Strength and Workability of Recycled Aggregate Concrete

H.S. Peng, H.J. Chen & T. Yen

Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

ABSTRACT: Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has lower compressive strength and worse workability than
normal concrete. This research intends to investigate the effect of the strength of recycled coarse aggregate on
the strength and workability of RAC. The recycled coarse aggregate was produced by the crushing of tested
concrete cylinders in the laboratory, in which three strength levels of concrete cylinders were selected.
Moreover, pozzolans such as fly ash and slag were applied on RAC to replace parts of cement. Test results
show that it could increase the compressive strength and the workability of RAC to reach the same level with
natural aggregate concrete for using 10%~30% of fly ash or 30%~50% of slag replacement. On the other
hand, the recycled aggregate from construction waste contains not only waste concrete but large amount of
bricks. In light of the difficulty of splitting the waste concrete and the bricks, this research also intends to use
the bricks as recycled aggregate. Test results show that brick contents in recycled aggregate have little
influence on the compressive strength and workability of RAC. Therefore, this article recommends the
application of bricks into recycled aggregate.

1 INTRODUCTION

when it applies on concrete [7]. In this research fly

ash and slag were used to replace part of cement for
improving the properties of recycled concrete. The
RACs were produced with same water/binder ratio
and different replacing percentage of fly ash and slag
to cement. The engineering properties of RAC were
investigated to determine the optimum replacing
amount and rate of fly ash and slag.
Most buildings in Asia were constructed of
reinforced concrete accompanied with brick and tile
materials. Thus, building rubble collected from
damaged structures includes bricks and tile as well as
waste concrete. The effects of brick and tile particles
on the properties of recycled concrete are less well
known in the literature. In light of the difficulty of
splitting the concrete waste and the brick rubbles,
this research also investigated recycled aggregates
made from building rubble, containing waste
concrete, bricks and tiles. A series of tests were
carried out to investigate the effects of recycled
aggregates containing various brick contents on the
properties of the recycled concrete.

The amount of concrete debris collected from

demolished structures is huge. Without proper
treatments, it can cause secondary pollution. The
application of building rubble collected from
damaged and demolished structures become an
important issue in every country. After crushing and
screening, this material could serve as recycled
aggregate in concrete. Thus, recycling and reusing
this concrete debris can not only reduce the waste
but also transform them into aggregate resources.
In Taiwan, lots of researches and dissertations
regarding recycled concrete have been reported
recently. The possible effects of recycled aggregate
upon concrete properties such as workability,
strength and durability have been discussed in several
papers [1, 2]. In most of the literature the main
concerns were the variations in recycled aggregate
properties caused by the native waste paste and their
effects upon the concrete properties [3-6]. Due to
lower compressive strength and worse workability of
RAC, it will be limited in the application of
construction. A series of experiments using recycled
aggregate of three original strength levels from tested 2 EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
concrete cylinders in the laboratory was conducted.
Moreover, pozzolans such as fly ash and slag
The present study consists of three parts. The Dmax of
could increase compressive strength and workability
recycled aggregate and natural aggregate is 25 mm.

The first part is to produce the recycled coarse

aggregate by the crushing of tested concrete
cylinders in the laboratory, in which three strength
levels of concrete cylinders were selected. In order to
evaluate the effect on the properties of concrete
made from different strength levels of wasted
concrete used to produce recycled aggregate,
concrete was made of natural aggregate as a control
group. The mix proportions are shown in Table 1,
where 0.5 represents the water/cement ratio, N
means natural aggregate, and R20 indicate that the
original strength of old concrete is at the 20 MPa
level (20 2.5 MPa).
Table 1. Mix Proportions (Part 1).

Unit : kg/m
Natural Recycled
Natural
Item Water Cement
Coarse
Coarse
Sand
Aggregate Aggregate
0.5N
938
0
0.5R20
0
865
208
416
734
0.5R25
0
851
0.5R30
0
861
0.6N
938
0
0.6R20
0
865
208
347
791
0.6R25
0
851
0.6R30
0
861
0.7N
938
0
0.7R20
0
865
208
297
833
0.7R25
0
851
0.7R30
0
861

The second one is also to manufacture the

recycled coarse aggregates by crushing concrete
cylinders as the original strength of old concrete is at 3
the range of 20 MPa to 35 MPa. In the study,
different percentage of fly ash and slag are used to3.1
replace parts of the portland cement. The mix
proportions are shown in Table 2. These mixtures
had same water/binder ratios of 0.60. Accordingly,
they were labeled NC, R0%, RF30% and RS30%,
where NC indicate the natural aggregate concrete, R
means recycled aggregate concrete, and F30%,
S30% represents 30% of fly ash or slag replacement.
Table 2. Mix Proportions (Part 2).
Item
NC
R0%
RF10%
RF20%
RF30%
RS30%
RS40%
RS50%

Water Cement

207

345
345
310.5
276
241.5
241.5
207
172.5

Unit : kg/m3
Natural Recycled
Natural
Fly Ash Slag
Coarse
Coarse
Sand
Aggregate Aggregate
0
0
847
839
0
0
0
844
34.5
0
834
69
0
823
0
810
103.5
0
813
0
103.5
836
0
138
834
0
172.5
831

The last part is to evaluate the properties of

concrete made with various recycled aggregate
compositions, five groups of recycled concrete made

with washed recycled aggregate, with the same

water/cement ratio of 0.5 were adapted for testing.
In these five groups, the bricks and tiles content in
the recycled aggregate were the only variables. The
weight proportions of brick and tile particles in the
recycled aggregates were 0%, 17%, 33%, 50%, and
67%. They were numbered BT0%, BT17%, BT33%,
BT50% and BT67% respectively. Additionally,
concrete made of natural aggregate with the same
water/cement ratio served as the control batch. The
mix proportions are shown in Tables 3.
Table 3. Mix Proportions (Part 3).
Item
NC
BT0%
BT17%
BT33%
BT50%
BT67%

Water Cement

190

380

Natural
Sand

637

Natural
Coarse
Aggregate
1123
0
0
0
0
0

Unit : kg/m3
Recycled Coarse
Waste
Brick and
Concrete
Tile
0
0
969
0
808
161
646
323
485
485
323
646

The compressive strength and the slump test of

recycled concrete and normal concrete were tested
for comparison. The test methods followed ASTM
specifications. Specimens were cured in a curing
room and then taken out to air dry one day before
the tests. Specimens used in the tests for compressive
strength were 100200 mm.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Effect of recycled aggregate strength on recycle
concrete
The compressive strength of recycled concrete and
normal concrete with different aggregate strength
levels are shown in Figure 1. The strength of recycled
aggregate in the mix will govern the percentage
reduction in the recycled concrete strength. As the
strength of recycled aggregate is increased, the
percentage reduction in recycled concrete strength
decreases. At the water/cement ratio of 0.5, the
compressive strength of recycled concrete with
highest aggregate strength can reach 90% of its
corresponding normal concrete. The strength of
recycled concrete with lowest aggregate strength can
reach only about 85%. For higher water/cement
ratios of 0.6 and 0.7, the compressive strength of
recycled concrete can reach at least 89% that of
normal concrete, respectively.
The main reason is that the strength of the paste
greatly increases at low water/cement ratios.
According to the composite material theory, the
recycled aggregate becomes a weak material and its
bearing capacity is smaller thus leading to a decrease
in concrete strength. This effect will dominate the
strength of recycled concrete.

The test results of fresh concrete are shown in

Figure 2. Regarding the slump, under the same mix
proportion, the natural aggregate concrete has a
higher slump. If the natural aggregate is replaced
with the recycled aggregate, the slump may decrease.
This is due to the flatter particle shape and rough
surface of recycled aggregate than that of natural
aggregate. The change of recycled aggregate strength
will not make the situation different.

0 .5 N ( 1 0 0 % )
40

90%

86%

85%

0 .6 N ( 1 0 0 % )
95%

93%

89%

30

0 .7 N ( 1 0 0 % )

99%
91%

89%

40
W /C = 0 .5
W /C = 0 .6
W /C = 0 .7

20

10
20

25
30
]M P a ^
O r ig in a l s tr e n g th o f o ld c o n c r e te

Figure 1. Effect of original strength on strength.

C o m p r e s s iv e s tr e n g th (M P a )

C o m p r e s s iv e s tr e n g th (M P a )

50

The test results are shown in Figure 3. The

compressive strength of RAC were obviously
increased when the replacement of fly ash is 10%, it
may surpass the normal strength requirement at 28
days. Up to 20% replacement, it can also meet the
normal strength requirement at 56 days and surpass
that at 91 days. It shows that the optimum replacing
amount and rate of fly ash for RAC is about 10%
~20%, as well as normal concrete.
The addition of fly ash improves the workability
because of the fineness of the material and its
spherical particle shape. Figure 4 shows that the
slump values of RAC are greater than its
corresponding normal concrete
when the
replacement of fly ash is more than 20%. So, the
defects of inferior workability and of RAC could be
greatly improved.

35

N C (9 1 d a y s )
N C (5 6 d a y s )

30

N C (2 8 d a y s )
Ages

25

91 days
56 days
28 days

20
20
0%

0 .7 N (1 0 0 % )
84%

84%
86%

10

92%

90%
0 .6 N (1 0 0 % )
83%

83%

83%

20%

30%

Figure 3. Effect of fly ash contents on strength.

0 .5 N (1 0 0 % )

75%
1 2 .5

W /C = 0 .5
W /C = 0 .6
W /C = 0 .7

0
20

10%

F ly a s h c o n te n ts

25
30
]M P a ^
O r ig in a l s t r e n g t h o f o ld c o n c r e te

Figure 2. Effect of original strength on slump.

N C ( 0 m in s )

10
S lu m p (c m )

S lu m p (c m )

15

7 .5
N C ( 3 0 m in s )
N C ( 4 5 m in s )

T im e
4 5 m in s
3 0 m in s
0 m in s

2 .5

3.2 Effect of fly ash replacement on recycle concrete

Using suitable amount of fly ash to replace part of
cement can decrease the water demand of the
mixture. This character has a beneficial effect in the
strength of concrete. Because the pozolanic reaction
is much slower than the initial cementitious reactions,
the strength of concrete made with fly ash is lower
than that of concrete made without the cement3.3
replacement by fly ash at early ages. But the ultimate
strength is nearly the same or greater.

0
0%

10%
20%
30%
F ly a s h c o n te n ts

Figure 4. Effect of fly ash contents on slump.

Effect of slag replacement on recycle concrete

Slag is a siliceous material that possess little
cementitious property, and can react with the calcium
hydroxide of concrete to form cementitious

compounds. The test results are shown in Figure 5.

The compressive strength of RAC were obviously
increased when the replacement of slag is 30%, it
may surpass the normal strength requirement at 28
days. Up to 40% replacement, it can also surpass the
normal strength requirement at 56 days. It shows that
the optimum replacing amount and rate of slag for
RAC is about 30% ~40%.
In general, concrete made with slag replacement
has well workability than that made without it. Figure
6 shows that it could enhance the slump value of
RAC to the normal concrete level for using the
appropriately slag replacement.

35

N C (9 1 d a y s )
N C (5 6 d a y s )

30

50

N C (2 8 d a y s )
C o m p r e s s iv e s tr e n g th (M P a )

C o m p r e s s iv e s tr e n g th (M P a )

40

that of normal concrete. The greater the brick and tile

content, the lower the compressive strength of the
recycled concrete. However, within a 10% variation
of the compressive strength, it means that recycled
aggregate may contains brick and tile particles up to
a certain amount. Because these materials posses
basic strength, their impact upon the compressive
strength of recycled concrete is relatively limited.
It can be seen from Figure 8 that the slump of
recycled concrete is about 71 ~ 83% that of normal
concrete. There is no major difference among the
workability of recycled concrete mixes containing
various amounts of brick and tile. From the results, it
can be concluded that brick and tile particles will
have some impact upon the workability of recycled
concrete. Using brick and tile particles in recycled
aggregate is acceptable in recycled concrete
production when the brick and tile content in
recycled aggregate is lower than 67%.

Ages

25

91 days
56 days
28 days

20
0%

30%

40%

50%

S la g c o n te n ts

Figure 5. Effect of slag contents on strength.

10

40

N C (1 0 0 % )

30
75%

85%

80%

80%

77%

50%

33%

17%

20

10

N C ( 0 m im s )

67%

0%

B r ic k a n d tile c o n te n ts

S lu m p (c m )

Figure 7. Effect of brick contents on strength.

N C ( 3 0 m in s )

N C (4 5 m in s )
15

4
T im e

0
0%

30%

40%

50%

S la g c o n t e n ts

Figure 6. Effect of slag contents on slump.

N C (1 0 0 % )

12
S lu m p (c m )

4 5 m in s
3 0 m in s
0 m in s

83%
71%

71%

71%

67%

50%

33%

75%

3.4 Effect of brick and title content on recycle concrete

The compressive strength of the 5 groups of recycled
concrete made with various recycled coarse
aggregate compositions is shown in Figure 7. The
test results show that the compressive strength of
concrete made with recycled coarse aggregate
containing brick and tile particles is about 75 ~ 85%

17%

0%

B r ic k a n d t ile c o n te n ts

Figure 8. Effect of brick contents on slump.

4 CONCLUSIONS
From the results and discussion, the conclusions are
drawn as follows:
1. As the original strength of recycled aggregate is
increased, the percentage reduction in recycled
concrete strength decreases. For higher
water/cement ratios, the compressive strength of
recycled concrete can reach the same level that of
normal concrete.
2. When the water/binder ratio is 0.6, the
compressive strength of RAC can reach the same
or above of its corresponding normal concrete as
the replacement of fly ash is at the range of 10%
~20% or the replacement of slag is at the range of
30% ~40%.
3. It could increase the slump value of RAC to reach
the same level with natural aggregate concrete for
using below 30% of fly ash or below 50% of slag
replacement.
4. Building rubble could be transformed into useful
recycled aggregate through proper processing.
The properties of tested recycled concrete were
generally worse than those of normal concrete.
When the brick and tile content is lower than
67%, the effect on the properties of recycled
concrete is relatively limited.

5 REFERENCES
[1] Buck, A.D. 1977. Recycled Concrete as a Source of
Aggregate. ACI Journal Proceedings 74(5): 212-219.
[2] Arnold, C.J. 1988. Recycling Concrete Pavements.
Concrete Construction.
[3] Tavakoli, M. & Soroushian, P. 1996. Strength of
Recycled Aggregate Concrete Made Using FieldDemolished Concrete as Aggregate. ACI Materials
Journal 93(2): 182-190.
[4] Hansen, T.C. & Narud, H. 1983. Strength of Recycled
Concrete Made from Crushed Concrete Coarse
Aggregate. Concrete International 5(1).
[5] Barragi, N.K., Vidyadhare, H.S. & Ravande, K. 1990.
Mix Design Procedure for Recycled Aggregate Concrete.
Construction & Building Material 4(4).
[6] Chesner, W.H. 1999. Selected State Engineering and
Environmental Specifications, Policies and Regulations
for the Beneficial Use of By-Product Materials in
Construction Applications. Technical Conference on the
Beneficial Use of By-Product Materials in Construction
Applications. Albany, New York.
[7] Peng, H.S., Chen, H.J. & Yen, T. 2002. Effects of
Pozzolans on the Strength and Workability of Recycled
Aggregate Concrete. The 6th National Conference on
Structural Engineering Paper No. C07. Pingtung,
Taiwan. (in Chinese)