Performance of rubberized concrete exposed to chloride solution and continuous wet–dry cycle

Worldwide, the accumulation of discarded waste tire rubbers remains one of the major environmental concerns unless recycled in an eco-friendly approach. One of the sustainable solutions is to recycle the waste tire rubber as a partial replacement of natural aggregates in concrete. The main aim of this study was to investigate the durability of rubberized concrete (RuC) with different amounts (0–30%) of rubber aggregate (RA) at two most practical and common exposure conditions. The main investigating parameters were the rubber particle size, replacement type, replacement amount, and exposure conditions. To evaluate the performance of RuC, the slump value, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, chloride ion penetration, water absorption, strength loss at different exposure conditions were evaluated. The addition of RA causes a reduction in strength due to the less adhesion of RA and cement paste compared with the control mix. However, finer sized rubber particles show better adhesion and develop higher strength than coarser ones. Consequently, the durability under continuous wet–dry cycles and chloride ion solution was much better for finer RA incorporated concrete. With the increasing content and particle size of RA, the porosity of RuC increased, thus the chloride ion penetration was maximum for 30% replacement level. Therefore, to develop sustainable RuC without any considerable reduction in mechanical and durability properties, the finer particle sized RA is suitable up to an optimum level (< 30%).