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Use of recycled aggregates (RA) from either waste precast concrete or recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in concrete.
Effects of RA on the fresh, mechanical and environmental properties of concrete.
From the perspective of the mechanical properties, RAP can be used in non-structural applications.
The environmental behaviour of the recycled aggregate concrete is similar to that of the natural aggregate concrete.
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 23 August 2013
Received in revised form 16 October 2013
Accepted 16 November 2013
Available online 22 November 2013
Keywords:
Sustainable concrete
Waste aggregate
Mechanical analysis
Leaching behaviour
a b s t r a c t
The overall objective of this research project was to investigate the feasibility of incorporating 100%
recycled aggregates, either waste precast concrete or waste asphalt planning, as replacements for virgin
aggregates in structural concrete and to determine the mechanical and environmental performance of
concrete containing these aggregates. Four different types of concrete mixtures were designed with the
same total water cement ratio (w/c = 0.74) either by using natural aggregate as reference or by totally
replacing the natural aggregate with recycled material. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) was
used as a mineral addition (35%) in all mixtures. The test results showed that it is possible to obtain
satisfactory performance for strength characteristics of concrete containing recycled aggregates, if these
aggregates are sourced from old precast concrete. However, from the perspective of the mechanical
properties, the test results indicated that concrete with RAP aggregate cannot be used for structural applications. In terms of leaching, the results also showed that the environmental behaviour of the recycled
aggregate concrete is similar to that of the natural aggregate concrete.
2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
It is not an exaggeration to say that concrete produced with
Portland cement is so far the most popular construction material
in todays world due to its relatively inexpensive cost and versatility. Concrete is adaptable to a wide variety of civil engineering
projects: from high-rise buildings to road pavements, from bridges
to water supply schemes, from retaining walls to railway sleepers.
Therefore, the role of concrete in promoting societys development
will, without doubt, continue to play a crucial role in the foreseeable
future. However, it should be pointed out that the concrete industry consumes huge amounts of natural aggregates which cause
404
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teststhe Shake Test (Fig. 2). Subsequently, the ELIT pH/Ion Analyser Software was used to determine the concentration of certain
elements of each sample (Fig. 3).
3. Results and discussions
3.1. Fresh properties
A graphical representation of slump height is shown in Fig. 4.
Each result is the average of two slump measurements on the concrete. In general, the test results indicated a decreasing trend of
workability when the recycled aggregates replaced natural aggregates. As can be seen from the gure, the highest slump measured
was 150 mm in concrete with limestone aggregates, while the lowest slump measured was 50 mm in concrete containing precast
concrete waste. The slump values for Trent Valley and recycled
asphalt aggregate samples were 130 and 90 mm, respectively. Usually, aggregates with smooth and rounded particles have lower
specic surface than those with rough and angular particles of equal
size and therefore more water used in the wetting of the surface.
Table 1
Concrete mix properties.
Materials
kg/m3
Cement
Coarse aggregate
Fine aggregate
Water
GGBS
Water/cement ratio
175.5
980
900
200
94.5
0.74
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1 day
5 days
7 days
28 days
2.2
3.8
4.1
1.6
9.5
15.5
19.8
8.9
12
18.8
22.0
10.0
21.4
32.2
36.6
14
Table 3
Saturated surface-dry density of the concrete mixes.
Saturated surface-dry density (kg/m3 )
Mix ID
1 day
5 days
7 days
28 days
2305
2305
2350
2260
2325
2340
2350
2265
2335
2345
2355
2280
2335
2350
2365
2310
the absorption capacity of the RAP aggregate. Although this explanation appears plausible, it is suggested that further testing of
RAP aggregates is done to determine if the volume of unblocked
aggregate pores in RAP can contribute to noticeable level of water
absorption.
3.2. Compressive strength and density
The test results of compressive strength and density of the concrete mixes are summarised in Table 2 and Table 3, respectively.
The 28 days compressive strength and the saturated surface-dry
density of the concrete samples varied from 14 to 36.6 MPa and
2250 to 2350 kg/m3 , respectively. With the exception of a few cases
(the gravel concrete at 28 days and the waste precast concrete at
7 days), as hydration progressed, the density of each type of concrete increased and the corresponding strength also increased. This
development is attributed mainly to the production of the calcium
silicate hydrates.
Fig. 5 below gives a graphical representation of variation of compressive strength with age. The target strength for the recycled
concrete mixes was 35 MPa. From these results, it is shown that
the only batch that met the target strength is the batch containing
crushed precast waste concrete (36.6 MPa at 28 days). Fig. 5 shows
that waste precast concrete consistently had the highest compression strength both at early and later ages. This may be the result
of a stronger physical bond between the aggregate and the cement
mortar [20]. It also should be pointed out that limestone and precast aggregate mixes showed similarity in performance, probably
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Fig. 7. Scanning electron image of the crack path in the concrete mix with RAP.
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Fig. 11. Ultrasonic dynamic modulus and transit time vs. concrete age.
high strength cement (or stiffer aggregate) content than the other
mixtures.
3.5. Leaching measurements
Fig. 10. Failed samples after the exural test (a) concrete with RAP and (b) concrete
with gravel aggregate.
The test results of pH, electrical conductivity and leaching measurements, as determined using the shake test, are given in Table 4
and Table 5, respectively. The analysis included conductivity, pH
Conductivity (s)
pH
Temperature ( C)
5.19
6.01
5.90
4.87
12.36
12.43
12.42
12.37
21.6
21.6
21.6
21.6
Table 5
Leaching analysis results.
Solution
Trent Valley
Concentrations (mg/L)
0.0255
Chloride
0.00045
Cadmium
3.4845
Nitrate
Ammonium 2.0220
82.4195
Sodium
Limestone
Waste precast
concrete
Recycled asphalt
pavement
0.0265
0.00102
3.8336
2.1488
81.3634
0.0159
0.00051
3.8642
3.2844
91.1912
0.0634
0.00061
4.1677
1.8840
80.7211
409
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