Effect of recycled coarse aggregate on the properties of C40 self-compacting concrete

Abstract

The effect of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) on the fresh and hardened properties of C40 self-compacting concrete (SCC) was investigated in this paper. The slump, T 500 (the time needed for SCC to spread into a round configuration with a nominal diameter of 500 mm), the slump flow and the flow time of fresh C40 SCC as well as the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of hardened C40 SCC were studied. The modulus of elasticity of C40 SCC was calculated by theoretical formula, and the calculated values were compared with the experimental values. Mechanisms that effect on the C40 SCC properties at fresh and hardened states were also explored. The experimental results showed that the slump values of the C40 SCC are beyond 250 mm. The C40 SCC with RCA replacement content of 50% showed the highest slump value of 275 mm. All T 500 values of the C40 SCC are within 5 s. The slump flow of the C40 SCC slightly increases with the increase of replacement content of the RCA. In contrast, the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of the C40 SCC slightly decrease with the increase of replacement content. The experimental values of modulus of elasticity are lower than that of the calculated values. Submerged in water before mixing of RCA leading to the slump flow of the C40 SCC increases with the increasing replacement content of the RCA. The old cement mortar attached to the RCA surface is the main reason that weakens the mechanical properties. The lower amount of coarse aggregate and the higher amount of cement paste attribute to the lower values of modulus of elasticity. This study implied that RCA can be effectively used in the production of C40 SCC without any significant sacrifice on workability and mechanical properties.