Experimental Study on the Effect of Rubber Particle Size on the Frost Resistance Characteristics of Concrete

In order to study the law of influence of rubber particle size on concrete frost resistance characteristics, this paper systematically evaluates the freeze–thaw characteristics of rubber concrete containing different particle sizes. Rubber concrete containing different particle sizes is subjected to 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 freeze–thaw cycles. After the freeze–thaw cycles, the specimens are observed or measured for appearance, mass change rate, relative dynamic elastic modulus, internal damage degree, compressive strength, and tensile strength. The results show that the frost resistance of concrete mixed with rubber of different particle sizes is more excellent, and the surface of concrete specimens after different numbers of freezing and thawing cycles shows different degrees of spalling. Meanwhile, due to the presence of rubber, the compressive and tensile strengths of rubberized concrete are significantly inferior. Finally, the microscopic scanning results reveal the mechanism of rubber’s incorporation into concrete. The incorporation of rubber effectively reduces its internal pore development. To summarize, it can be seen that rubber incorporated into concrete is a worthwhile method to consider for frost resistance of engineering materials.