Modeling the Mechanical Response of Rubberised Concrete

The use of rubber particles from waste tyres in concrete as partial replacement of natural aggregates represents nowadays a significant recycling solution. In this paper, FEM models have been developed and analysed to investigate the effects on the compressive strength of the rubberised concrete. The natural fine and coarse aggregates have been substituted with rubber particles ranging from 3 mm to 30 mm in size, obtaining percentages from 0% to 80%. Results from the numerical analyses about the effects of the substitutions with rubber particles on the rubbercrete compressive strength confirmed the trend of literature experimental data. The effects of different values adopted for the reference concrete compressive strength are also confirmed to depend on the size of the rubber particles. Based on a large dataset, analytical relationships have been developed and proposed to analyse the Strength Reduction Factor (SRF) of rubberised concrete.