Old tyres given new life in blast-resistant walls

Tests of a spray-on product using recycled tyres are being conducted on Tuesday morning at the country’s only blast simulation facility.

The National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation at the University of Wollongong is hosting trials of a sprayable version of Protectiflex, a cementitious composite material using recycled tyre rubber and fibres. The product has been previously used as cast-in-place and precast construction.

“We are confident these tests will prove the spray-on composite creates blast resistant walls,” said Gary Bullock, managing director of Flexiroc Australia.

Professor Alex Remennikov from the UOW’s Faculty of Engineering said the tests, “will demonstrate how spray-on retrofit could add strength and stiffness to concrete masonry walls, protecting occupants behind it from the blast loads. Masonry walls are a common building component that is vulnerable to blast loads created by terrorist attacks or accidental explosions.” 

Picture: Protectiflex