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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Seismic Reduction and Isolation Design Strategies for Bridges in High-Intensity Earthquake Areas

High-intensity earthquakes can cause severe damage to bridges,buildings,and ground surfaces,as well as disrupt human activities.Such earthquakes can create long-distance,high-intensity surface movements that negatively impact bridge structures.This article delves into the seismic reduction and isolation design strategies for bridges in high-intensity earthquake areas.It analyzes various seismic reduction and isolation technologies and provides case studies to help relevant units understand the design strategies of these technologies.The results of this article can be used as a guideline to effectively enhance the seismic performance of bridges in high-intensity earthquake areas.

Rapid report of seismic damage to buildings in the 2022 M 6.8 Luding earthquake,China

The report summarizes the observed damage to a variety of buildings near the epicenter of the M6.8 Luding earthquake in Sichuan Province,China.They include base-isolated buildings,multi-story reinforced concrete(RC)frame buildings,and masonry buildings.The near-field region is known to be tectonically highly active,and the local intensity level is the highest,that is,0.4g peak ground acceleration(PGA)for the design basis earthquake,in the Chinese zonation of seismic ground motion parameters.The extent of damage ranged from the weak-story collapse that claimed lives to the extensive nonstructural damage that suspended occupancy.The report highlights the first observation of the destruction of rubber bearings and viscous dampers in the isolation layer of Chinese seismically isolated buildings.It also features the rare observation of the brittle shear failure of RC columns in moment-resisting frames in a region of such a high seismic design requirement.Possible reasons that may have attributed to the reported damage are suggested by providing facts observed in the field.However,careful forensic analyses are needed before any conclusive judgment can be made.

The legacy effects of rubber defoliation period on the refoliation phenology,leaf disease,and latex yield

The leaf phenology of trees has received particular attention for its crucial role in the global water and carbon balances,ecosystem,and species distribution.However,current studies on leaf phenology have mainly focused on temperate trees,while few studies including tropical trees.Little attention has been paid to globally extensive industrial plantations.Rubber plantations are important to both the local and global economies.In this study,we investigated the legacy effects of defoliation phenology on the following year’s leaf flushing,leaf disease,and also latex yield of rubber trees,an economically important tree to local people and the world.Results show that extended duration of defoliation increased the subsequent duration of refoliation and rates of infection by powdery mildew disease,but led to reduced latex yield in March.This legacy effect of rubber defoliation may relate to the carbohydrate reserved in the trees.A longer duration of defoliation would consume more reserved carbohydrates,reducing available reserves for disease defense and latex production.Extended duration of defoliation period was associated with either a lower temperature before the cessation of latex tapping in October-November and/or a higher temperature after the cessation of latex tapping in December-January.Leaf falling signals the end of photosynthetic activities in deciduous trees.Thus,the leaf falling phenology will impact ecological processes involving rubber trees.Our findings indicated that the inclusion of defoliation periods in future rubber trees’ research,will be crucial to furthering our understanding of leaf flushing,powdery mildew disease,and latex yield.

Finite Element Simulation of Radial Tire Building and Shaping Processes Using an Elasto-Viscoplastic Model

The comprehensive tire building and shaping processes are investigated through the finite element method(FEM)in this article.The mechanical properties of the uncured rubber from different tire components are investigated through cyclic loading-unloading experiments under different strain rates.Based on the experiments,an elastoviscoplastic constitutive model is adopted to describe themechanical behaviors of the uncured rubber.The distinct mechanical properties,including the stress level,hysteresis and residual strain,of the uncured rubber can all be well characterized.The whole tire building process(including component winding,rubber bladder inflation,component stitching and carcass band folding-back)and the shaping process are simulated using this constitutive model.The simulated green tire profile is in good agreement with the actual profile obtained through 3D scanning.The deformation and stress of the rubber components and the cord reinforcements during production can be obtained fromthe FE simulation,which is helpful for judging the rationality of the tire construction design.Finally,the influence of the parameter“drum width”is investigated,and the simulated result is found to be consistent with the experimental observations,which verifies the effectiveness of the simulation.The established simulation strategy provides some guiding significance for the improvement of tire design parameters and the elimination of tire production defects.

Influence of Rubber Powder Movement on Properties of Asphalt Rubber from the Mesoscopic View

The research on asphalt performance mainly focused on the macro performance and micro mechanism.Mesoscopic analysis was introduced to study the effect of rubber powder movement on asphalt rubber properties.After the preparation parameters and the preparation process of asphalt rubber were determined,the modification mechanism and rheological properties were analyzed which revealed the compatible stability mechanism.Then,the analysis model of asphalt rubber was established to focus on simulating the effect of rubber powder and the spatial movement on its mechanical properties.The experimental results show that rubber powder can make the asphalt rubber bear more uniform stress distribution and enhance the ability to resist deformation.Meanwhile,the rotational motion and final distribution of rubber powder have an obvious impact on the mechanical properties of asphalt rubber.In the selected feature points,the average stress of rubber powder at 0°space angle is only 34.1%of that at90°space angle.When the rubber powders are all in parallel in the ideal state,it enhances the mechanical properties the most.This study supplements the“mesoscopic”scale between macro and micro research.The relationship between micro mechanism and macro properties of asphalt rubber will be established from the mesoscopic perspective.It is also an effort to realize the effective correlation from micro,mesoscopic to macro in asphalt.

Multi-omics-driven development of alternative crops for natural rubber production

Natural rubber(NR)is an irreplaceable biopolymer of economic and strategic importance owing to its unique physical and chemical properties.The Parárubber tree(Hevea brasiliensis(Willd.ex A.Juss.)Müll.Arg.)is currently the exclusive commercial source of NR,and it is primarily grown in plantations restricted to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia.However,current Parárubber production barely meets the sharply increasing global industrial demand for rubber.Petroleum-based synthetic rubber(SR)has been used to supplement the shortage of NR but its industrial performance is not comparable to that of NR.Thus,there is an urgent need to develop new productive rubber crops with broader environmental adaptability.This review summarizes the current research progress on alternative rubberproducing plants,including horticultural plants(Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin and Lactuca L.species),woody plants(Parthenium argentatum A.Gray and Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.),and other plant species with potential for NR production.With an emphasis on the molecular basis of NR biosynthesis revealed by a multi-omics approach,we highlight new integrative strategies and biotechnologies for exploring the mechanism of NR biosynthesis with a broader scope,which may accelerate the breeding and improvement of new rubber crops.

Mechanical Test and Meso-Model Numerical Study of Composite Rubber Concrete under Salt-Freezing Cycle

A composite rubber concrete(CRC)was designed by combining waste tire rubber particles with particle sizes of 3~5 mm,1~3 mm and 20 mesh.Taking the rubber content of different particle sizes as the influencing factors,the range and variance analysis of the mechanical and impermeability properties of CRC was carried out by orthogonal test.Through analysis,it is concluded that the optimal proportion of 3~5 mm,1~3 mm,and 20 mesh particle size composite rubber is 1:2.5:5.5 kinds of CRC and 3 kinds of ordinary single-mixed rubber concrete(RC)with a total content of 10%~20%were designed under this ratio,and the salt-freezing cycle test was carried out with a concentration of 5%Na 2 SO4 solution.The physical and mechanical damage laws during 120 salt-freezing cycles are obtained,and the corresponding damage prediction model is established according to the experimental data.The results show that:on the one hand,the composite rubber in CRC produces a more uniform“graded”structure,forms a retractable particle group,and reduces the loss of mechanical properties of CRC.On the other hand,colloidal particles with different particle sizes are used as air entraining agent to improve the pore structure of concrete and introduce evenly dispersed bubbles,which fundamentally improves the durability of concrete.Under the experimental conditions,the CRC performance is the best when the overall content of composite rubber is 15%.

Workability and Durability of Concrete Incorporating Waste Tire Rubber:A Review

Environmental problems caused by waste tires are becoming increasingly prominent.There is an urgent need to find a green way to dispose of waste tires,and scholars have made considerable efforts in this regard.In the construction industry,rubber extracted from waste tires can be added to concrete to alleviate environmental problems to a certain extent.As a new building material,rubber concrete has superior properties compared to ordinary concrete and has been widely used in many fields.Numerous studies have been conducted worldwide to investigate the effect of waste tire rubber on the performance of concrete.It has been reported that the addition of waste tire rubber has a significant influence on the performance of concrete.Workability influences the hardened performance of rubber concrete,especially the durability.Based on the current research results,the workability and durability of concrete manufactured with waste tire rubber,including water absorption and permeability,carbonation resistance,chloride ion permeability resistance,and freeze-thaw resistance,are summarized in this paper.It is concluded that the addition of waste tires has a negative effect on the workability of concrete.In terms of durability,concrete exhibits better chloride ion penetration resistance and frost resistance,with a higher water absorption rate,and lower anti-permeability and carbonation resistance owing to the addition of waste tire rubber.

Fate of rubber bush (Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton) in adversary environment modulated by microstructural and functional attributes

Calotropis procera(Aiton)W.T.Aiton,belonging to the family Apocynaceae,is C3 evergreen plant species in arid and semi-arid areas of the Punjab Province,Pakistan.It grows in a variety of habitats like salt affected and waterlogged area,desert/semi-desert,roadside,wasteland,graveyard,forest,crop field,coastline,and river/canal bank.A total of 12 populations growing in different ecological regions were sampled to evaluate their growth,physio-biochemical,and anatomical responses to specific environmental condition.Population adapted to desert/semi-desert showed vigorous growth(plant height,shoot length,and number of leaves),enhanced photosynthetic level(chlorophyll a,chlorophyll b,carotenoids,and total chlorophyll),and apparent anatomical modifications such as increased stem radius,cuticle thickness,storage parenchyma tissues(cortex and pith),and vascular bundles in stems,while the maximum of midrib and lamina thickness,epidermal cells,cuticle thickness,cortical proportion,abaxial stomatal density,and its area in leaves.There was high plasticity in structural and functional features of these populations,which enable them to survive and tolerate under such hot and dry desert environment.Population of saline areas exhibited very critical modifications to sustain under salt prone environment.At physiological level,it possesses the maximum amount of organic osmolytes(glycine betaine and proline)and antioxidants(superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),and peroxidase(POD)),while at anatomical level,it showed intensive sclerification,large phloem region(inner and outer),pith parenchyma cells,and metaxylem vessels in stems and leaves.The population of dry mountains showed very distinctive features,such as increased shoot ionic contents(K+and Ca2+),collenchyma and sclerenchyma thickness in stems,trichomes size,and numerous small stomata on abaxial surface of leaves.It is concluded that no definite or precise single character can be taken as a yardstick for adjudging the biomass production in this rubber bush weed population.

Rheological and Morphological Characterization of Modified Bitumen with Cup Lump Rubber

Pure bitumen is not suitable for heavy traffic loads;hence modifiers are used to improve the bitumen performance.Recently,cup lump rubber(CLR)has become a preferred modifier due to its outstanding performance and less cost.However,little is known about the interactions between CLR and bitumen.Thus,this study investigates the behavior of bitumen with CLR.Four percentages of CLR(2.5%,5.0%,7.5%,and 10.0%by weight of bitumen)were used to modify conventional 60/70 penetration grade bitumen.The modified bitumen was evaluated through different laboratory testing such as dynamic shear rheometer,rotational viscosity,softening point,bending beam rheometer,ductility,and elastic recovery.The testing results show that the addition of CLR increased the bitumen’s rutting resistance by 3 PG grades at high temperatures.At low pavement temperatures,the cup lump rubber modified bitumen(CMB)can withstand up to−34℃.Fourier Transform Infrared(FTIR)analysis shows that the Aromaticity index at 1600 cm^(−1) rose as the CLR percentage increased,indicating the formation of a binder with a compact structure.This is expected to improve the elasticity of bitumen throughπ-πinteractions.Atomic Force Microscopy(AFM)results showed the Catana phase increased in size and quantity at 5.0%and 7.5%CLR content.While contact angle measurement revealed that the binders are hydrophobic and tend to repel the dropped water on the bitumen surface.