Mechanical and Acoustic Performance of Concrete Containing Vermiculite and Rubber

The excessive production of new tires and the inappropriate disposal of waste tires have caused serious environmental and public health problems. To properly dispose of this environmental liability, these rubber residues have been used in cement composites to improve some of their properties in the hardened state. This study evaluates the incorporation of rubber and vermiculite residues in concrete in terms of mechanical and acoustic properties. Different concrete compositions were defined where rubber waste and vermiculite were used to replace the natural sand mass. To characterize the concretes, mechanical and acoustic tests, and analysis of the microstructure of the material were carried out to better understand its properties. An improvement in the acoustic properties can be seen in the composites with rubber and vermiculite. Thus, the great contribution of this research is the development of concrete compositions for acoustic barriers, technically viable, adding environmental benefits.