Experimental assessment and compressive constitutive model of rubberized concrete confined by steel tube

To investigate the confining effect and axial compressive behavior of rubberized concrete (RuC) confined by steel tube, axial compression tests were carried out on 12 circular RuC cylinders confined by steel tube. The cylinders considered parameters such as steel tube thicknesses (2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm) and rubber volume replacement ratios of the fine aggregates (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%). It was observed that the compressive strength of RuC decreases as the rubber volume replacement ratio increases. However, an increase in steel tube thickness enhances the confining effect of the core RuC, leading to an increase in its compressive strength and the corresponding strain, similar to that of conventional concrete. Moreover, post-peak curves are more likely to exhibit a strengthening part in confined concrete with more rubber content. Furthermore, a model was developed to determine the compressive strength of RuC confined by steel tube. Finally, an axial stress-strain model of steel tube confined RuC was proposed, which was validated against test results.