Influence of the addition of rubber fibers from end-of-life tires on plaster mortars. Study of mechanical, thermal and acoustic properties

In this paper, results about an experimental study performed on plaster compounds with the incorporation of rubber in the form of fibers from end of life tires are reported and analyzed. Test samples of plaster are prepared adding different volumetric fractions of rubber fibers that had been previously classified into two different sizes. The same consistency is fixed for every compound studied. Physical and mechanical properties are analyzed. Thermal behavior is also studied comparing thermal conductivity values and relating them with the bulk density of the resulting material. The results show an improvement in the thermal behavior proportional to the reduction of the density and the mechanical properties, as the proportion of rubber increases. It is also observed that there are no significant differences depending on the size of the fibers. These results confirm that the new material obtained is comparable to other materials of lightweight plaster with improved thermal properties and therefore with the same possibilities of use as these materials. The new material could be used for slabs and compression layers in building rehabilitation.