Impact Resistance of Concrete Containing LLDPE–Waste Tire Rubber and Silica Fume

Abstract

Some of the desirable properties of concrete include high impact resistance and great energy-sucking capacity to name a few. These properties can be improved through the use of sustainable materials. This study investigated the effects of partly replacing fine aggregate with linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and waste rubber (WR) as fine aggregates on the efficiency of concrete under impact loading. Two water to binder ratio (W/B) percentages of (0.40 and 0.55) were selected, with six (LLDPE-R) replacement grades (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 30%) and two silica fume (SF) replacement grades (0% and 15%). Six cylinders with 150 and 60 mm were subjected to an impact by a 4.45 kg hammer striking. Test results indicated that impact resistance for the first visible crack and the ultimate failure increased with LLDPE-R content, where it increased by 4.76 times. This study also demonstrated that the impact resistance for the first visible crack of LLDPE-R concrete was improved by an average of 295% for specimens without SF and 292% for specimens containing SF. This enhancement for the ultimate failure is 291% and 290% for specimens without SF and containing SF, respectively.

Keywords

• impact resistance
• concrete
• silica fume
• rubber
• drop weight