International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET)

Volume 8, Issue 3, March 2017, pp. 304–313 Article ID: IJMET_08_03_034

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ISSN Print: 0976-6340 and ISSN Online: 0976-6359

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STRENGTH OF CONCRETE BY
REPLACEMENT OF COARSE AGGREGATES
WITH WASTE RUBBER AND DEMOLISHED
WASTE MATERIALS
B. Govinda Rajulu
Department of Civil Engineering, AITAM College of Engineering, Tekkali, AP, India

Dr. CH. Kannam Naidu

Department of Civil Engineering, AITAM College of Engineering, Tekkali, AP, India

S. Ramlal
Department of Civil Engineering, AITAM College of Engineering, Tekkali, AP, India

ABSTRACT
The use of recycled aggregates in concrete can be useful for environmental
protection. The application of recycled aggregate has been started in a large number
of construction projects of many European, American, Russian and Asian countries.
But India is used demolished waste for embankment purpose only in bridges, roads
etc. up to 3% to 4% of total production. At the same time, the disposal of waste tires is
becoming a major waste management problem in the world. It is estimated that nearly
1.2 billion of waste tire rubber produced globally per year. It is estimated that nearly
11% of post consumer tires are exported and 27% are sent to land fill, stockpiled or
dumped illegally and only 4% is used for civil engineering projects. The utilization of
waste construction materials and waste tired rubber has to be related to the
application of quality guarantee systems in order to achieve suitable product
properties. In this context, our present aims to investigate the optimal use of recycled
aggregates and waste tire rubber as coarse aggregate in concrete composite and the
change in mechanical properties of concrete. It is found that the use of recycled waste
tire rubber aggregates results in the formation of light weight, elasticity and energy
absorption and heat insulation properties. The compressive, as well as tensile strength
of concrete reduces with the introduction of waste tire rubber.
Key words: Recycled Aggregate Concrete; Recycled Waste Tires; Rubberized
Concrete; Recycled Aggregate Rubberized Concrete; Strength Properties.
Cite this Article: B. Govinda Rajulu, Dr. CH. Kannam Naidu and S. Ramlal, Strength
of Concrete by Replacement of Coarse Aggregates with Waste Rubber and
Demolished Waste Materials. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and
Technology, 8(3), 2017, pp. 304–313.
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 B. Govinda Rajulu, Dr. CH. Kannam Naidu and S. Ramlal

1. INTRODUCTION
Cement and aggregates which are the most important constituents used in concrete
production, are the vital materials needed for the construction industry. This inevitably led to
a continuous and increasing demand of natural materials used for their production. Parallel to
the need for the utilization of the natural resources emerges a growing concern for protecting
the environmental and a need to preserve natural resources, such as aggregate, by using
alternative materials that are either recycled or discarded as a waste. The key to local
materials recovery and the recycling industry sector is to achieve a balance between economic
pressures and ecologically sound practices. This balance is critical not only to ensure a
sustainable future for the industry, but also to secure essential quality improvements and
development of markets for value-added products, which are required to make recycled
materials more attractive and economical. Aggregate is cheaper than cement and it is
therefore, economical to put into the mix much of the former and as little of the latter as
possible. Never the less, economy is not the only reason for using aggregate: it confers
considerable technical advantages on concrete, which has a higher volume stability and better
durability than hydrated cement paste alone. According to Kumaran S.G.et al, the goal of
sustainability is that on the planet can be sustained for the foreseeable future and there are
three components of sustainability: environment, economy and society. To meet its goal,
sustainable development must ensure that these three components remain healthy and
balanced. It was estimated that in that nearly 1.2 billion of waste tire rubber produced globally
per year and this number is set to increase. This is considered as one of the major
environmental challenges the world is facing because waste rubber is not easily biodegradable
even after a long period of landfill treatment. One of the solutions suggested as the use of tire
rubber as partial replacement of coarse aggregate in cement-based materials. It has been
observed that the Rubberized Concrete (RC) may be used in places where desired
deformability or toughness is more important than strength like the road foundations and
bridge barriers. Apart from these the Rubberized Concrete having the reversible elasticity
properties may also be used as a material with tolerable damping properties to reduce or to
minimize the structural vibration under impact effects{Siddique et al. 2004}.

2. RECYCLED AGGREGATES & RECYCLED RUBBER TIRE

2.1. Recycled Aggregates
Recycled aggregate is a stone or gravel which has been previously used in construction and
has been crushed and separated from contaminants. Concrete is a vital component of everyday
life and is being extensively used for all types of structures, right from the smallest dwelling
to a huge sky scrapers or a bridge. So every day millions and millions of cubic meters of
concrete is being made and used all over the world. Of the three basic components of the
concrete, only cement is manufactured and the aggregates both fine and coarse are obtained
naturally. This has resulted in large scale quarrying of rocks for obtaining coarse aggregates
and removal of sand from river beds for fine aggregates. The reutilization of these aggregates
will conserve both the natural aggregates and landfills from the excess construction and
demolished waste material.

2.1.1. Merits of Recycled Aggregates

 It leads to conservation of natural resources, especially in regions where aggregates are scarce.
 New concrete made from recycled concrete aggregate generally has the same properties as
stone or gravel aggregate.

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 Strength of Concrete by Replacement of Coarse Aggregates with Waste Rubber and Demolished
Waste Materials

 Use of any recycled material helps to keep that material out of landfills.
 Recycling practices also can decrease the environmental impact of obtaining/ manufacturing
the material from virgin resources.
 If recycling plants are centrally located and easily accessible, transport costs can also be
substantially minimized.

2.1.2. Limitations of Recycled Aggregates

The relative density decreases progressively as particle size decreases. The percentage
reduction to compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete as compared to original
concrete is reported to range between 5%-32%. Concrete made with recycled coarse
aggregates can obtain an adequate compressive strength. Generally the recycled aggregate has
a higher absorption and a lower relative density than conventional aggregate concrete. This
results from the porous mortar and hardened cement paste adhered to the recycled aggregates.
Absorption values typically range from 3% to 10%, depending on the concrete being recycled.

2.2. Recycled waste tire Rubber Aggregates

A tire is an assembly of numerous components that are built up on a drum and then cured in a
press under heat and pressure. Heat facilities a polymerization reaction that crosses links
rubber monomers to create long elastic molecules. These polymers create the elastic quality
that permits the tire to be compressed in the area where the tire contacts the road surface and
spring back to its original shape under high frequency cycles. A great resource use is
associated with tire use, particularly the fuel used to overcome the rolling resistance of tires.
As a result the greatest outputs are emissions (CO2 and H2O) resulting from fuel combustion.
Hence, the recycling of waste tires and using them in a more usable from is mandatory at the
current time. Post-consumer tires posses’ properties that make than very suitable for use as an
alternative to primary and secondary aggregates in a number of different applications post-
consumer or used tires are those that have come the end oh there useful life in terms of their
intended use.

2.2.1. Benefits of Recycled Tires

A wide range of potential sectors which can benefit using rubber from waste tires as
identified. The areas where grouped into five classes.
 Civil engineering , non-road
 Civil engineering, road and infrastructure
 Sport, safety and outdoor surface
 Consumer and industrial products and
 Energy
Waste tires have hardness and elasticity properties superior to those of rubber, good
resistance to weathering, can be used for preventing impact damage, and as a pavement
making material, because of their low specific gravity which is lower than most construction
materials. Crumb rubber from shredded tires has been successfully added to asphalt and is
widely used. For example, it was used as a wearing course in Arizona and in two Colorado
pilot projects. However the addition of rubber to concrete is a newer technology. The
following suction discusses the application of recycled concrete.

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 B. Govinda Rajulu, Dr. CH. Kannam Naidu and S. Ramlal

3. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
Recycled aggregates are obtained from the waste crushed concretes. From quality point of
view, the aggregates are heterogeneous in composition being derived from different materials
and adhered mortar. The properties of recycled aggregates must be determined if the
aggregates are to be used in concrete. The main aim of the present experimentation is to
analyze the structural behavior of concrete made with different percentages of recycled
aggregates, recycled waste tire rubber all of which were designed to have the same
compressive strength. The strength and durability properties of the concrete produced by
replacing conventional aggregates with recycled coarse aggregates, recycled waste rubber and
combination of recycled aggregates with recycled waste rubber in various percentages are
evaluated. The objective of the experimental investigation is to assess the utility of recycled
aggregate and recycled waste rubber in the production of structural concrete. Serious of test
specimens comprising of cubes, cylinders and prisms of standard dimensions were cast for
concrete mixes produced with different percentage replacement (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) of
conventional coarse aggregates with recycled concrete aggregates, (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%)
of conventional coarse aggregates with recycled waste tire rubber scrubs and similarly four
concrete mixtures were produced with (0%, 5% + 5%, 10% + 10%, and 15% + 15%) of
conventional coarse aggregates with coarse aggregates and recycled waste tire rubber to study
the strength and durability parameters.
The strength characteristics of concrete like compressive strength, tensile strength and
flexural strength are established experimentally. Along with this, the slump test is conducted
to observe the workability. The test program was planned in accordance to the objective of the
experimentation. The grade of concrete adopted for all concrete mixes was M20 since it is the
widely used structural concrete all over the world. All the concrete mixes are designed to have
the same compressive strength. Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC) was produced by
replacing the conventional aggregate by 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 30% with recycled coarse
aggregate. Rubberized concrete (RC) was produced by replacing the conventional aggregate
by 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 30% with recycled waste tyre rubber scrubs and Recycled
Aggregate Rubberized Concrete (RARC) was produced by replacing the conventional
aggregate by 0%, (5%+5%), (10%+10%), (15%+15%) with recycled coarse aggregate and
recycled waste tyre rubber. Cubes, cylinders, prisms were casted to arrive at the strength
parameters and durability parameters. The strength parameters were studied at the ages 7 days
and 28 days. The durability parameters were studies for 30 cycles of chemical environment
after 28 days of normal curing. Concrete mix with 0% recycled aggregates forms the basic
reference mix to compare the results of mixes with different percentage of replacement of
recycled aggregates.

4. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

To examine the effect of replacement of conventional coarse aggregates with recycled coarse
aggregates, recycled waste tire rubber and combination of recycled coarse aggregate and
recycled tire rubber in three different concrete mixtures using different percentages of
recycled coarse aggregates (10%, 20%, and 30%) with the same compressive strength were
produced. All the concrete mixtures with different percentage of replacement were compared
with the reference concrete mix produced with conventional coarse aggregates i.e. 0%
replacement.

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 Strength of Concrete by Replacement of Coarse Aggregates with Waste Rubber and Demolished
Waste Materials

Table 1 Waste that arises from construction industry in India is estimates as per 11th five years plan:

Quantity Generated in Million

Constituent
tons per Annum
Soil, Sand and Gravel 4.20 to 5.14
Bricks and Masonry 3.60 to 4.40
Concrete 2.40 to 3.67
Metals 0.60 to 0.73
Wood 0.25 to 0.30
Bitumen 0.25 to 0.30
Others 0.10 to 0.15

4.1. Compressive Strength

The compressive strength test was conducted on cube test specimens for concrete mixes
made with conventional aggregates, recycled coarse aggregates, recycled tire rubber and
combination of recycled aggregates and waste tire rubber (for every percentage of
replacement). The test was conducted on test specimens at the ages of 7 and 28 days after
proper curing till the day of test. The compressive strength values obtained from the test for
Conventional Aggregate Concrete (CAC), Concrete with different percentage (10, 20, and
30) of Recycled Aggregate and concrete with different percentages (5%+5%, 10%+10%
and 15%+15%) of recycled aggregate with recycled tire rubber concrete along with
conventional aggregates, recycled aggregates and recycled tire rubber were presented in
tables 2 and 3. The results were plotted in figures 1 and 2.

4.2. Flexural Strength

The Flexural strength test was conducted on prism test specimens for concrete mixes made
with conventional aggregates and recycled coarse aggregates, recycled tire rubber and
combination of recycled aggregates and waste tire rubber (for every percentage of
replacement). The test was conducted on test specimens at the ages of 7 and 28 days after
proper curing till the day of test. The Flexural strength values obtained from the test for
Conventional Aggregate Concrete (CAC), Concrete with different percentage (10, 20, and 30)
of Recycled Aggregate, Waste Tire rubber and Recycled Aggregate with Waste tire rubber
were presented in tables 4 and 5. The results were plotted in figs. 5 and 6.

Table 2 Comparision of Compressive Strength for 7 Days

Designation Compressive Strength in N/mm² at 7 Days

CAC 31.24
RAC 10 29.16
RC 10 27.31
RARC 10 25.62
RAC 20 27.85
RC 20 25.52
RARC 20 23.58
RAC 30 25.31
RC 30 19.51
RARC 30 22.12

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 B. Govinda Rajulu, Dr. CH. Kannam Naidu and S. Ramlal

Compressive Strength at 7 Days

35
30
25

Strength
20
15
10 Compressive
5 Strength at 7
Days
0 CAC

RC 10

RC 20

RC 30
RARC 10

RARC 20

RARC 30
RAC 10

RAC 20

RAC 30
Figure 1 Comparision of Compressive Strength for 7 Days

Table 3 Comparision of Compressive Strength for 28 Days

Designation Compressive Strength in N/mm² at 28 Days

CAC 35.82
RAC 10% 34.26
RC 10% 31.69
RARC 10% 30.08
RAC 20% 31.93
RC 20% 29.19
RARC 20% 29.63
RAC 30% 31.05
RC 30% 22.32
RARC 30% 27.14

Compressive Strength in N/mm² at 28 Days

40
Compressive Strength

35
30
25
20
15
10 Compressive
5 Strength in N/mm²
0 at 28 Days
RC 10%

RC 20%

RC 30%
CAC
RAC 10%

RAC 20%

RAC 30%
RARC 10%

RARC 20%

RARC 30%

Figure 2 Comparision of Compressive Strength for 28 Days

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Strength of Concrete by Replacement of Coarse Aggregates with Waste Rubber and Demolished
Waste Materials

Table 4 Comparision of Flexural Strength for 7 Days

Designation Flexural Strength in N/mm² at 7 Days

CAC 3.65
RAC 10% 3.11
RC 10% 2.59
RARC 10% 3.09
RAC 20% 2.82
RC 20% 2.18
RARC 20% 2.53
RAC 30% 2.63
RC 30% 2.07
RARC 30% 2.41

Flexural Strength in N/mm² at 7 Days

4
Flexural Strength

3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1 Flexural Strength
0.5 in N/mm² at 7
0
Days
RARC 10%

RARC 20%

RARC 30%
RAC 10%

RAC 20%

RAC 30%
RC 10%

RC 20%

RC 30%
CAC

Figure 3 Comparision of Flexural Strength for 7 Days

Table 5 Comparision of Flexural Strength for 28 Days

Designation Flexural Strength in N/mm² at 28 Days

CAC 4.07
RAC 10% 3.76
RC 10% 3.42
RARC 10% 3.71
RAC 20% 3.69
RC 20% 3.03
RARC 20% 3.18
RAC 30% 3.49
RC 30% 2.51
RARC 30% 3.07

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 B. Govinda Rajulu, Dr. CH. Kannam Naidu and S. Ramlal

Flexural Strength in N/mm² at 28 Days

4.5

Flexural Strength
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1 Flexural Strength in
0.5 N/mm² at 7 Days
0
CAC

RC 10%

RC 20%

RC 30%
RARC 10%

RARC 20%

RARC 30%
RAC 10%

RAC 20%

RAC 30%
Figure 4 Comparision of Flexural Strength for 28 Days

5. CONCLUSIONS
The general objective of this context was to evaluate the fresh and hardened properties of a
concrete produced by replacing part of the natural coarse aggregates with an aggregate
produced from locally available recycling and reuse of building wastes and recycled waste tire
and subjected to local conditions. It has been found to be an appropriate solution to the
problems of dumping hundreds of thousands tons of debris accompanied with shortage of
natural aggregates. The use of recycled aggregates and recycled waste tire in concrete proves
to be a valuable building material in technical, environment and economical respect.
In accordance with the experimental phase carried out in this study, the following
conclusions and recommendations are drawn:
 The reutilization of the aggregates will conserve both the natural aggregates and landfills from
the excess construction demolished and waste materials like waste tire.
 The specific gravity and bulk density of recycled coarse aggregate is found to be less than
conventional coarse aggregates.
 The water absorption is relatively higher for recycled aggregates. The recycled aggregates had
2.5% to 3% water absorption.
 Concrete made with 30% replacement of conventional coarse aggregates with recycled coarse
aggregate, Recycled tire rubber & recycled aggregates with recycled tire rubber had
14.84%,37.04% & 26.16 & less compressive strength than conventional concrete at 28 days
with same W/C ratio (0.50) and quantity of cement (364 kg/m³).
 Compressive strength results of RAC, RC & RARC show decrease in strength at 10%, 20% &
30% and it gives better results when the 10% replacement of conventional coarse aggregates
with recycled coarse aggregate at the age of 28 days
 Concrete is made with super plasticizer to achieve good workability and maximum strength
gained at earlier stage of 7 days.
 A reduced compressive strength of concrete due to the inclusion of rubber aggregate limits its
use in some structural applications. Nevertheless, it has few desirable characteristics such as
lower density, higher impact and toughness resistance, enhanced ductility and a slight increase
in flexural strength in the lower strength concretes.

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 Strength of Concrete by Replacement of Coarse Aggregates with Waste Rubber and Demolished
Waste Materials

In view of the other advantages such as conservation of natural resources, free the
recycled material from landfills and elimination of disposal problems, the Recycle aggregates
and Recycled Aggregate Concrete can be considered as a potential and suitable alternative
material with a bright future.

5.1. Recommendations for Further Studies

 The study on recycled aggregate concrete can be further extended to investigate the behavior
of recycled aggregate concrete with pozzolanic or mineral admixtures like fly ash, silica fume,
Metakaoline etc.
 Study can be carried out on high strength concrete made with recycled aggregates.
 The failure mechanisms of concrete made with recycled aggregates can be investigated.
 Since the use of rubber aggregate in concrete construction is not a common
trend in our country, more studies and research works need to be done in this
area and academic instructions should play a great role.
 Tire manufacturers and importers in the country should be aware of the
environmental consequence of waste tires and they should have research centres
that promote an environmental friendly way of tire reprocessing.
 This research was done by preparing single graded rubber aggregate of size
20 mm. The effect of different sizes should be studied in the future.

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 B. Govinda Rajulu, Dr. CH. Kannam Naidu and S. Ramlal

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