An experimental investigation of crumb rubber concrete confined by fibre reinforced polymer tubes

•An experimental investigation of unconfined CRC with 2 grading mixes is presented.•Replacement >3.5% of aggregates with crumb rubber decreased compressive strength.•Using silica fume did not improve the compressive strength up to 28 days of age.•3 Layers of FRP confinement improved CRC compressive strength by 186%.•This has promising implications for the use of FRP confined CRC in seismic zones.

Due to the known loss of compressive strength experienced by crumb rubber concrete (CRC) compared with conventional concrete, there have been few applications explored to date for the structural use of these materials. This paper describes experimental work conducted to explore the possible future use of CRC for structural columns by evaluating the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) confinement as a means of overcoming the material deficiencies (decreased compressive strength). The results indicated that the use of FRP to confine rubberized concrete effectively negates the decrease in strength, and retains the advantages of increased ductility that arise from rubberized concrete. This indicates promising potential for structural column applications, particularly in seismic zones.