Uses of Rubber in Building Construction
Rubber is also referred to as an elastomer, and it can be made both chemically and naturally from rubber trees. The first is known as natural rubber, whereas the second is synthetic rubber.
Rubber can also be made into recycled rubber by reusing old, worn-out goods like car tyres, which are primarily utilised to make hosepipes and other insignificant products.
The rubber business uses a huge variety of rubber products. The most popular rubber goods in the construction sector are first and foremost rubber tyres and rubber tracks. Every piece of equipment used in construction, including excavators, cranes, forklifts, concrete mixers, caterpillar lift trucks, etc., is equipped with rubber tyres and tracks. Products made of industrial rubber are in high demand in the construction sector. The following are some examples of rubber products utilised in the building industry:
- Rubber Belt
- Rubber Hose
- Mounting Rubber
- Rolling Rubber
- Rubber Flooring
- Rubber Sheet
- Rubber Wheels
- Rubber Sealants and Adhesives
Natural Rubber
At rubber farms known as latex, milk from rubber trees is collected to create natural rubber. Weak acetic acid coagulates it and removes the contaminants that were previously present. The solid material is processed to produce commercial rubber compounds by passing it through rollers to create creep rubber. Additionally, chemicals that are used in products like paint, rubber gloves, foamed rubber mattresses, etc. can preserve latex without causing it to coagulate.
Natural rubbers are very strong, have little hysteresis, and have exceptional tearing and flexure resistance. But solvents might quickly damage it.
Synthetic Rubber
To create various rubber products, synthetic rubber is combined with natural rubber. It is developed for a variety of functions, including chemical resistance, and comes in two varieties:
General-purpose Styrene Butadiene synthetic rubber For general purposes, synthetic rubber is typically selected.
Neoprene is a type of synthetic rubber with special properties that make it suitable for various uses.
Vulcanization of Rubber
Rubber is vulcanised to increase its properties for resistance to friction, solvents, durability, etc. and to make it stable at all temperatures. In order to vulcanize soft rubber, 1 to 5 per cent sulphur is added. It is vulcanised with roughly 30% sulphur added for exceptionally durable rubber.
To increase the stiffness of rubber tyres, additives like carbon black are mixed. In order to increase their resistance to strong impact loads and shocks, they are also strengthened with steel wires or nylon threads.
Uses of Rubber
The uses of rubber in building construction are as follows:
- Its bonding and waterproofing properties are improved by using it as a polymer mortar.
- For the creation of polymer concrete, it is utilised directly in concrete.
- Rubber tiles, which contain both natural and synthetic rubber as their primary component, are used for durable floors.
- Neoprene, a synthetic rubber, is frequently used for bridge bearings.
- Many building industry goods, including plasticized PVC pipes, are manufactured with both natural and manmade materials by adding rubber.
- It is added to many different kinds of glue, including Fevicol, to improve adherence.
- Latex or polymer latex added to cement mortar creates a polymer-modified system that presents excellent resistance to water penetration, higher tensile, compressive, and flexural strengths, great adhesion, and increased chemical resistance.
Natural rubber can be used to make bonding agents, which are then mixed with cement to repair plastered and concrete surfaces.
The mortar constructed from synthetic rubber is expensive and only utilised in specific circumstances. Additionally, rubber can be utilised to create polymer concrete, particularly for waterproofing purposes.
Rubber Floors
Rubber flooring is frequently utilised in places where resilient flooring is required, such as computer rooms and libraries. These floorings are soundproof and can be crushed before returning to their normal shape when the load is removed.
Rubber tiles are made in solid colours or patterned patterns to create robust, non-slip, quiet flooring with minimal thermal and electric conductivity.
In cement plaster and concrete, as well as other building materials, rubber is increasingly used as a bonding and waterproofing ingredient.