Fresh and Hardened Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Rubber Concrete

The use of recycled materials and sustainability are two factors taken into consideration during the design of environmentally conscious buildings, but structural performance is still the foundation of sound design. Modern day building designs many times incorporate performance-based methodologies to combat the effects of extreme loadings. The key of such designs is to absorb high amounts of energy and sustain loadings under excessive deflections. Fiber-reinforced concrete and concrete containing rubber particles have increased levels of toughness in comparison with conventional concrete. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation focused on the material properties of fiber-reinforced rubber concrete. Rubber particles were used at various concentrations to partially replace coarse and fine aggregates coupled with the addition of fiber reinforcement. The investigation includes an evaluation of standard fresh and hardened concrete properties. Results show fiber reinforcement counteracts the negative effects of using rubber particles to replace traditional aggregates, confirming the feasibility of combing the two constituents.