Durability performance of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates

Fine recycled aggregates are seen as the last choice in recycling for concrete production. Many references quote their detrimental influence on the most important characteristics of concrete: compressive and tensile strength; modulus of elasticity; water absorption; shrinkage: carbonation and chloride penetration. These two last characteristics are fundamental in terms of the long-term durability of reinforced or prestressed concrete. In the experimental research carried out at IST, part of which has already been published, different concrete mixes (with increasing rates of substitution of fine natural aggregates sand - with fine recycled aggregates from crushed concrete) were prepared and tested. The results were then compared with those for a reference concrete with exactly the same composition and grading curve, but with no recycled aggregates. This paper presents the main results of this research for water absorption by immersion and capillarity, chloride penetration (by means of the chloride migration coefficient), and carbonation resistance, drawing some conclusions on the feasibility of using this type of aggregate in structural concrete, while taking into account any ensuing obvious positive environmental impact.

Environmental life cycle assessment of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates

The majority of worldwide structures use concrete as its main material. This happens because concrete is economically feasible, due to its undemanding production technology and case Of use. However, it is widely recognized that concrete production has a strong environmental impact in the planet. Natural aggregates use is one of the most important problems of concrete production nowadays, since they are obtained from limited, and in some countries scarce, resources. In Portugal, although there are enough stone quarries to cover coarse aggregates needs for several more years, Supplies of fine aggregates are becoming scarcer, especially in the northern part of the country. On the other hand, as concrete structures' life cycle comes to an end, an urgent need emerges to establish technically and economically viable solutions for demolition debris, other than for use as road base and quarry fill. This paper presents a partial life cycle assessment (LCA) of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates performed with EcoConcrete tool. EcoConcrete is a tailor-made, interactive, learning and communications tool promoted by the Joint Project Group (JPG) on the LCA of concrete, to qualify and quantify the overall environment impact of concrete products. It consists of an interactive Excel-spreadsheet in which several environmental inputs (material quantities, distances from origin to production Site, production processes) and outputs (material, energy, emissions to air, water, soil or waste) are collected in a life cycle inventory, and are then processed to determine the environmental impact (assessment) of the analysed concrete, in terms of ozone layer depletion, smog or "greenhouse" effect.

Influence of the use of recycled concrete aggregates from different sources on structural concrete

This paper intends to evaluate the capacity of producing concrete with a pre-established performance (in terms of mechanical strength) incorporating recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) from different sources. To this purpose, rejected products from the precasting industry and concrete produced in laboratory were used. The appraisal of the self-replication capacity was made for three strength ranges: 15-25 MPa, 35-45 MPa and 65-75 MPa. The mixes produced tried to replicate the strength of the source concrete (SC) of the RA. Only total, (100%) replacement of coarse natural aggregates (CNA) by coarse recycled concrete aggregates (CRCA) was tested. The results show that, both in mechanical and durability terms, there were no significant differences between aggregates from controlled sources and those from precast rejects for the highest levels of the target strength. Furthermore, the performance losses resulting from the RA's incorporation are substantially reduced when used medium or high strength SC's. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of superplasticizers on the mechanical performance of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates

It is considered that using crushed recycled concrete as aggregate for concrete production is a viable alternative to dumping and would help to conserve abiotic resources. This use has fundamentally been based on the coarse fraction because the fine fraction is likely to degrade the performance of the resulting concrete. This paper presents results from a research work undertaken at Institut Superior Tecnico (IST), Lisbon, Portugal, in which the effects of incorporating two types of superplasticizer on the mechanical performance of concrete containing fine recycled aggregate were evaluated. The purpose was to see if the addition of superplasticizer would offset the detrimental effects associated with the use of fine recycled concrete aggregate. The experimental programme is described and the results of tests for splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and abrasion resistance are presented. The relative performance of concrete made with recycled aggregate was found to decrease. However, the same concrete with admixtures in general exhibited a better mechanical performance than the reference mixes without admixtures or with a less active superplasticizer. Therefore, it is argued that the mechanical performance of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates can be as good as that of conventional concrete, if superplasticizers are used to reduce the water-cement ratio of the former concrete.

The effect of superplasticizers on the workability and compressive strength of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates

The reuse of structural concrete elements to produce new concrete aggregates is accepted as an alternative to dumping them and is favourable to the sustainability of natural reserves. Even though the construction sector is familiar with the use of coarse recycled concrete aggregates, the recycled concrete fines are classified as less noble resources. This research sets out to limit the disadvantages associated with the performance of concrete containing fine recycled concrete aggregates through the use of superplasticisers. Two types of latest generation superplasticisers were used that differ in terms of water reduction capacity and robustness, and the workability, density and compressive strength of each of the compositions analysed were then compared: a reference concrete, with no plasticisers, and concrete mixes with the superplasticisers. For each concrete family mixes with 0%, 10%, 30%, 50% and 100% replacement ratios of fine natural aggregates (FNA) by fine recycled concrete aggregates (FRA) were analysed. Concrete with incorporation of recycled aggregates was found to have poorer relative performance. The mechanical performance of concrete with recycled aggregates and superplasticisers was generally superior to that of the reference concrete with no admixtures and of conventional concrete with lower performance superplasticisers.

Rheological behaviour of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates - Influence of the superplasticizer

This paper evaluates the influence of two superplasticizers (SP) on the rheological behaviour of concrete made with fine recycled concrete aggregates (FRCA). Three families of concrete were tested: family CO made without SP, family Cl made with a regular superplasticizer and family C2 made with a high-performance superplasticizer. Five replacement ratios of natural sand by FRCA were tested: 0%, 10%, 30%, 50% and 100%. The coarse aggregates were natural gravels. Three criteria were established to design the concrete mixes' composition: keep the same particle size distribution curves, adjust the water/cement ratio to obtain a similar slump and no pre-saturation of the FRCA. All mixes had the same cement and SP content. The results show that the incorporation of FRCA significantly increased the shrinkage and creep deformation. The FRCA's effect was influenced by the curing age. The reference concrete made with natural sand stabilizes the creep deformation faster than the mixes made with FRCA. The incorporation of superplasticizer increased the shrinkage at early ages and decreased the shrinkage at 91 days of age. The regular superplasticizer did not improve the creep deformation while the high-performance superplasticizer highly improved this property. The incorporation of FRCA jeopardized the SP's effectiveness. This study demonstrated that to use FRCA and superplasticizer for concrete production it is necessary to take into account the different rheological behaviour of these mixes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of the rheology of self-compacting concrete with fine recycled concrete aggregates

This work studies the effect of incorporating fine recycled aggregates on the rheology of self-compacting concrete over time (at 15,45 and 90 min). The fine fraction of the natural aggregates was replaced at 0%, 20%, 50% and 100% with recycled sand. The fresh-state properties were studied by empirical tests (slump-flow, J-Ring, L-Box) and fundamental ones in an ICAR rheometer. The mixes with 50% and 100% recycled sand lost their SCC characteristics at 90 min. Contrarily the mix with 20% replacement maintained suitable passing and filling ability. The causes of this trend were an initial increase of plastic viscosity and afterwards an increase of yield stress. The compressive strength of the 50% and 100% replacement mixes decreased significantly and that of the 20% replacement mix less than 10%. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of ageing on the properties of bitumen from asphalt mixtures with recycled concrete aggregates

The reuse of recycled concrete aggregates in new hot-mix asphalt can be a more sustainable method of production, but these mixtures may need a heat treatment before compaction to improve their water sensitivity performance. A direct consequence of this treatment is an increase in the hot-mix asphalt resilient modulus. The aim of this paper is to analyse the effect of ageing on the stiffness of asphalt mixtures with different amounts of recycled concrete aggregates, before and after a heat treatment, which was analysed through the assessment of its bitumen properties. Moreover, this paper also aims to analyse whether the rolling thin-film oven test is able to simulate the ageing effect of the heat treatment. In the laboratory work, a paving grade bitumen B50/70 has been used to produce asphalt mixtures with 0% and 30% recycled concrete aggregates, and the bitumen was later characterised (using penetration, softening point, dynamic viscosity and dynamic shear rheometer tests) in various situations, such as when using virgin bitumen, short-term aged bitumen, aged bitumen after heat treatment (simulated with 4 h of rolling thin-film oven test) and bitumen samples recovered from asphalt mixtures with different production mixes (0% and 30% recycled concrete aggregate) and heat treatment conditions (0 and 4 h of curing time in the oven). Based on the results obtained, it could be concluded that the ageing resulting from the heat treatment is the primary cause of the hot-mix asphalt's increased stiffness, while recycled concrete aggregate content has a small influence. Moreover, it could be concluded that when there is no curing time, the recycled concrete aggregate protects the bitumen against ageing. Additionally, it could be stated that the rolling thin-film test is able to adequately simulate the ageing effect of the heat treatment. Thus, this test is useful for determining the ageing suffered by the bitumen when the recycled concrete aggregate mixture is manufactured using a heat treatment.

Performance of concrete made with aggregates recycled from precasting industry waste: influence of the crushing process

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the crushing process used to obtain recycled concrete aggregates on the performance of concrete made with those aggregates. Two crushing methods were considered: primary crushing, using a jaw crusher, and primary plus secondary crushing (PSC), using a jaw crusher followed by a hammer mill. Besides natural aggregates (NA), these two processes were also used to crush three types of concrete made in laboratory (L20, L45 e L65) and three more others from the precast industry (P20, P45 e P65). The coarse natural aggregates were totally replaced by coarse recycled concrete aggregates. The recycled aggregates concrete mixes were compared with reference concrete mixes made using only NA, and the following properties related to the mechanical and durability performance were tested: compressive strength; splitting tensile strength; modulus of elasticity; carbonation resistance; chloride penetration resistance; water absorption by capillarity; water absorption by immersion; and shrinkage. The results show that the PSC process leads to better performances, especially in the durability properties. © 2014 RILEM

Performance of concrete made with aggregates recycled from precasting industry waste: influence of the crushing process

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the crushing process used to obtain recycled concrete aggregates on the performance of concrete made with those aggregates. Two crushing methods were considered: primary crushing, using a jaw crusher, and primary plus secondary crushing (PSC), using a jaw crusher followed by a hammer mill. Besides natural aggregates (NA), these two processes were also used to crush three types of concrete made in laboratory (L20, L45 e L65) and three more others from the precast industry (P20, P45 e P65). The coarse natural aggregates were totally replaced by coarse recycled concrete aggregates. The recycled aggregates concrete mixes were compared with reference concrete mixes made using only NA, and the following properties related to the mechanical and durability performance were tested: compressive strength; splitting tensile strength; modulus of elasticity; carbonation resistance; chloride penetration resistance; water absorption by capillarity; water absorption by immersion; and shrinkage. The results show that the PSC process leads to better performances, especially in the durability properties.

Influence of the crushing process of recycled aggregates on concrete properties

This work intends to evaluate the (mechanical and durability) performance of concrete made with coarse recycled concrete aggregates (CRCA) obtained using two crushing processes: primary crushing (PC) and primary plus secondary crushing (PSC). This analysis intends to select the most efficient production process of recycled aggregates (RA). The RA used here resulted from precast products (P), with strength classes of 20 MPa, 45 MPa and 65 MPa, and from laboratory-made concrete (L) with the same compressive strengths. The evaluation of concrete was made with the following tests: compressive strength; splitting tensile strength; modulus of elasticity; carbona-tion resistance; chloride penetration resistance; capillary water absorption; and water absorption by immersion. These findings contribute to a solid and innovative basis that allows the precasting industry to use without restrictions the waste it generates. © (2015) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

The incorporation of construction and demolition wastes as recycled mixed aggregates in non-structural concrete precast pieces

Concern for the environment has lately heightened awareness about the need for recycling in the construction industry. However, some standards, such as the Spanish standard, only accept the recycling of aggregates derived from concrete, which limits the extensive use of construction and demolition waste, which are produced in much bigger volumes. The aim of this work was to explore the possibility of using recycled mixed aggregates (RMA) in the preparation of precast non-structural concretes. To that end different percentages of natural aggregate were replaced by RMA in non-structural elements (25, 50, 75 and 100%). Contents of cement, water, and the dosages commonly used by companies were unchanged by the introduction of RMA. The characterization of the prepared elements has been done using the specific tests for each type of non-structural element (terrazzo for indoor use, hollow tiles, kerbstones and paving blocks): compression and flexural strength, water absorption, dimensional tolerances, abrasion and slipping resistance. The paving blocks, kerbstones, and hollow tiles prepared were tested for 360 days. The stability of the tested properties confirmed the possibility of using these wastes on an industrial scale satisfying the standard requirements. However, the surface of terrazzo with RMA is not as good as that prepared with natural aggregate.

Chemical composition of mixed construction and demolition recycled aggregates from the State of Sao Paulo

Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) represents. about 50% of the total Brazilian municipal solid waste: thus, recycling represents huge benefits both in environmental and economic perspectives. Herein, the chemical characterization results of three samples from two different recycling plants from the State of Sao Paulo is prevented. The results demonstrated that the visual classification into grey and red is not related to the chemical composition but mostly to the grain size fraction. The chemical composition of the CDW varies according to the content of cement paste, natural aggregates (quartz sand or granite), red ceramic and clay. Furthermore, the production of recycled concrete aggregates requires two crushing stages to meet the technical standards. The sand fraction (below 4.8 mm) presents high grades of SiO(2), which indicates the liberation of cement paste to fines (< 0.15 mm). The fines have a great potential to be used in the cement industry.

Performance of concrete pavements containing recycled concrete aggregate /

"March 1997."

Study of recycled Rap and Ra as alternative aggregates for pavements' sub-base and base

Nowadays, an important world’s population growth forecast establish that an increase of 2 billion people is expected by 2050. (UN,2019). This increment of people worldwide involves more humans, as well as growth of the demand for the construction of new residential, institutional, industrial, and infrastructural areas, prompting to a higher consumption of natural resources as required for construction materials. In addition, an effect of this population growth is the production and accumulation of waste causing a serious environmental and economic issue around the world. As an alternative to just producing more waste at the final stage of a building, house, road, among other concrete-based structures, adequate techniques must be applied for recycling and reusing these potential materials. The main priority of the thesis is to foment and evaluate the sustainable construction work leading to environmental-friendly actions that promote the reuse and recycling of construction waste, focusing on the use of construction recycled construction materials as an alternative for sub-base and base of road structure application. This thesis is committed to the analysis of the several laboratory tests carried out for achieving the physical-mechanical properties of the studied materials (recycled concrete aggregates + reclaimed asphalt pavement (RCA+RAP) and stabilized crushed sleepers). All these tests have been carried out in the Laboratory of Roads from the University of Bologna and in the experimental site in CAR srl., at Imola. The results are reported in tables, graphs, and are discussed. The mechanical properties values obtained from the laboratory tests are analysed and compared with standard values declared in the Italian and European normative for roads construction and to the results obtained from in-situ tests in the experimentation field (CAR srl in Imola) with the same materials. This to analyse the performance of them under natural conditions.