Improving concrete fatigue resistance with COVID-19 rubber gloves: An innovative sustainable approach

ABSTRACT

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019, a surprisingly large amount of personal protective equipment, such as medical rubber gloves, have been frequently used, and this medical waste can cause very major environmental problems. A multidisciplinary collaborative approach is needed to combat the pandemic and lessen the environmental risks associated with the disposal of medical waste. This study developed an innovative approach by incorporating shredded rubber glove fibers (RGF) into aggregates to enhance the fatigue resistance of concrete. In this study, different volume contents (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%) of RGF were added to the aggregate for the first time. The effects of different RGF contents on the fatigue characteristics of concrete were examined through repeated loading tests and SEM analysis. The results show that the width and number of cracks produced by rubber glove fiber concrete (RGFC) after repeated loading are significantly reduced compared with normal concrete (NC). Following repeated loading, RGFC exhibited higher total, plastic, and elastic strain values than NC, demonstrating greater deformability and elasticity. However, the maximum total strain growth rate and the total strain growth range of the RGFC group were only 2.26 × 10−3/time and 14.0%, which were significantly smaller than the 3.8 × 10−3/time and 31.7% of the NC group, showing better stability, corresponding to enhance the fatigue resistance of concrete. The interfacial transition zone (ITZ) was abnormally smooth with a thin thickness and no visible gaps were discovered, based on the results of SEM test performed on the RGFC. The findings obtained in this study may provide new ideas for the resource utilization of medical waste. © 2023