Strength and deformability of waste tyre rubber-filled reinforced concrete columns

This study aims to investigate the efficiency of waste tyre rubber-filled concrete to improve the deformability and energy absorption capacity of RC columns by considering different concrete compressive strength, size of waste tyre rubber particles and rubber content. Twelve column specimens were tested using concrete of compressive strength 24 and 28 MPa mixed with 0.6 and 1 mm tyre rubber particles. For each concrete batch, 27 control specimens were prepared to examine the concrete properties. Using waste tyre rubber-filled concrete leads to a slightly lower compressive strength and modulus of elasticity, but the curvature ductility can increase up to 90%. It is concluded that this type of concrete can offer good energy dissipation capacity and ductility, which makes it suitable for seismic applications.