Evaluation of the Feasibility of Recycled Concrete Aggregate for Producing Structural Concrete

Abstract

When sustainability has become a primary measure of the selection of the building materials in the construction industry over the past decades, researchers all around the world have been looking upon for alternatives to reduce the overall environmental impact of the construction materials while not compromising the strength and durability. The factors like manufacturing, reusability, recyclability, disposal etc, are the criteria of utmost attention affecting the overall life cycle impact of the construction materials. In this prospect the Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) has shown up as an exceptionally viable contender for the manufacturing of concrete with several environmental benefits over the Natural Aggregate (NA) and has already been identified by industry and several government agencies across the globe. The efficient material use of RCA can potentially deliver an inferior though competent concrete in comparison to the NA while averring the criteria of sustenance. The present study delves into the calculation of the proportion of the RCA in a mix design for achieving maximum compressive strength. The experimental setup constituted the casting of concrete cubes of control mix design of M40 grade with proportions of RCA varying from 0-100 percent spread over a space of 10% with NA which were later put to tests. The thorough investigation on the casted concrete cubes lead to the conclusion that the mix design with 50% proportion of RCA in addition to 50% proportion of NA delivered the maximum compressive strength, an average value of 8.23% higher than that of the normal concrete and the highest Rebound Number, an average value of 53.92 for the M40 grade concrete thereby showcasing the feasibility of producing structural concrete with RCA. The results are asserted to be governed by the better bonding between the RCA and NA and due to the significant increase in the water retention capacity by the provision of RCA in the mix.