Numerical study on impact resistance of rubberised concrete roadside barrier

Abstract

As an environmentally-friendly material, rubberised concrete has attracted a lot of attentions and researches in recent years. However, because of the addition of rubber crumbs, the strength and modulus of rubberised concrete are low as compared to normal concrete, which limit the wide applications of this material in construction of load-bearing structures. Considering the good deformation and impact resistance ability of rubberised concrete, many researchers have suggested that rubberised concrete material could be used to construct roadside barriers, but the research on rubberised concrete barrier subjected to vehicle collision is very limited. This paper studies the feasibility of application of this green material to make roadside barriers to resist vehicle impact. Numerical models of F-type barriers with A-grade and SS-grade made of rubberised concrete and normal concrete are established. The validities of the numerical models are verified by laboratory impact tests available in literature. The collision of the vehicle with the normal concrete barrier and the rubberised concrete barrier are simulated by the verified numerical models. The results show that the rubberised concrete barrier not only meets the safety requirements for roadside barriers, but also reduces the impact force acting on the vehicle and hence reduces the vehicle damage and risk of the drivers and passengers as compared with the normal concrete barrier. The results demonstrate the great application potentials of this green material for constructing roadside barriers and structures.