Performance of rubberized reinforced concrete columns under Axial and cyclic loading

This paper presents an experimental study carried out to understand the behavior of rubberized concrete columns under axial loads, and numerically analyze the behavior of rubberized reinforced concrete (RRC) columns under cyclic loading. Experimental tests were carried out on twelve large-scale columns with square and circular cross sections, with replacement of fine aggregate at percentages with crumb rubber (CR) of 0%, 10%, and 15% under axial loading. Square RRC columns were examined by a finite element program (ABAQUS) under cyclic loading. The results of the experiments showed that the columns with crumb rubber had a lower load capacity than those without crumb rubber when exposed to axial loads. The obtained numerical results showed good agreement with the experimental results, indicating the ability of the numerical model to simulate the behavior of rubberized concrete columns under axial and cyclic loads. Moreover, the replacement of fine aggregate by 10% and 15% with crump rubber increases the lateral displacement and ductility of the column under cyclic loading. Rubber can be used in concrete columns with no significant effect on their ultimate strength or deformability. However, crumb rubber concrete (CRC) can delay and reduce the amount of damage occurring under cyclic loading.