Performance Comparison of Crumb Rubber in Ordinary Portland Cement and Alkali-Activated Slag: A Study on Pastes and Mortars
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajcec.v2i1.7369Keywords:
Alkali-Activated Slag, Compressive Strength, Crumb Rubber, Flexural Strength, Ordinary Portland CementAbstract
The incorporation of crumb rubber (CR) as a partial replacement in cementitious materials offers a dual benefit of enhancing sustainability in construction and mitigating environmental issues associated with waste tire disposal. This research presents a comparative investigation of the mechanical performance of CR in Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Alkali-Activated Slag (AAS)-based pastes and mortars. Experimental programs were conducted using CR as a partial replacement for binder materials (0%, 9.4%, 17.9%, and 25.5% by volume) and fine aggregates (0%, 9.4%, 17.9%, 25.5%, and 32.4% by volume). Compressive and flexural strengths were evaluated at curing ages of 7 and 28 days. The results indicate that compressive strength decreases progressively with increasing CR content due to weak interfacial bonding and the inherent elasticity of CR particles. However, AAS-based mixes exhibited better performance compared to OPC, particularly in terms of post-curing strength and resilience at moderate CR contents (9.4% -17.9%). This improved behavior is attributed to the dense microstructure and geopolymeric nature of AAS, which enhances CR- mixes interaction and reduces strength loss. Furthermore, the incorporation of CR contributed to improved ductility and altered failure modes, although excessive CR content led to increased porosity and reduced mechanical performance. Overall, the findings demonstrate that AAS mixes possess greater adaptability to CR incorporation than OPC mixes, highlighting their potential for sustainable construction applications.
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