber as aggregate in concrete: durability-related

performance

Blessen Skariah Thomas, Ramesh Chandra Gupta, Vinu John Panicker

PII: S0959-6526(15)01136-1
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.08.046
Reference: JCLP 6013

To appear in: Journal of Cleaner Production

Received Date: 14 March 2015

Revised Date: 24 July 2015
Accepted Date: 12 August 2015

Please cite this article as: Thomas BS, Chandra Gupta R, Panicker VJ, Recycling of waste tire rubber
as aggregate in concrete: durability-related performance, Journal of Cleaner Production (2015), doi:
10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.08.046.

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Recycling of waste tire rubber as aggregate in concrete: durability-related performance

Blessen Skariah Thomas*, Ramesh Chandra Gupta, Vinu John Panicker

*chaprathu44@gmail.com

Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT
Recycling of waste tire rubber as aggregate in concrete: durability-related performance

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation to comparatively study the
depth of chloride penetration, resistance to acid attack and macrocell corrosion of

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rubberized concrete and control mix concrete. Waste tire rubber in the form of crumb rubber
was replaced for natural fine aggregates from 0% to 20% in multiples of 2.5%. Analytical

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studies were performed with Abaqus and the results were compared with compressive and
flexural strength obtained in the laboratory. It was observed that the depth of chloride

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penetration of the concrete with 2.5-7.5% crumb rubber was lower than or equal to the
control mix concrete. In the water absorption test of acid attacked specimens, gradual

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increase was observed as the percentage of crumb rubber was increased. After acid attack,
more losses in the weight and compressive strength were observed in the control mix
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concrete than the rubberized concrete. There was no presence of sufficient corrosion in the
specimens from the macrocell corrosion test. The analytical results have shown the same
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trend for compressive strength and flexural tensile strength as obtained in the laboratory. It
can be concluded that the rubberized concrete is highly resistant to the aggressive
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environments and can be implemented in the areas where there are chances of acid attack.
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Keywords- Recycling; Waste Tire Rubber; Mechanical Properties; Corrosion; Analytical

Modelling
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1. Introduction
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The invention of concrete has been one of the key events in evolution because of its
simplicity, strength, durability and the affordability for the society. It is the third most used
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substance in the world after air and water. One of the greatest challenges for the concrete
industry is to help in the transformation of the consumption based society to a sustainable
society by helping to lower the pollution of natural environment and to prevent the
exhaustion of natural resources (Gencel et al., 2012 & 2013; Thomas et al., 2013 & 2014;
Meddah et al. 2014).

Disposal of used tires is a global problem. It is estimated that, every year almost 1000 million
tires end their service life and more than 50% are discarded without any treatment. By the

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year 2030, the number would reach to 1200 million tires yearly. (Including the stockpiled
tires, there would be 5000 million tires to be discarded on a regular basis.) The practice of
disposal by burning has proved to create serious fire hazards and environmental pollution.
Disposal by land filling has become difficult because of the depletion of the available sites
and due to sanitary infections by insects and rodents (Garrick, 2001; Benazzouk et al., 2007;
Onuaguluchi et al., 2014; Su et al., 2014; Thomas et al., 2015).

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The alternatives include the use as a fuel in cement kilns, to produce carbon black, use in
asphalt pavements or to use as aggregates in concrete. Use of tires as fuel is technically

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feasible, while it is not economically attractive due to the high initial costs. It also pollutes the
environment by emitting large quantities of carbon dioxide. The carbon black produced by

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the pyrolysis process is expensive and the product is inferior to that produced from petroleum
products. The use of tires in asphalt pavements is technically and economically feasible but

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only a small percentage of the waste tires are used in the asphalt industry. One of the possible
solutions for the use of waste tire rubber is to incorporate into cement based materials, to
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replace some of the natural aggregates. This attempt could be environmental friendly (as it
helps to dispose the waste tires and prevent environmental pollution) and economically viable
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(as some of the costly natural aggregates can be saved) (Raghavan et al., 1998; Flores-
Medina et al., 2014; Thomas et al., 2015).
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Guneyisi (2010) explained that the use of crumb rubber as fine aggregates prolonged the
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setting time and the viscosity of concrete. Use of fly ash helped to diminish the negative
effect of the crumb rubber and decrease the viscosity of the concrete. Issa and Salem (2013)
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studied on the use of recycled crumb rubber as fine aggregates in concrete. They have
recorded good compressive strength for less than 25% replacements (for fine aggregates),
while huge drop was noticed beyond 25% replacements. In the specimens with 25% crumb
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rubber, almost 8% reduction in concrete density was noticed. Dong et al. (2013) explained
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that the compressive and splitting tensile strength of concrete with treated rubber increased
by 10-20% when compared to the concrete with uncoated rubber. The chloride ion resistance
of concrete with coated rubber and the concrete without rubber were almost similar. The
energy absorption capacity of the concrete with coated rubber had shown improvement.

Yilmaz and Degirmenci (2009) have observed decrease in the water absorption upon increase
in size of the rubber particles in the concrete. Bravo and Brito (2012) have reported that the
water absorption (by the process of immersion) of rubberized concrete increases as the

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percentage of rubber and the particle size of rubber increases. The results were not conclusive
when the capillary water absorption test was done. Azevedo et al. (2012) explained that it is
possible to maintain a low capillary action even at the rubber content of 15% in concrete. Li
et al. (2004) observed higher strength and stiffness in the waste tire fibre modified concrete
when compared to the tire chip modified concrete. Both the specimens had higher post crack
toughness when compared to the control specimens (without rubber.) Increasing the stiffness

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of the tire fibres and the use of thin fibres can help to increase the strength and stiffness of
rubberized concrete.

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Mohamed (2014) studied on high strength rubberized concrete containing silica fumes. Tire-
rubber particles composed of a combination of crumb rubber and fine rubber powder that

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replaced the total weight of the fine mineral aggregate by 10% to 40%. The fresh rubberised
concrete exhibited lower unit weight, acceptable workability and good resilience when

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compared to plain concrete. Considerable reductions were noticed in axial strength, flexural
strength, and tangential modulus of elasticity. Zhang and Li (2012) studied on the abrasion
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resistance of rubberized concrete. Silica fumes and crumb rubber were taken as the additives.
It was reported that the addition of silica fume enhanced both compressive strength and
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abrasion resistance of concrete, and the addition of crumb rubber reduced the compressive
strength but the abrasion resistance of the concrete was increased notably. Silica fume
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concrete performed a better abrasion resistance than control concrete, and the rubberized
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concrete performed a much better abrasion resistance than silica fume concrete.

Xue and Shinozuka (2013) have mentioned that the bonding between the cement paste and
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the crumb rubber can be improved by the addition of silica fumes in concrete, which is
proven by the increase in compressive strength of the rubberized silica fume concrete. Nayef
et al. (2010) explained that the use of 5% silica fumes in rubberized concrete helps to
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minimize the loss in compressive strength at elevated temperatures. At elevated temperature

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of above 400°C, the compressive strength was similar to that of control concrete.

Hence, the reuse of waste tire rubber in concrete could have both environmental advantages
and at the same time ensure economic viability. In this regard, an attempt may be done to
control the environmental pollution and to save the natural resources by using the discarded
tire rubber for partial replacement for fine aggregates in cement concrete. In the literatures,
the studies on the behaviour of rubberized concrete in sulphuric acid, silver nitrate spray test
for rubberized concrete and the corrosion studies of reinforcement are missing.

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In this paper, a comparative study on the depth of chloride penetration, resistance to acid
attack and macrocell corrosion of rubberized concrete and control mix concrete has been
reported. Waste tire rubber in the form of crumb rubber was replaced for natural fine
aggregates from 0% to 20% in multiples of 2.5%. Analytical studies were performed with
Abaqus and the results were compared with compressive and flexural strength obtained in the
laboratory.

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2. Materials and Methods

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The properties of the raw materials and the methods of preparation of the specimens for
testing are described below.

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Ordinary Portland Cement of grade 43, conforming to IS: 8112-1989 was used. Specific
gravity was 3.15, Normal consistency 34%, Initial setting time 99 minutes, Final setting time

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176 minutes. Natural river sand confirming to zone II as per IS: 383-1970; void content 34%
as per ASTM C 29, Specific gravity 2.63, free surface moisture 1% and fineness modulus
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2.83. Coarse aggregates, 10 mm size was used 40% (fineness modulus-5.573) and 20 mm
size was used 60% (fineness modulus-7.312) crushed stone were used as coarse aggregates
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with an average specific gravity-2.63. The particle size distribution of aggregates is given in
Figure 1. Tire rubber was grinded into three sizes (powder form of 30 mesh, 0.8 to 2 mm, 2 to
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4 mm). The Specific gravity of rubber powder was 1.05 and that of the other two sizes were
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1.13. The three sizes of crumb rubber were mixed in definite percentages (2 to 4 mm size in
25%, 0.8 to 2 mm size in 35% and rubber powder in 40%) to bring it to zone II. The chemical
composition of Crumb Rubber is given in Table 2. The physical properties and chemical
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composition of cement are given in Thomas et al., 2014. The properties of cement were
measured as per IS 8112:1989 and IS 4031. The physical properties of aggregate are
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measured as per the procedures given in IS 2386.

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To investigate the suitability of discarded tire rubber as a substitute for fine aggregates in
concrete, design of concrete was done as per IS: 10262-2010 with water-cement ratio 0.4.
Water-cement ratios of 0.45 and 0.5 were also studied to study the variation in different
properties. Crumb rubber was replaced for natural fine aggregates from 0% to 20% in
multiple of 2.5%. The mix proportions of the control mix are given in Table 1. Super
plasticizer was used as the admixture to arrive at the desired workability (above 0.91 in
compacting factor test, given in Thomas et al., 2014). In these mixes, fifteen concrete
specimens of size 100 mm were casted for acid attack test. Three concrete specimens of size

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250 mm X 200 mm X 120 mm were prepared as per ASTM G 109-2005 for the corrosion test
and three concrete specimens of 100 mm size were prepared to study the chloride ion
penetration. The mixtures were prepared and casted at indoor temperature of 25-30°C.
Moulds were covered with plastic sheets, soon after casting and de-moulded after 24 hours.
Curing was done for 28 to 90 days in water tank, with controlled temperature of 25-27°C.
Preparation of specimens and testing were performed as per the ASTM and IS codes given in

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the References.

3. Experimental Program

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Silver nitrate spraying test was used to study the depth of chloride penetration as per

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Baroghel-Bouny et al., 2007. The test specimens (100 mm concrete cubes) after 28 days of
water curing, were subjected to continuous soaking for 91 days in 4% NaCl solution. The
specimens were periodically withdrawn at 28, 56 and 91 days from the soaking tank and

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tested to measure the depth of chloride penetration. The cubes were split into two halves from
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the middle and the freshly split pieces were sprayed with 0.1N Silver Nitrate (AgNO3)
solution. The AgNO3 reacts with the free chloride on the concrete surface and form a white
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precipitate of silver chloride (AgCl). In the places where the free chlorides are absent, AgNO3
reacts with hydroxide to form a brown precipitate of silver oxide (AgO). Thus, the boundary
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of colour change indicates the depth of chloride permeability.

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Degradation can take place if the concrete is exposed to sulphuric acid environments. It is one
of the key durability issues that affect the maintenance costs and life cycle performance of all
the concrete structures. There can be presence of sulphuric acid in chemical waste, ground
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water, etc. In the case of concrete structures in industrial zones, there can be possibility of
deterioration due to acid rains in which sulphuric acid can be one of the key components.
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Sulphuric acid attack is more disastrous than sulphate attack because of the fact that there
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would be a dissolution effect by the hydrogen ions in addition to the attack by sulphate ions.
Corrosion of concrete due to the action of sulphuric acid can be characterized by the
following reactions (Bassuoni and Nehdi, 2007).

Ca(OH)2+H2SO4 CaSO4.2H2O

CaSiO2.2H2O+H2SO4 CaSO4+Si(OH)4+H2O

3CaO.Al2O3.12H2O+3(CaSO4.2H2O)+14H2O 3CaO.Al2O3.3CaSO4.32H2O

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Gypsum enables volume expansion in concrete, which induces tensile stresses that result in
cracking and spalling. Further reaction of gypsum with calcium aluminate can lead to the
formation of ettringite which leads to further expansion and more micro and macro cracking.
In addition to this, sulphuric acid decalcifies the calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) and thus
decomposes the cementitious matrix and leads to the strength loss of concrete (Bassuoni and
Nehdi, 2007).

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Acid attack test was performed as per ASTM C 267-97 for a period of for total 84 days.
Sulphuric acid of 3% concentration was taken as a medium for acid resistance test. Concrete

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specimens of 100 mm size were immersed in a container with dilute sulphuric acid solution.
The solution was replaced once in 4 weeks. Three different tests were done on acid attacked

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specimens. Water absorption test was performed ASTM C 642 (2006) to study the changes in
porosity of concrete due to acid attack. The concrete specimens were tested for water

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absorption after 28, 56 and 84 days of immersion in dilute sulphuric acid. The specimens
were oven dried at 60°C for 3 days and then kept at room temperature for atleast 1 day (24
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hours) and initial weight noted. Then it was immersed in water such that about 50 mm water
was maintained on the top surface of the specimen. Then the final weight was noted after 48
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hours. The values were compared with the water absorption values of the non-acid attacked
specimens.
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The saturated surface dry weight of concrete specimens immersed in sulphuric acid solution
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was determined after a light surface brushing and washing them lightly in tap water. Weight
measurement was done after 28, 56, and 84 days of immersion in acid. The variation in
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weight was compared with the initial weight before immersion in acid solution. The
compressive strength of acid attacked specimen was determined after 28, 56 and 84 days of
immersion in acid solution. The cube specimen was placed on the compression testing
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machine in such a manner that the load was applied to the opposite side of cubes as cast (not
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to the top and bottom.) The load was applied without shock and increased gradually at a rate
of 140 kg/sq cm/min until the resistance of the specimen breaks down to a stage where no
greater load can be sustained. It was compared with the compressive strength of normal
concrete (non-acid attacked), which was water cured for 28 days after casting (as given in
Thomas et al., 2014) and the percentage loss in weight was reported.

The corrosion specimens were prepared as per ASTM G 109-2005. Steel bars of 12 mm
diameter and 350 mm length were used. The two steel bars were embedded centrally at the

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bottom area (with a cover of 30 mm from bottom) and one steel bar was placed centrally at
the top (with a cover of 15 mm.) The top steel bar behaves as the anode and the two bottom
bars behave as the cathode. The specimens were taken out of curing and dried at room
temperature for 1 month. All the four vertical sides of the concrete specimen were then
coated with two layers of epoxy paint. With the help of electric wires, a standard resister of
100 Ώ was connected between the common terminal of the bottom steel bars and the terminal

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of the top steel bar. On the reservoir at the top of the specimen, a solution of 3% sodium
chloride (by weight) was poured. Then the specimens were subjected to alternate wetting and

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drying cycles (2 weeks wetting with sodium chloride solution, followed by 2 weeks drying).
The potential measurements were taken for both the wetting and drying cycles. The first

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reading for the macro-cell corrosion was taken at the beginning of the second week of the
ponding and after this, readings were taken after every 2 weeks. The potential difference
between the anode and cathode was taken with a high impedance voltmeter.

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The analytical study was used to compare the values obtained in the experimental procedure
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(performed as per IS: 516 - 1959) and to study the trend of compressive and flexural tensile
strength. Damaged plasticity model was used in the modeling of concrete. The model is a
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continuum, plasticity-based, damage model for concrete. It assumes that the main two failure
mechanisms are tensile cracking and compressive crushing of the concrete material. The
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evolution of the yield (or failure) surface is controlled by two hardening variables linked to
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failure mechanisms under tension and compression loading, respectively. Under uniaxial
tension the stress-strain response follows a linear elastic relationship until the value of the
failure stress is reached. The failure stress corresponds to the onset of micro-cracking in the
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concrete material. Beyond the failure stress the formation of micro-cracks is represented
macroscopically with a softening stress-strain response, which induces strain localization in
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the concrete structure. Under uniaxial compression the response is linear until the value of
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initial yield. In the plastic regime the response is typically characterized by stress hardening
followed by strain softening beyond the ultimate stress. This representation, although
somewhat simplified, captures the main features of the response of concrete. It is assumed
that the uniaxial stress-strain curves can be converted into stress versus plastic-strain curves
(www.egr.msu.edu). The stress-strain values defining the tension and compression of the
concrete and the density of the individual concrete specimens were used as the input values,
due to the fact that there are no pre-defined values for rubberized concrete (concrete +
rubber) in abacus.

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4. Results and Discussion

The results obtained from the experimental procedure were analyzed and discussed as below:

4.1 Chloride ion Penetration

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The results for the chloride penetration for the mixes with w/c 0.4, 0.45 and 0.5 are reported
in Figures 2 to 4. It was observed that there was an increase in the depth of chloride ion

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penetration for higher water-cement ratios and with respect to age. When we consider the
concrete mixes with water-cement ratio 0.4, the chloride penetrations of all the mixes in

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which crumb rubber was replaced up to 7.5% of fine aggregates were lesser than or equal
when compared with the value of the control mix specimens. Similar trend was observed for
the mixes with water-cement ratios 0.45. In the case of the series with w/c 0.5, the depth of

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chloride penetration of the concrete mixes with crumb rubber above 5% were higher than that
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of the control mix. A decreasing trend was observed in the depth of chloride penetration for
the concrete mixes in which crumb rubber was substituted from 0% to 5% of fine aggregates.
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In the mixes where crumb rubber was above 5%, there was gradual increase in the depth of
chloride ion penetration. At 91 days, the depth of penetration was 21 mm for the control mix
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(0% crumb rubber), 22 mm for the mix with 10% crumb rubber and 25 mm for the mix with
20% crumb rubber.
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Oikonomou and Mavridou (2009) explained that the chloride ion penetration decreased as the
amount of rubber was increased in mortar. In the mix with 2.5% rubber, the reduction was
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14.22% when compared to the control mix and there was a reduction of 35.85% for the mix
with 15% rubber. When a bitumen emulsion was used as an additive, the mixture with 12.5%
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tire rubber had shown a reduction in chloride ion penetration up to 55.89% when compared to
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control mix concrete. Bravo and Brito (2012) performed chloride migration test on
rubberized concrete. Increase in chloride diffusion coefficient was observed for 5-15
replacement with tire rubber. Increasing the size of rubber aggregate leads to higher chloride
diffusion coefficient. Concrete containing tire aggregates from cryogenic technique offered
lesser resistance to chloride penetration than those containing mechanically ground tire
aggregates. Increase in curing period lead to decrease in the amount of chloride penetration.

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Gesoglu and Guneyisi (2011) have observed a progressive increase in the chloride
penetration with the increasing amount of crumb rubber in self compacting rubberized
concrete. When fly ash was added to the rubberized concrete, there was significant resistance
to the chloride ion ingress at 90 days of curing. The concrete containing 20%, 40% and 60%
flyash exhibited an average reduction of 67%, 79% and 78% respectively in the chloride ion
permeability.

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In the present study, the reason for the gradual reduction in the depth of chloride penetration
from the mixes with 0% to 7.5% crumb rubber would be due to the fact that the rubber

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particles are impervious and does not absorb water and simultaneously does not allow the
passage of chloride ions. As the percentage of crumb rubber increased, the depth of chloride

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penetration decreased. However beyond 7.5% the chloride penetration increased and it may
be due to the lack of internal packing of the concrete.

4.2 Acid Attack Test

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Concrete specimens were immersed in 3% sulphuric acid solution for a period of 84 days.
The following 3 tests were performed on the acid attacked specimens. Azevedo et al. (2012)
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studied on the acid resistance of HPC with 10% concentration of sulphuric acid. Increase in
the rubber content lead to high mass loss degree. The concrete mix with 5% rubber, partial
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cement replacement with 15% flyash and 15% metakaolin exhibited almost same resistance
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of the control mix. The mix with 45% flyash and 15% metakaolin showed much higher acid
resistance than the control mix.
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4.2.1. Water Absorption of Acid Attacked Specimen

Figures 5 to 7 shows the comparison of the water absorption values of acid attacked
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specimens at 28, 56 and 84 days. In the case of concrete mixes with water-cement ratio 0.4;
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gradual increase in the amount of water absorption was noticed at 28 days in the mixes where
the crumb rubber was replaced from 0% to 20% for fine aggregates. Same trend was noticed
at 56 days and 84 days. At 84 days, the amount of water absorption for control mix was
2.89%, for the mix with 10% crumb rubber it was 3.15% and for the mix with 20% crumb
rubber it was 3.32%. Similar pattern was observed for the series with water-cement ratios
0.45 and 0.50.

The amount of water absorbed by the specimens had increased in all the concrete mixes when
compared to the control mix with respect to the amount of crumb rubber and with respect to

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age. At the end of 28, 56 and 84 days, more destruction of the specimen took place with
respect to the increase in the amount of crumb rubber. This may cause the occurrence of
micro voids around the surface of the specimen and have enabled more water absorption.
When we compare the water absorption of the control mix and that at 28, 56 and 84 days of
acid attack, we can observe that the water absorption of specimens increases with time. As
the water-cement ratio increases, the internal voids increases resulting in the increase in

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amount of water absorption for the increase in the rubber content.

When we observe Figure 8, the top layer of the concrete specimens with 0% crumb rubber

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was completely removed (100%) by the action of sulphuric acid. In the case of the mix with
20% crumb rubber, less than 100% top surface were attacked by acid. The rubber particles

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and the cementitious layer surrounding the rubber particles were unaffected by acid and have
projected outwards by providing extra pockets to arrest the water. So the water absorption of

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rubberized concrete was higher than the control mix concrete.
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4.2.2. Weight loss of Acid Attacked Specimen

Figures 9-11 shows the comparison of the weight loss values of acid attacked specimens at
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28, 56 and 84 days. At water-cement ratio 0.4, 0.45 and 0.5; more amount of weight loss was
observed in the control mix specimens and it was found decreasing as the amount of crumb
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rubber was increased in the concrete. It means that the control mix specimens have recorded
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maximum loss in weight and the specimens with 20% crumb rubber have recorded the least
loss in weight. In the case of w/c 0.4 and at 84 days, Maximum weight loss (8.5%) was
recorded for the control mix and minimum weight loss was for the mix with 20% crumb
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rubber (7.24%). The percentage loss in weight was 7.61 for the mix with 10% crumb rubber.
Similar trend has been observed for the series with water-cement ratios 0.45 and 0.50.
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The crumb rubber particles present in the rubberized concrete was holding the constituent
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particles of the concrete from breaking away by preventing the formation of cracks and
material separation. While in the concrete with no crumb rubber or less amount of crumb
rubber, more cracks were developed and the constituent materials were easily separated.

4.2.3. Compressive Strength loss of Acid Attacked Specimen

Figures 12-14 shows the comparison of the compressive strength loss values of acid attacked
specimens at 28, 56 and 84 days. There was more loss in compressive strength for the entire
concrete specimen with respect to age and with respect to water-cement ratio. In the case of

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concrete mixes with w/c 0.4, 0.45 and 0.5, more reduction in compressive strength was
observed when the exposure time in sulphuric acid was increased. Also, gradual reduction in
the ‘loss’ was observed with the increase in the percentage of crumb rubber in concrete. In
water-cement ratio 0.4 and at 84 days, the maximum loss in compressive strength (77.65%)
was recorded for the control mix with 0% crumb rubber. The value was 65.67% for the mix
with 10% crumb rubber and it was 56% in the mix with 20% crumb rubber. Similar trend has

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been observed for the mixes with water-cement ratios 0.45 and 0.5.

The crumb rubber particles present in the rubberized concrete was holding the constituent

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particles of the concrete from breaking away by preventing the formation of cracks and
material separation. While in the concrete with no crumb rubber or less amount of crumb

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rubber, more cracks were developed and the constituent materials were easily separated. This
may be one of the reasons for reduced loss in compressive strength for rubberized concrete.

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In the case of control mix concrete, it was noticed that all the six surfaces were affected by
acid attack and 100% surface layer got deteriorated. In the case of rubberized concrete, all the
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six surfaces were affected by acid but less than 100% surface layer got deteriorated.
Reduction in cross section of control mix was more than that of the rubberized concrete.
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After the acid attack, the net cross section of rubberized concrete was more than the control
mix specimens.
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4.3 Test for Corrosion of Steel Reinforcements

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The results of the macrocell current for the concrete mixes with water-cement ratio 0.4, 0.45
and 0.5 have been calculated for 0 day (Initial reading taken after 15 days), 28 day, 56 day,
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91 day and 182 days have been reported in Figures 15-17. The corrosion test is a qualitative
method and cannot be totally conclusive. As per ASTM G 109-99a, a minimum of 10 µA is
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required to ensure the presence of sufficient corrosion. If the macrocell current is positive, it
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indicates active corrosion in progress and vice versa. It was noticed in all the series that all
the macro cell readings were negative up to 182 days. In the series with water-cement ratio
0.4, the initial readings of the control mix were -2.31and the readings at 182 days were -1.27.
For the concrete mix with 10% tire rubber, the readings were -2.02 and -1.02 respectively and
in the concrete mix with 20% crumb rubber, it was -2.59 and -1.67 respectively. The readings
were found to be gradually increasing from 0 day to 182 days. Similar trend could be
observed in the water-cement ratios of 0.45 and 0.5. We could understand that the readings
were changing from negative to positive for all the mixes. As all the readings obtained were

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less than 10 µA, we could conclude that there is no presence of sufficient corrosion in the
specimens.

4.4 Analytical Results from Abaqus

The results obtained from the analytical studies for the mixes with 0%, to 20% crumb rubber
are reported in Figures 18 and 19. From the analytical results of the compressive strength,

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brittle failure could be seen in the mixes with crumb rubber and it was not found in the case
of control mix. But when we check the practical test results, the control specimens exhibited

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brittle failure while the rubberized concrete did not show brittle failure under compression
loading. Gradual reductions were observed in the compressive and flexural tensile strengths

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with increase in the amount of crumb rubber. The analytical study was performed only in the
case of the mixes with water-cement ratio 0.4. It was expected that the compressive and
flexural tensile strength would be more affected in the case of water-cement ratios 0.45 and

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0.5. The same was observed in the laboratory testing procedure. The analytical result of the
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compressive strength of control mix concrete was higher than that obtained in the laboratory
testing. All the other analytical results were lower than the values obtained in the
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experimental analysis.

5. Conclusions
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The key findings from the experimental procedure of using crumb rubber as a partial
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substitute for fine aggregates in cement concrete are as follows:

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The depth of chloride penetration of the mixes with crumb rubber up to 7.5% was lower than
that of the control mix in case of w/c 0.4. In the water absorption test of acid attacked
specimens, gradual increase in the percentage of water absorption was observed as the
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percentage of crumb rubber was increased. In the weight loss test of acid attacked specimens,
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the maximum weight loss was observed in the control mix concrete and the minimum was
observed in the mix with 20% crumb rubber. After acid attack, more losses in the weight and
compressive strength were observed in the control mix concrete than the rubberized concrete.
From the macrocell corrosion test, as all the readings obtained were less than 10 µA, we
could conclude that there is no presence of sufficient corrosion in the specimens. The
analytical results from Abaqus have shown the same trend for compressive strength and
flexural tensile strength as obtained in the laboratory experimental works. So it is clear that

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the rubberized concrete is highly resistant to the aggressive environments and can be
implemented in the areas where there are possibilities of acid attack.

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TABLES

Table 1: Mixture Proportions of Fresh Concrete

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Water- Cement Water Coarse Coarse Fine Admixture

kg/m3 kg/m3
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cement Aggregates Aggregates Aggregates %

ratio 10 mm 20 mm kg/m3
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kg/m3 kg/m3
0.40 388.0 155.0 465.0 737.2 698.4 0.65
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0.45 388.0 174.6 465.0 737.2 698.4 0.30

0.50 388.0 194.0 465.0 737.2 698.4 0
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Table 2: Chemical composition of Crumb Rubber*

Sl. Test Results

No
1 Ash Content % 05.11
2 Carbon Black Content % 28.43
3 Acetone Extract % 09.85
4 Volatile Matter % 00.56

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5 Hydrocarbon Content % 56.05
6 Polymer Analysis SBR
*Test certificate provided by S&J Granulate Solutions, Mumbai, India. Performed as per IS 3400 (part 22)
1984, reaffirmed in 1993.

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FIGURES

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Figure 1: Particle size distribution of aggregates

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w/c=0.4

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Figure 2: Depth of chloride penetration of specimens with water-cement ratio 0.4
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Figure 3: Depth of chloride penetration of specimens with water-cement ratio 0.45

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w/c=0.5

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Figure 4: Depth of chloride penetration of specimens with water-cement ratio 0.5
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Figure 5: Water absorption of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio 0.4

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Figure 6: Water absorption of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio 0.45
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Figure 7: Water absorption of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio 0.5

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Figure 8: Images of acid attacked specimen at 84 days. The specimen with 0% (left) and 20%

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(right) crumb rubber

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Figure 9: Weight loss of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio 0.4

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Figure 10: Weight loss of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio 0.45
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Figure 11: Weight loss of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio 0.5

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Figure 12: Reduction in compressive strength of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio
0.4
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Figure 13: Reduction in compressive strength of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio
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Figure 14: Reduction in compressive strength of acid attacked specimens, water-cement ratio
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Figure 15: Macrocell current of specimens with water-cement ratio 0.4

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Figure 16: Macrocell current of specimens with water-cement ratio 0.45
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Figure 17: Macrocell current of specimens with water-cement ratio 0.5

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Figure 18: Comparison of compressive strength of experimental and analytical results
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Figure 19: Comparison of flexural tensile strength of experimental and analytical results

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Highlights

• Concrete with waste tire rubber (crumb rubber) was studied

• Rubberized concrete exhibited better resistance to Sulphuric Acid Attack
• Sufficient corrosion in reinforcements was not observed as per Macrocell study.
• Analytical results from Abaqus followed the trend of laboratory experiments

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