Physico-mechanical and thermal performances of newly developed rubber-added bricks

The new European energy regulation now considers a high standard of thermal protection in buildings with reasonable energy consumption, satisfactory thermal comfort conditions and low operational costs. A series of significant restrictions on the disposal of used tires in landfills, stockpiles, or illegal dumping grounds are also imposed in recent European Union directives. The potential use of crumb rubber–concrete combination, in favor of these arrangements, for producing a low cost and lightweight composite brick with improved thermal resistance is examined here. The physico-mechanical and thermal insulation performances of these rubber-added bricks are investigated. The obtained compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting strength, freezing–thawing resistance, unit weight and water absorption values satisfy with the relevant international standards. The experimental observations reveal that high level replacement of crumb rubber with conventional sand aggregate does not exhibit a sudden brittle fracture even beyond the failure loads, indicates high energy absorption capacity, reduces the unit weight dramatically and introduces smoother surface compared to the current concrete bricks in the market. Thermal insulation performance is improved by introducing various amount of crumb rubber into the ordinary cementitious mixes. The percentage-wise improvements in thermal insulation performance have varied nearly between 5 and 11%, depending on the amount of crumb rubber used.