Combined Effects of Steel and Glass Fibres on the Fracture Performance of Recycled Rubber Concrete

Abstract

As an environmentally friendly construction material, recycled rubber concrete (RRC) is commonly used as a road material owing to its excellent flexural strength and crack resistance. Previous studies have shown that the addition of fibres is an effective method for improving the crack resistance of concrete. The purpose of this study is to investigate the fracture performance of RRC reinforced with steel fibres (SFs) and glass fibres (GFs). A total of 28 RRC mixtures were prepared. The results of the fracture test showed that the addition of SFs and GFs significantly enhanced the RRC fracture performance. The maximum increases or decreases in flexural strength, brittleness coefficient, fracture energy, initial fracture toughness, and unstable fracture toughness were 64.9, −34.6, 775.6, 92.0, and 118.4%, respectively. The ideal GF content is usually in the range of 0.4–0.6% and decreases with increasing SF content. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests were conducted to explore the mechanism of the effect of hybrid fibres on RRC at a microscopic level. The results show that SFs were always pulled out, while GFs were pulled apart at the initial defects. At the same time, excessive GFs caused more initial defects. These results are expected to provide theoretical direction and experimental support for the practical application of hybrid fibre-reinforced recycled rubber concrete (HFRRRC).