Enhancing mechanical and durability properties of recycled aggregate concrete

• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.09.137
• Publication Date: 2017-10-12T20:57:29Z
• Authors: George Dimitriou; Pericles Savva; Michael F. Petrou
• Keywords: Silica fume; Properties of concrete

Abstract The main difference between Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) and Natural Aggregate (NA) is the mortar adhered on RCA. This paper presents the effect of RCA to concrete and a treatment method utilized to improve the properties of RCA, by reducing the amount of the adhered mortar, and therefore the properties of the Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC). Mineral admixtures were used as partial replacement of cement. Three types of coarse RCA and two types of mineral admixtures were used (fly ash and silica fume). In addition, the RCA were employed as internal curing (IC) agents in concrete mixtures to assess their effectiveness in enhancing the properties of concrete. The mechanical properties and durability of RAC were improved using the proposed methodologies. Cost analysis showed that RAC mixtures could be less expensive than NA mixtures.