Influence of Recycled High-Performance Aggregate on Deformation and Load-Carrying Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Beams

Materials (Basel). 2020 Jan 2;13(1):186. doi: 10.3390/ma13010186.

Abstract

The use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) in high performance concrete (HPC) was analyzed. The paper presents the experimental studies of model reinforced concrete beams with a rectangular section using high-performance recycled aggregates. Two variable contents of recycled aggregate concrete were used in this study: 50% and 100%. The experimental analyses conducted as immediate studies concerned the following issues: short time loads-deflection, load-carrying capacity of beams, deformation of concrete, cracks, and long-term loads-deflection. The comparative analysis involves the behavior of beams made of high performance concrete-high strength concrete (HPC-HSC) recycled aggregates with model control elements made of regular concrete based on natural aggregates. The deflection values for the recycled aggregate beams were 20% higher than in the case of the control beams made of HPC-HSC exclusively. Replacement of aggregate with recycled concrete aggregate resulted in a large decrease in the value of these two parameters, i.e., compression strength by about 42% and modulus of elasticity by about 33%.

Keywords: concrete beams; high performance concrete (HPC); high strength concrete (HSC); high-performance recycled aggregates; recycled aggregate concrete (RAC).