Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Mortars Containing Rubber Waste Particles as Fine Aggregate in Freeze–Thaw Cycles

Abstract

In this study, the possibility of using rubber waste particles (RWP) as a substitute for fine aggregate type in mortar, which can provide valuable results in reducing both natural resource consumption and environmental pollution, was evaluated in terms of engineering properties. Due to the dimensional proximity of RWP and fine aggregate and the physical properties of RWP, substitution of these two materials was used in this study. In the mortar produced in this study, 4 different mixtures were produced in which RWP was substituted with fine aggregate and sand at 0%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% by volume. The binder dosage was kept constant at 550 kg/m3 and the water/cement ratio was 0.532. The changes in the mechanical properties (flexural tensile strength, compressive strength, and stress-strain) of the mixtures were evaluated after freeze-thaw cycles, a natural environmental effect. Prism specimens were subjected to compressive and tensile strength tests after 25, 50, 100, and 200 freeze-thaw (FT)-cycles, while the change in stress-strain behavior was studied on cube specimens after FT-cycles. The results showed that the losses in compressive and flexural tensile strength were in the range of 8%–27% and 5%–49%, respectively. Moreover, the load-displacement behavior varies with varying compressive strengths after different number of cycles.