Sustainable Recycling of High-Strength Concrete as an Alternative to Natural Aggregates in Building Structures

• Main Authors: Barbara Sadowska-Buraczewska, Małgorzata Grzegorczyk-Frańczak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: recycled aggregates (RA); recycled coarse aggregates concrete (RCAC); high performance concrete (HPC); reinforced concrete beams
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/8/4286

The application of recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) in high-performance concrete (HPC) was analyzed in the article. In the paper, the behavior of HPC with coarse recycled aggregate and natural coarse aggregate (NCA) was compared. Short-term experiments were conducted, including concrete deformation, deflection, load bearing capacity, and cracking of beams. The analysis involved reinforced concrete T-beams made in 100% of RCA or NCA. The studies indicated that the beams with recycled aggregate are characterized by greater deflection and 7.6% lower load bearing capacity in comparison to the beams with NCA. Substitution of coarse natural aggregate with RCA reduced the compressive and tensile strengths by 20 and 26 (%), whereas and the modulus of elasticity was decreased by 15%.