Scrap tires could gain a new purpose as ingredients for construction materials, thanks to research at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Discarded tires are a big problem. Landfills are teeming with them and they can harbor disease-carrying mosquitos and rodents. Stockpiles of old tires also burn easily — creating fires that can quickly get out of control and may burn for months or even years.
But the longevity and resilience of scrap tires also makes them ideal for other uses.
Dr. Mohamed A. El Gawady, a researcher at Missouri S&T, is currently testing new masonry blocks made with ground tires.
“Rubber has a lot of benefits in addition to its sustainability,” says El Gawady, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering. “It’s very durable and provides good insulation. Among their many potential benefits, these new blocks could cut heating bills by 50 percent.”
ElGawady has been working with Midwest Block and Brick, a Jefferson City, Mo.-based company, to create the blocks, which are made from sand and scrap tires ground to fine particles.
These rubber-added blocks, called rubberized blocks, were constructed with a variety of ratios of sand to rubber particles before coming up with the right balance.
“The rubber makes the blocks a bit weaker, so after testing various percentages, we now only replace about 20 percent of the sand with rubber, so the blocks retain their strength,” ElGawady says.
He and his students use a compression machine to test and compare the strength of prisms built with the rubberized blocks to conventional concrete masonry blocks.
Both rubberized and conventional blocks are being tested in an environmental chamber at Missouri S&T. In the chamber, the blocks undergo cycles of extreme temperatures and humidity levels, simulating different weather conditions. The rubberized blocks are also tested under cyclic compression loads simulating earthquake loads.
“Construction with these new blocks could improve a building’s resiliency during an earthquake by acting as shock absorbers,” says ElGawady.
Related Stories
| Mar 12, 2014
Final call for entries! BUILDINGChicago 2014 call for educational proposals
The Advisory Committee of the BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland 2014 Conference is accepting proposals for presenters and topics through this Friday, March 14.
| Mar 12, 2014
14 new ideas for doors and door hardware
From a high-tech classroom lockdown system to an impact-resistant wide-stile door line, BD+C editors present a collection of door and door hardware innovations.
| Mar 12, 2014
AIA gives support to legislation to assist architecture students with debt
The National Design Services Act will give architecture students relief from student loan debt in return for community service.
| Mar 12, 2014
New CannonDesign database allows users to track facility assets
The new software identifies critical failures of components and systems, code and ADA-compliance issues, and systematically justifies prudent expenditures.
| Mar 11, 2014
7 (more) awe-inspiring interior designs [slideshow]
The seven winners of the 41st Interior Design Competition and the 22nd Will Ching Design Competition include projects on four different continents.
| Mar 11, 2014
Freelon Group to join Perkins+Will
The Freelon Group concentrates on museums, libraries, universities and other civic and institutional clients; Perkins+Will plans to incorporate this specialization into their design repertory.
| Mar 10, 2014
Meet Tally – the Revit app that calculates the environmental impact of building materials
Tally provides AEC professionals with insight into how materials-related decisions made during design influence a building’s overall ecological footprint.
Sponsored | | Mar 10, 2014
A high-performance barn
Bastoni Vineyards replaces a wooden barn with an efficient metal building used for maintenance, storage, and hosting events.
| Mar 10, 2014
Field tested: Caterpillar’s Cat B15 rugged smartphone
The B15 is billed by Cat as “the most progressive, durable and rugged device available on the market today.”
| Mar 10, 2014
5 rugged mobile devices geared for construction pros
BD+C readers share their most trusted smartphone and tablet cases. The editors select some of their faves, too.