An experimental and numerical approach in strength prediction of reclaimed rubber concrete

Abstract

Utilization of waste tires may be considered as one of the solution to the problems faced by the local authorities in disposing them. Reclaimed rubber (RR) is being used in concrete for replacing conventional aggregates. This research work is focused on the strength prediction of reclaimed rubber concrete using a Genetic Algorithm (GA) for M40 grade of concrete and comparing it with experimental results. 1000 sets were taken and 100 iterations were run during training of GA models. A base study has been carried out in this research work partially replacing cement with three types of fillers such as Plaster of Paris (POP), Fly Ash (FA) and Silica Fume (SF). A total of 243 cubes were cast and tested for compression using a Universal Testing Machine. It was found that SF produced maximum strength in concrete and was used in the main study with reclaimed rubber. Tests were conducted on 81 cube samples with a combination of optimum SF percent and various proportions of RR replacing coarse aggregates in concrete mix. Compressive strength tests of concrete at 7, 14 and 28 days reveal that the maximum strength is obtained at 12 percent replacement of cement and 9 percent replacement of coarse aggregates respectively. Moreover the GA results were found to be in line with the experimental results obtained.