Effect of Partial Replacements of Sand and Cement by Waste Rubber on the Fracture Characteristics of Concrete

Abstract

In this study, the influences of partial replacements of sand by fine crumb and crumb rubber particles, and cement by powder rubber, on the fracture characteristics of concrete were investigated experimentally. Specimens were prepared for 5%, 10% and 20% replacements by volume, for both sand and cement. Each case had three unnotched and notched specimens of size 600 mm × 75 mm × 150 mm; notches were 50 mm and 75 mm deep. The specimens were subjected to three points bending test in a computer-aided universal testing machine, and the fracture characteristics such as G_IC, CMOD and G_f were analyzed. It was observed that, in all proportions, the replacement of sand by fine crumb and crumb rubber increased the fracture properties; the increase of fracture properties by crumb rubber was more than that by fine crumb rubber. However the cement replacement by powdered rubber could improve the fracture factors, only for 5% and 10% replacements.