High strength concrete with crumb rubber as partial of aggregate.

What is it about?

Railway sleepers are horizontal components in the railway system. They are primarily used to distribute loads from the rail seat to the underlying ballast bed and to withstand repetitive impact stress caused by the interactions between trains and the track infrastructure. Rubberized concrete is an excellent choice for constructing railway sleepers due to its superior impact resistance, greater toughness, and ductility compared to regular concrete. However, it does have lower strength than unmodified concrete. This study aims to assess the impact of incorporating rubber granules, ranging from 1 mm to 4 mm in size, as a replacement for fine aggregate by volume on the compressive, tension, and flexural strengths of concrete. The test results reveal a significant reduction in compressive, tension, and flexural strength as the dosage of rubber granules is increased, up to 60 kg/m3, at intervals of 20 kg/m3. Nonetheless, it is still possible to achieve high-strength rubberized concrete with the appropriate mix design. This suggests that rubberized concrete can be feasibly used for constructing railway sleepers, with compressive strength exceeding 55 MPa according to BS EN 206-1 standards.

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Why is it important?

The test results reveal a significant reduction in compressive, tension, and flexural strength as the dosage of rubber granules is increased, up to 60 kg/m3, at intervals of 20 kg/m3. Nonetheless, it is still possible to achieve high-strength rubberized concrete with the appropriate mix design. This suggests that rubberized concrete can be feasibly used for constructing railway sleepers, with compressive strength exceeding 55 MPa according to BS EN 206-1 standards.