Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Rubberized Concrete with Different Rubber Types under Triaxial Compression

Different rubber aggregates lead to changes in the effect of stress conditions on the mechanical behavior of concrete,and studies on the triaxial properties of self-compacting rubber concrete(SCRC)are rare.In this study,35 cylindrical specimens taking lateral stress and rubber type as variables were prepared to study the fresh properties and mechanical behaviors of SCRC under triaxial compression,where the rubber contains two types,i.e.,380μm rubber powder and 1–4 mm rubber particles,and four contents,i.e.,10%,20%and 30%.The test results demonstrated that SCRC exhibited a typical oblique shear failure mode under triaxial compression and had a more moderate descending branch compared with self-compacting concrete(SCC).The presence of lateral stress can significantly improve the compression properties,including initial elastic modulus,peak stress and peak strain,with an improvement range of 3%–73%for peak stress.While rubber aggregates mainly targeted the deformation abilities and toughness for improvement,and the peak strain improvement ranges were 0.1–3.1 times and 0.1–1.0 times for SCRC containing rubber powder and SCRC containing rubber particles,respectively,relative to SCC.At a high lateral stress of at least 12 MPa,the loss of strength due to the addition of rubber can be controlled within 10%,in which case the content of rubber powder and rubber particles was recommended to be at most 20%and 30%,respectively.Based on the Mohr-Coulomb theory,the failure criteria of SCRC with different rubber types were established.For analysis and design purposes,an empirical model was proposed to predict the stressstrain behavior under triaxial compression,considering the influence of different rubber content and lateral stress.The results obtained in this study can provide a valuable reference for the design and application of self-compacting rubberized concrete in practical projects,especially those involving three-way compression states and requiring high-quality deformation and energy dissipation.

Effect of Rubber Particle Modifi cation on Properties of Rubberized Concrete

To improve the combination of cement matrix and waste tire rubber particles in concrete, the rubber particles were treated with acrylic acid（ACA） and polyethylene glycol（PEG） for grafting hydrophilic groups on their surfaces. The X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS） and surface contact angle were used to characterize the hydrophilicity and surface functional group of rubber particles. The effect of rubber particle modifi cation on fresh/hardened properties of rubberized concrete was studied. The experimental results show that the contact angle between rubber particle surface and water decreases when rubber particle is modifi ed. Compared with the unmodifi ed rubberized concrete（RC）, the unit weight of modifi ed rubberized concrete（MRC） changes slightly. However, the slump, air-entrainment, compressive strength, flexural strength, and impact performance of MRC are obviously improved. Under good condition of slump, the water-cement ratio of the MRC can be reduced from 0.4 to 0.38. And the compressive strength and fl exural strength of the MRC（10% rubber particle content） can be increased by 25.9% and 26.4%, respectively.

Noise Reduction in Pavement Made of Rubberized Bituminous Top Layer

In Greece more than 60,000 tn End of Life Tires are stockpiled every year often uncontrollable, causing severe environmental and other socio-economic negative impacts. Studies up to date are focused mainly on mechanical and physical characteristics of rubberized mixtures (based on cement, asphalt or soil) in which tire rubber is used either as alternative to natural aggregates or as additive. However, effect of tire rubber on noise reduction in rubberized bituminous layers, which is the main topic of present paper, has not been widely studied. In particular, this research paper is dealing with a sustainable use of tire rubber in asphalt pavement, leading to its generated noise reduction. An experimental pilot application has been conducted in the frame of a European Research Project, which has been implemented in a heavy traffic road section, cited outside Lamia city of Greece, (Vasilikon Street). The upper surface layer of the pavement has been made of rubberized bituminous mixture, produced by the wet process. Rheological characteristics of rubberized bitumen as well as basic properties of the implemented, rubberized bituminous mixture are presented. Moreover, measurements of noise level, deriving from vehicles’ motion, under operational conditions took place at the road section right after its implementation as well as after 8 months of its operation, while all data are presented in details. Results of the measurements on conventional and modified pavement sections are compared, certifying that rubberized asphalt layers can be not only environmentally friendly—since a category of solid wastes (worn automobile tires) is utilized—but also, addition of tire rubber particles in bituminous binder provides up to 3dB noise reducing bituminous mixtures and pavements, noise reduction that remains even after 8 months of road section’s operation.

The Abrasion-resistance Investigation of Rubberized Concrete

The abrasion resistance properties of rubberized concrete were comparatively studied by taking silica fume and crumb tire rubber as the additives. The abrasion tests were conducted in accordance with the Chinese standard test method DL/T 5150 - 2001, two recommended test methods： under water method and ring method, were used. The crumb tire rubbers with the sieve size of 8-mesh and 16-mesh were incorporated into the concrete by replacing same volume of sand and as an additive. The abrasion resistance of concrete was evaluated according to the abrasion resistance strength and the mass loss. Test results show that the addition of silica fume enhanced both compressive strength and abrasion resistance of concrete, and the addition of crumb rubber reduced the compressive strength but increased notably the abrasion resistance of the concrete. Silica fume concrete performed a better abrasion resistance than control concrete, and the rubberized concrete performed a much better abrasion resistance than silica fume concrete. The abrasion resistance of rubberized concrete increased with the increase of rubber content.

Experimental Study of Rubberized Asphalt Emulsion Modified Portland cement concrete

The poor fatigue properties and high rigidity of cement asphalt emulsion treated mis(CETM) have for a long time been problems restricting its further development making it impossible for C-ETMto be used as surface layer materials. In this paper, a new kind of cement asphalt emulsion composite-rubberized asphalt emulsion modified Portland cement concrete (RACC) was proposed, which was formed by dispersing rubberized aSPhalt emulsion coated coarse aggregates into cement mortar matrix. In order to evaluate systematically the performance of RACC, laboratory tests with nearly one thousand SPecimen were conducted for resilient modulus, fatigue properties, ultimate ban and length,abrasion, temperature contraction, and dry shrinkage. The experimental results show that the problems existed in C-ETM have to a great extends been solved by RACc. To verify the field performance and inquire into paving technology, teSt road appearsatlsfactory it is concluded that when thed ape surface laycr of semi-rigid base course, RACC is more for surface layer material than both Portland cement concrete(PCC) and asphalt concrete(AC)

Modified rubberized stone matrix asphalt for Nineveh roads

To evaluate the effects of Crumb Rubber Modifiers (CRMS) on basic engineering properties (i.e. Marshall, tensile strength, and compressive strength) of stone matrix asphalt mixtures, the ASTM testing and procedures were employed. Results of the evaluation were used to quantify the effect of CRM source and CRM content on engineering properties at testing temperatures of 25 ℃ and 60 ℃. Statistical models were developed, which represent the nature of effects on performance-related properties of stone matrix asphalt mixtures.

Acoustic emission characteristics of damage evolution of multi-scale fiber reinforced rubberized concrete under uniaxial compression and tension after being subjected to high temperatures

Recently developed multi-scale fiber(i.e.,CaCO3 whisker,polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)fiber,and steel fiber)reinforced rubberized concrete exhibits excellent mechanical properties and spalling resistance at high temperatures.Measurement of macro properties such as strength and Young’s modulus cannot reveal and characterize damage mechanisms,particularly those relating to the multi-scale fiber strengthening effect.In this study,acoustic emission(AE)technology is applied to investigate the impact of multi-scale fiber on the damage evolution of rubberized concrete exposed to high temperatures,under the uniaxial compression and tension loading processes.The mechanical properties,AE event location,peak frequency,b-value,the ratio of rise time to amplitude(RA),average frequency(AF)values,and AE energy of specimens are investigated.The results show that the number of events observed using AE gradually increases as the loading progresses.The crumb rubber and fibers inhibit the generation and development of the cracks.It is concluded that both the peak frequency and b-value reflect the extension process of cracks.As the cracks develop from the micro scale to the macro scale,the peak frequency tends to be distributed in a lower frequency range,and the b-value decreases gradually.At the peak stress point,the AE energy increases rapidly and the b-value decreases.The specimens without multi-scale fibers exhibit brittle failure,while the specimens with fibers exhibit ductile failure.In addition,adding multi-scale fibers and crumb rubber increases the peak frequency in the medium and high frequency ranges,indicating a positive effect on inhibiting crack development.After being subjected to high temperatures,the maximum and minimum b-values decrease,reflecting an increase in the number of initial cracks due to thermal damage.Meanwhile,the RA and AF values are used to classify tensile and shear cracks.The specimens fracture with more shear cracks under compression,and there are more tensile cracks in specimens with multi-scale fibers under tension.

Endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding for the treatment of grade Ⅱ-Ⅲ internal hemorrhoids:A prospective,multi-center,randomized study

BACKGROUND Endoscopic rubber band ligation(ERBL)is a nonsurgical technique for the treatment of symptomatic internal hemorrhoids but is limited by recurrence and post-procedural pain.AIM To evaluate satisfaction,long-term recurrence,and post-procedural pain in managing internal hemorrhoids using a combination of polidocanol foam sclerotherapy and ERBL.METHODS This was a prospective,multicenter,randomized study.A total of 195 consecutive patients diagnosed with grade II-III internal hemorrhoids were enrolled from four tertiary hospitals and randomly divided into a cap-assisted endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding(EFSB)or an ERBL group.All patients were followed-up for 12 months.Symptom-based severity and post-procedural pain were assessed using a hemorrhoid severity score(HSS)and a visual analog scale(VAS).Continuous variables were reported as medians and interquartile range.RESULTS One hundred and ninety-five patients were enrolled,with 98 in the EFSB group.HSS was lower in the EFSB group than in the ERBL group at 8 weeks[4.0(3.0-5.0)vs 5.0(4.0-6.0),P=0.003]and 12-month[2.0(1.0-3.0)vs 3.0(2.0-3.0),P<0.001]of follow-up.The prolapse recurrence rate was lower in the EFSB group at 12 months(11.2%vs 21.6%,P=0.038).Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that EFSB treatment[B=-0.915,95%confidence interval(CI):−1.301 to−0.530,P=0.001]and rubber band number(B=0.843,95%CI:0.595-1.092,P<0.001)were negatively and independently associated with the VAS score 24 hours post-procedure.The median VAS was lower in the EFSB group than in the ERBL[2.0(1.0-3.0)vs 3.0(2.0-4.0),P<0.001].CONCLUSION Cap-assisted EFSB provided long-term satisfaction and effective relief from the recurrence of prolapse and pain 24 hours post-procedure.

Low-temperature characteristicsof rubbers and performance testsof type 120 emergencyvalve diaphragms

Purpose–The type 120 emergency valve is an essential braking component of railway freight trains,butcorresponding diaphragms consisting of natural rubber(NR)and chloroprene rubber(CR)exhibit insufficientaging resistance and low-temperature resistance,respectively.In order to develop type 120 emergency valverubber diaphragms with long-life and high-performance,low-temperatureresistant CR and NR were processed.Design/methodology/approach–The physical properties of the low-temperature-resistant CR and NRwere tested by low-temperature stretching,dynamic mechanical analysis,differential scanning calorimetryand thermogravimetric analysis.Single-valve and single-vehicle tests of type 120 emergency valves werecarried out for emergency diaphragms consisting of NR and CR.Findings–The low-temperature-resistant CR and NR exhibited excellent physical properties.The elasticityand low-temperature resistance of NR were superior to those of CR,whereas the mechanical properties of thetwo rubbers were similar in the temperature range of 0℃–150℃.The NR and CR emergency diaphragms metthe requirements of the single-valve test.In the low-temperature single-vehicle test,only the low-temperaturesensitivity test of the NR emergency diaphragm met the requirements.Originality/value–The innovation of this study is that it provides valuable data and experience for futuredevelopment of type 120 valve rubber diaphragms.

Comparison of the fracture process of the rubberized concrete and plain concrete under bending load

Acoustic emission (AE) technique is employed to investigate the damage process of the notched plain concrete and rubberized concrete specimens under 3-point bending load.AE signals in the fracture process of notched specimens are illustrated by analyzing the distribution of amplitude and hit rate of AE signals.AE signals in the rubberized concrete have lower activity and amplitude than in the plain concrete.By AE location analysis,it is found that the high energy events mainly are distributed near the notch tip.According to AE energy,the fracture process zone (FPZ) is determined.By comparing the FPZ of both concretes,it is found that the incorporation of rubber particles in concrete can greatly alleviate the damage process of concrete specimens and the damage zone in the rubberized concrete is much smaller than in the plain concrete.The moment tensor is also used to analyze the type of cracks and it is found that tensile cracks dominate the early period of loading,while shear cracks become dominant with propagation of cracks in late load period.

Effect of production process on performance properties of warm rubberized binders

The study presents an experimental evaluation of performance properties of two different production processes of warm rubberized binder.Two types of rubberized binder were produced through dry process and wet process and two of the available wax additives were added into the rubberized binders(i.e.,LEADCAP and Sasobit).Rubberized binders with wax additives were artificially short-term and long-term aged using the rolling thin film oven(RTFO) and pressure aging vessel(PAV) procedures.Superpave binder tests were carried out on the binders through the rotational viscometer(RV),the dynamic shear rheometer(DSR),and the bending beam rheometer(BBR).In general,the results of this study indicated that(1) the viscosity properties have been found to be similar between dry and wet processes,(2) the rubberized binders manufactured by wet process were observed to have the higher rutting resistance than those by dry process,(3) the wet process resulted in better performance in the fatigue cracking test than the dry process,and(4) the blending method was found to have little influence of stiffness properties.

Constitutive model of viscoelastic dynamic damage for the material of gas obturator in modular-charge howitzer

In order to investigate the mechanical response behavior of the gas obturator of the breech mechanism,made of polychloroprene rubber(PCR), uniaxial compression experiments were carried out by using a universal testing machine and a split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB), obtaining stress-strain responses at different temperatures and strain rates. The results revealed that, in comparison to other polymers, the gas obturator material exhibited inconspicuous strain softening and hardening effects;meanwhile, the mechanical response was more affected by the strain rate than by temperature. Subsequently, a succinct viscoelastic damage constitutive model was developed based on the ZWT model, including ten undetermined parameters, formulated with incorporating three parallel components to capture the viscoelastic response at high strain rate and further enhanced by integrating a three-parameter Weibull function to describe the damage. Compared to the ZWT model, the modified model could effectively describe the mechanical response behavior of the gas obturator material at high strain rates. This research laid a theoretical foundation for further investigation into the influence of chamber sealing issues on artillery firing.

Discussion on“Dispersion characteristics of clayey soils containing waste rubber particles”[J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 15(2023)3050e3058]

We read with great interest the recent article by Erenson(2023)entitled“Dispersion characteristics of clayey soils containing waste rubber particles”.The author has studied the dispersion characteristics of clayey soils containing different percentages of waste rubber particles(WRPs)by performing several tests(viz.consistency limit,linear shrinkage limit,double hydrometer,crumb test and pinhole test)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)analysis on five clayey(viz.Na-activated bentonite,refined ball clay,Ukrainian kaolin,Avanos kaolin and Afyon clay)samples containing 0%,5%,10%and 15%WRPs.It should be noted that Erenson(2023)has presented some interesting observations,but there are some serious issues that we want to share through this discussion and request the author of the original paper to address them to avoid their persistence in the scientific literature.

Mechanical behavior of nanorubber reinforced epoxy over a wide strain rate loading

Nanorubber/epoxy composites containing 0,2,6 and 10 wt%nanorubber are subjected to uniaxial compression over a wide range of strain rate from 8×10^(-4) s^(-1) to~2×10^(4) s^(-1).Unexpectedly,their strain rate sensitivity and strain hardening index increase with increasing nanorubber content.Potential mechanisms are proposed based on numerical simulations using a unit cell model.An increase in the strain rate sensitivity with increasing nanorubber content results from the fact that the nanorubber becomes less incompressible at high strain,generating a higher hydro-static pressure.Adiabatic shear localization starts to occur in the epoxy under a strain rate of 22,000 s^(-1) when the strain exceeds 0.35.The presence of nanorubber in the epoxy reduces adiabatic shear localization by preventing it from propagating.

Seismic evaluation of frequency influence and resonant behavior for lead rubber bearing isolated rigid rectangular liquid tanks

The seismic behavior of a partially filled rigid rectangular liquid tank is investigated under short-and longduration ground motions.A finite element model is developed to analyze the liquid domain by using four-noded quadrilateral elements.The competency of the model is verified with the available results.Parametric studies are conducted for the dynamic parameters of the base-isolated tank,using a lead rubber bearing to evaluate the optimum damping and time period of the isolator.The application of base isolation has reduced the total and impulsive hydrodynamic components of pressure by 80 to 90 percent,and base shear by 15 to 95 percent,depending upon the frequency content and duration of the considered earthquakes.The sloshing amplitude of the base-isolated tank is reduced by 18 to 94 percent for most of the short-duration earthquakes,while it is increased by 17 to 60 percent for the majority of the long-duration earthquakes.Furthermore,resonance studies are carried out through a long-duration harmonic excitation to obtain the dynamic behavior of non-isolated and isolated tanks,using a nonlinear sloshing model.The seismic responses of the base-isolated tank are obtained as higher when the excitation frequency matches the fundamental sloshing frequency rather than the isolator frequency.

High-speed tracked vehicle model order reduction for static and dynamic simulations

In this paper, a model order reduction strategy is adopted for the static and dynamic behaviour simulation of a high-speed tracked vehicle. The total number of degree of freedom of the structure is condensed through a selection of interface degrees of freedom and significant global mode shapes, for an approximated description of vehicle dynamic behaviour. The methodology is implemented in a customised open-source software to reduce the computational efforts. The modelled tracked vehicle includes the sprung mass, the unsprung masses, connected by means of torsional bars, and all the track assemblies, composing the track chain. The proposed research activity presents a comprehensive investigation of the influence of the track chain, combined with longitudinal vehicle speed, on statics and vehicle dynamics, focusing on vertical dynamics. The vehicle response has been investigated both in frequency and time domain. In this last case road-wheel displacements are assumed as inputs for the model, under different working conditions, hence considering several road profiles with different amplitudes and characteristic excitation frequencies. Simulation results have proven a high fidelity in model order reduction approach and a significant contribution of the track chain in the global dynamic behaviour of the tracked vehicle.

Endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding for the treatment of Grade II-III internal hemorrhoids:The focus of clinical practice

We have read the article by Qu et al with great interest,as it presents an inte-gration of endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerotherapy with rubber band ligation in patients with Grade II-III internal hemorrhoids.The authors conducted a prospective,multicenter,randomized study to evaluate the long-term sympto-matic and endoscopic efficacy of this combined intervention.In this discussion,we focus on the procedural steps of this combined strategy and suggest potential avenues for future research.

Comparison of nonlinear modeling methods for the composite rubber clamp

The cubic stiffness force model(CSFM)and Bouc-Wen model(BWM)are introduced and compared innovatively.The unknown coefficients of the nonlinear models are identified by the genetic algorithm combined with experiments.By fitting the identified nonlinear coefficients under different excitation amplitudes,the nonlinear vibration responses of the system are predicted.The results show that the accuracy of the BWM is higher than that of the CSFM,especially in the non-resonant region.However,the optimization time of the BWM is longer than that of the CSFM.

Transient NOE driven signal enhancement of INADEQUATE solid-state NMR spectroscopy for the structural analysis of rubbers

INADEQUATE(Incredible Natural Abundance DoublE QUAntum Transfer Experiment)is one of the most important techniques in revealing the carbon skeleton of organic solids in solid-state NMR spectroscopy.Nevertheless,its use for structural analysis is quite limited due to the low natural abundance of^(13)C-^(13)C connectivity(~0.01%)and thus low sensitivity.Particularly,in semi-solids like rubbers,the sensitivity will be further significantly reduced by the inefficient cross polarization from 1H to^(13)C due to molecular motions induced averaging of^(1)H-^(13)C dipolar couplings.Herein,in this study,we demonstrate that transient nuclear Overhauser effect(NOE)can be used to efficiently enhance^(13)C signals,and thus enable rapid acquisition of two-dimensional(2D)^(13)C INADEQUATE spectra of rubbers.Using chlorobutyl rubber as the model system,it is found that an overall signalto-noise ratio(SNR)enhancement about 22%can be achieved,leading to significant timesaving by about 33%as compared to the direct polarization-based INADEQUATE experiment.Further experimental results on natural rubber and ethylene propylene diene monomer(EPDM)rubber are also shown to demonstrate the robust performance of transient NOE enhanced INADEQUATE experiment.

Redefining hemorrhoid therapy with endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding

Hemorrhoids are a common and painful condition,with conventional treatments such as endoscopic rubber band ligation(ERBL)and injection sclerotherapy often falling short due to high recurrence rates and significant post-operative pain.A clinical trial by Qu et al introduces a novel approach called endoscopic polidocanol foam sclerobanding(EFSB).This multicenter randomized trial involved 195 patients with grade II and III internal hemorrhoids and demonstrated that EFSB significantly reduced recurrence rates and post-procedural pain while improving symptom relief and patient satisfaction compared to ERBL.The study's strengths include its robust design,comprehensive outcome evaluation,and patient-centered approach.Despite limitations such as the single-blind design and relatively short follow-up period,the findings suggest that EFSB could enhance clinical practice by offering a more effective and patient-friendly treatment option.Further research is needed to validate these results and explore the long-term benefits and cost-effectiveness of EFSB.