ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 777

International Conference | Bari - Lecce, Italy Session X-XI APPLICATION OF STEEL FIBRES DERIVED FROM SCRAP TIRES AS REINFORCEMENT IN CONCRETE Giuseppe Centonze1, Marianovella Leone2, Francesco Micelli3 & Maria Antonietta Aiello4 1 Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Italy, [email protected] 2 Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Italy, [email protected] 3 Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Italy, [email protected] 4 Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Italy, [email protected] Abstract The management of large amounts of End of Life Tires (ELTs) is one of the main political-environmental issues and its mismanagement represents a major problem which needs to be solved. In the last years the disposal of large amounts of ELTs into landfills caused serious environmental problems in many EU states because they are not biodegradable. Almost all the EU Governments transposed the European directive into national laws and codes, allowing the development of sustainable options for the disposal, recovery, and reuse of tires. Over the last years, the use of raw materials derived from scrap tires has found several applications, which have allowed a gradual waste reduction through its reuse in different production sectors. Moreover, the current legislation provides the possibility to pursue environmental protection optimizing the recovery of used tires even through research and development. The positive effect of short fibres as reinforcement in concrete matrix is widely recognized and supported in literature. Concrete is generally considered a brittle material because of a low tensile strength and a slight ultimate strain. Therefore, steel fibres may be used as discontinuous reinforcement in the concrete matrix in order to bridge the cracks that develop when a load is applied. The concrete obtained by adding these fibres is characterised by an improvement of the brittle behaviour, mostly in terms of toughness and post-cracking behaviour. In this context, the present paper deals with the mechanical characterization of reinforced concrete with steel fibres recycled from scrap tires. The experimental work is part of a wider scientific investigation aimed at developing the introduction of this type of recycled fibres in production sectors related to civil engineering. The main goal of the paper is to discuss the mechanical behaviour of the concrete reinforced with recycled fibres, comparing the results with the corresponding ordinary concrete. Keywords Steel fibres, reinforced concrete, waste tires. 775