Experimental and numerical investigation of recycled rubber foam concrete

Abstract

Processing waste tires into rubber granules for secondary use can effectively alleviate the problem of environmental pollution. Therefore, this paper prepares foam concrete by replacing cementitious materials with recycled rubber granules to recycle resources. The dry density, water absorption, cubic compression, and prismatic flexure tests are carried out with the foam admixture and rubber substitution rate as the test parameters to study the effects of foam admixture and rubber substitution rate on the performance of foam concrete. Using Monte Carlo method simulation and non-linear fitting, a numerical analysis model was developed to predict recycled rubber foam concrete's mechanical properties. The ABAQUS finite element simulation method was used to explore the changes in the stress–strain relationship and damage development of the recycled rubber foam concrete, combined with microscopic observation, SEM, and XRD tests to reveal the specimens' damage mechanism, microscopic morphology, and physical structure. The experimental results show that the foam admixture has a more significant effect on the specimens' dry density, water absorption, and strength index than the effect of the rubber replacement rate. In addition, the strength prediction model, strength conversion model, and uniaxial compression finite element model of recycled rubber foam concrete were established.