Abstract
In this paper, crumb rubber is proposed as a possible lightweight replacement for fine aggregate in concrete. The performance of concrete with crumb rubber is analyzed through comparison to conventional concrete in terms of compressive strength (ASTM C39), tensile strength (ASTM C78 and ASTM C496), failure patterns, energy absorption during loading, and workability. The results show that up to 15 % of fine aggregates can be replaced with an equal volume of crumb rubber with a slight improvement of the concrete workability. The crumb rubber improves the compressive strength by over 5 %. The splitting tensile strength decreases with an increase in the quantity of crumb rubber, and the modulus of rupture is decreased by an average of 12 %. However, increased strain at failure, good energy absorption, improved modulus of toughness, and ductility are observed in rubberized concrete. Typical concrete brittle failure is not observed in rubberized concrete.