Effect of rubber particle modification on properties of rubberized concrete

To improve the combination of cement matrix and waste tire rubber particles in concrete, the rubber particles were treated with acrylic acid (ACA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) for grafting hydrophilic groups on their surfaces. The X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface contact angle were used to characterize the hydrophilicity and surface functional group of rubber particles. The effect of rubber particle modification on fresh/hardened properties of rubberized concrete was studied. The experimental results show that the contact angle between rubber particle surface and water decreases when rubber particle is modified. Compared with the unmodified rubberized concrete(RC), the unit weight of modified rubberized concrete(MRC) changes slightly. However, the slump, air-entrainment, compressive strength, flexural strength, and impact performance of MRC are obviously improved. Under good condition of slump, the water-cement ratio of the MRC can be reduced from 0.4 to 0.38. And the compressive strength and flexural strength of the MRC(10% rubber particle content) can be increased by 25.9% and 26.4%, respectively.