Evaluación de las propiedades mecánicas de concretos modificados con microesferas de vidrio y residuos de llantas

The combined effect of recycled tires and microspheres as substitutes of raw material to produce modified concrete as of raw materials used in the manufacture of traditional concrete was explored in this work. Traditional and mix concrete were designed and modified concrete mixes with 15% by mass of fine aggregate were replaced in a 0:1, 1:1, 1:3, 3:1 and 1:0 were designed and prepared. With the prepared concrete mixes cylindrical specimens of 5mmx300mm in diameter were made. The evaluation of mechanical and physical properties of the cylindrical specimens showed that the materials with the highest content of tire residues exhibited the lower density, while those with higher microsphere content have a higher compressive strength; in fact, this is similar to the traditional concrete. As a result, the concrete mix design with glass microspheres and the mix design in 1:3 ratios showed greater mechanical properties then the other mixtures with compressive strengths of 22.4 and 19.1 MPa respectively. The results demonstrate that the combinations of microspheres and tire residues have a synergistic effect with a potential use in the construction industry as a replacement of traditional materials in the manufacture of concrete. In particular, it is expected that the use of these materials in the production of concrete, will become an alternative for the use of these wastes, which do not currently have a disposal plan.