This method contributes to tire recycling, reduces environmental impact, and decreases the size of landfills. It can also be used to produce highly durable concrete mixes.
Sergey Stelmakh, head of the university's Department of Unique Building and Structure Construction, explained that increasing concrete strength is achieved by adding rubber-based filler particles of a specific size and a small amount of steel wire extracted from tires. When these additives are used in the appropriate quantities, concrete strength can increase by up to 6% thanks to the additional strengthening effect of the steel fibers, while excessive use reduces this positive effect.
In order to predict the mechanical properties of concrete, the team created a neural network based on data from various compounds containing rubber and steel fibers, which is essential for designing the structures of buildings and facilities.
The researchers plan to further investigate the fundamental and practical aspects of incorporating recycled tire materials into concrete, as well as improving the interaction between its various components. They explained that only 5-10% of recycled tires are currently used in the production of new tires, while the remainder is partially utilized in the manufacture of plumbing fixtures, flooring, drainage elements, or asphalt concrete mixes, noting that all these technologies are costly.
