Enhancing Strength and Ductility of Rubberized Concrete Using Low-Cost Glass Jackets

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Construction

Background:

• Rubberized concrete (RuC) offers a sustainable alternative by incorporating recycled rubber.
• Confinement is crucial for enhancing concrete's mechanical properties, especially for RuC.
• Low-cost confinement materials are needed for widespread application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the compressive behavior of natural and rubberized concrete confined with glass chopped-strand mat (GCSM) jackets.
• To evaluate the influence of rubber particle size, confinement configuration, and GCSM layers on mechanical performance.
• To develop and validate analytical stress-strain models for GCSM-confined RuC.

Main Methods:

• Tested 42 cylindrical specimens of natural and rubberized concrete under axial compression.
• Varied rubber particle size (coarse/fine), confinement schemes (full/strip), and GCSM layers (2, 4, 6).
• Developed analytical models using regression analysis based on experimental data.

Main Results:

• GCSM jackets significantly improved compressive strength and ultimate axial strain for both concrete types.
• Full wrapping yielded the highest confinement efficiency, increasing strength up to 115% (NAC) and 90% (RuC).
• Analytical models showed strong correlation (R² = 0.80-0.99) with experimental results.

Conclusions:

• GCSM jacketing is a viable, sustainable, and economical method for strengthening and retrofitting rubberized concrete.
• The system enhances ductility and energy absorption, supporting circular material use.
• Proposed analytical expressions are applicable when confinement ratios and rubber aggregate properties match this study's parameters.