Impact of waste shredded tire inclusion on cement concrete pavement: A Numerical study

Previous research has identified inadequate flexibility in concrete pavements due to the use of high-strength concrete mixtures. This research investigates whether this problem can be addressed by partially replacing some fine and coarse aggregate components with waste rubber from shredded tires, the safe disposal of which otherwise is a major environmental concern. Using finite element software ABAQUS, this study analyses 3D pavement model behavior in terms of internal stress development and deflection at critical load points. This analysis is carried out for concrete slabs of differing waste rubber proportions and varying thicknesses. Results show that the maximum tensile stress is reduced, and maximum deflection is increased as the rubber content in pavement concrete slab is increased. The stresses and deflection of concrete pavement slab are reduced as the thickness of the slab is increased. The influence of increasing the base coarse modulus is significant in terms of reduction in tensile stress development. However, the reduction in deflection is found to be relatively marginal, especially in low-percentage rubberized pavement concrete slabs.