Engineering Behavior of Concrete with Recycled Aggregate

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, School of Environmental Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
² Faculty of Civil Engineering, Kampus Permatang Pauh, UiTM Pulau Pinang, 03500 Permatang Pauh, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
³ School of Engineering and Technology, University College of Technology Sarawak, 868 Persiaran Brooke, 96000 Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Concrete is extensively used as construction materials in Malaysia. Concrete contributes suitable feature for construction industry for instance durability, adequate compressive strength, fire resistance, availability and is economic as compared to other construction materials. Depletion of natural resources and disposal of construction and demolition waste remarkably claim environmental threat. In this paper, the engineering behavior, durability, and concrete microstructure of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) on short-term concrete properties were investigated. The studied concrete at design mix proportion of 1:0.55:2.14:2.61 (weight of cement :coarse aggregates :sand :water) used to obtain medium-high compressive strength with 20%, 50%, and 100% of RCA. Results show that for the same water/cement ratio, RCA replacement up to 50% still achieved the targeted compressive strength of 25 MPa at 28 curing days. Addition, at similar RCA replacement, the highest carbonation depth value was found at 1.03 mm which could be attributed to the pozzolanic reaction, thus led to lower carbonation resistance. Scanning electron microscopy microstructure shows that the RCA surface was porous and covered with loose particles. Moreover, the interfacial transition zone was composed of numerous small pores, micro cracks, and fissures that surround the mortar matrix. On the basis of the obtained results, recommendable mineral admixtures of RCA are necessary to enhance the quality of concrete construction.