Acoustic and strength characterization of concrete and wood-based composites comprised of micronized rubber powder

• Main Author: Cole, John
• Other Authors: Jason Street
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: MSSTATE 2019
• Subjects: Sustainable Bioproducts
• Online Access: http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-03152019-143026/

<p>More than one billion vehicle tires reach the end of their useful service life annually. Less than a quarter of rubber waste is reused or recycled in some way. Interest has grown in working to discover means by which to incorporate rubber tire waste into construction materials. This study sought to delve into the use of micronized rubber powder (MRP) as an acoustic agent within particleboard and concrete. In addition, work was conducted to characterize the effect that MRP has on the strength and flexural properties of concrete. Furthermore, research sought to provide insight into how pine biomass, a forest products industry waste, would interact with MRP in concrete as it relates to strength and acoustic properties.</p> <p>As expected, particleboard that contained MRP resulted in lower strength but higher flexibility. Acoustic testing revealed that there was minimal sound absorption improvement at some frequencies and less absorption at low and high frequencies. Sound transmission loss was slightly improved by the addition of MRP to the particleboard.</p> <p>Adding pine biomass and MRP to concrete yielded much lower compressive strength as compared to plain concrete. Visual inspection of the sound absorption coefficient curves over the full range of test frequencies identified limited, if any, advantage for the addition of MRP or biomass. Some ranges of frequencies offered minimal improvement. There appeared to be no appreciable sound absorption advantage to adding MRP, pine biomass, or the combination of the two into concrete mix proportions.</p> <p>Modulus of rigidity was decreased as compared to plain concrete when MRP, pine biomass, or a combination of both were incorporated into the concrete mixture as volume replacement for aggregate. Visual observation revealed that flexural failure for the MRP or pine beams were less sudden and less catastrophic than the plain concrete samples.</p> <p>Modulus of elasticity was decreased as compared to plain concrete when MRP, pine biomass, or a combination of both were incorporated into the concrete mixture as volume replacement for aggregate. The more flexible and ductile concrete produced with MRP and biomass provides a combination of properties that serve to lessen the propagation of cracks throughout the specimen.</p>