Enhancing Strength and Impact Resistance of Latex Rubberized Concrete through Steel Fiber Incorporation

Rubberized concrete, which incorporates crumb rubber, offers improved impact resistance, toughness, and ductility compared to regular concrete. However, its strength is typically lower due to weak interfacial transition zones (ITZ) between the crumb rubber and hardened cement paste. This study aims to investigate the potential of steel fiber and SBR Latex in compensating for the strength reduction caused by the inclusion of crumb rubber. Specifically, the research focuses on the effect of incorporating steel fiber into latex rubberized concrete (LRC) on compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, and impact resistance. To determine the optimal mix proportion, trial mixes of LRC and Latex-based rubberized concrete with 15 kg/m3 steel fiber (LRC-15% SF) were tested for their compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact resistance. The selected mix proportion had achieved a minimum of 55 Mpa of 28-day characteristic strength. Experimental results indicated that the inclusion of steel fiber led to improved strength properties in LRC. The optimal LRC-15% SF mixture, with a water-to-cement (w/c) ratio of 0.28, outperformed the control mix (w/c ratio of 0.28) by 3.18%, 10.70%, and 17.94% in compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths, respectively, at 56 days. Additionally, the LRC-15% SF exhibited higher impact resistance, showing a 46.27% and 14.71% increase in the 400 mm and 200 mm span length impact tests, respectively, at 56 days. By incorporating steel fiber into latex rubberized concrete, this research demonstrates the potential to enhance the strength properties and impact resistance of the material. These findings contribute to the development of more durable and resilient rubberized concrete formulations, highlighting their potential for various construction applications.