HBRC Journal (2015) 11, 157–166

Housing and Building National Research Center

HBRC Journal

http://ees.elsevier.com/hbrcj

Influence of silica fume on mechanical and physical

properties of recycled aggregate concrete
1
Özgür Çakır *, Ömer Özkan Sofyanlı

Yıldız Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Construction Materials Department, 34210 Istanbul, Turkey

Received 29 January 2014; revised 7 May 2014; accepted 2 June 2014

KEYWORDS
Recycled aggregate concrete;
Silica fume;
Mechanical properties;
Physical properties
Abstract Several studies related to sustainable concrete construction have encouraged develop-
ment of composite binders, involving Portland cement, industrial by-products, and concrete mixes
with partial replacement of natural aggregate with recycled aggregate. In this paper, the effects of
incorporating silica fume (SF) in the concrete mix design to improve the quality of recycled aggre-
gates in concrete are presented. Portland cement was replaced with SF at 0%, 5% and 10%. Spec-
imens were manufactured by replacing natural aggregates with recycled aggregates. Two size
fractions (4/12 mm and 8/22 mm) as recycled aggregates were used and four series of concrete mix-
tures were produced. In all concrete mixtures, a constant water/binder ratio at 0.50 was used and
concrete mixtures with a target initial slump of S4 class (16–21 cm) were prepared. Concrete prop-
erties were evaluated by means of compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, water absorption
and ultrasonic pulse velocity and it was found that, using 10% SF as a cement replacement for recy-
cled aggregate concretes enhanced the mechanical and physical properties of concrete. At all the test
ages the tensile splitting strength gain of the natural aggregate concrete mixture (NA) with and
without SF was higher than that of the recycled concrete mixtures. Continuous and significant
improvement in the tensile splitting strength of recycled aggregate concretes incorporating SF
was observed. Similar to compressive strength test results, concrete incorporating 10% SF and con-
taining 4/12 mm fraction recycled aggregates showed better performance among recycled aggregate
concretes.
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Center.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 2123835242; fax: +90 Introduction

2123835133.
E-mail addresses: cozgur@yildiz.edu.tr (Ö. Çakır), omerozkansofyanli
Many structures in Turkey are now either reaching the end of
@windowslive.com (Ö.Ö. Sofyanlı).
1
Tel.: +90 2123835242; fax: +902123835133.
their design life time or were not constructed according to the
Peer review under responsibility of Housing and Building National
specifications. The Law ‘on Transformation of the Areas
Research Center. under Disaster Risk’ dated 16 May 2012, and numbered
6306, is called Urban Renewal Law among society, regulates
the circumstance of recent structures. Due to the Urban
Renewal Law, demolition and maintenance of these structures
Production and hosting by Elsevier
result in a large amount of concrete rubbles. The improper dis-
1687-4048 ª 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Housing and Building National Research Center.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hbrcj.2014.06.002
158
posal of construction and demolition (C and D) waste is a
problem faced by municipalities, not only in Turkey, but also
in other countries of the World. In the European Union
roughly 75% of the waste material is disposed to landfills,
despite its major recycling potential [1]. One of the construc-
tion sector’s major contributions to the preservation of the
environment and sustainable development is the reuse and
recycling of the waste materials it generates. One way of
achieving this is to introduce recycled aggregates from C and
D debris and rubble into the production processes. This
increases the life cycle of these materials, thereby reducing
the amount of waste dumping and natural resource extraction
[2]. On the other hand, construction activities demand a signif-
icant amount of natural materials, such as sand and gravel,
and extraction of these natural materials modifies the course
of rivers and its beds, creating environmental problems [3].
Although construction industry world-wide is promoting
the use of recycled aggregates for concrete production, mainly
to respond to the problem of the depletion of natural aggre-
gates, the current specifications in many parts of the world
are not able to support and encourage the recycling of C and
D waste. Since recycling of demolition waste was first carried
out after the Second World War in Germany, research work
carried out in several countries has demonstrated sufficient
promise for developing use of construction waste as a constit-
uent in new concrete [4].
Recycled concrete aggregates mainly differ from natural
aggregates in that they are composed of two different materi-
als: natural aggregate and cement mortar attached. Cement
mortar is the origin of the worse properties of recycled aggre-
gates: lower density, higher absorption, and Los Angeles abra-
sion [5]. Recycled aggregates are also highly heterogeneous and
porous, as well as contain a high content of impurities. The
heterogeneity influences the characteristics of recycled aggre-
gates and these aggregate properties have a negative influence
on recycled aggregate concrete quality such as reduction of the
compressive strength, tensile strength due to the increased con-
crete porosity and a weak aggregate–matrix interfacial bond
[6,7].
Chandra [1] reported that the construction and demolition
waste coarse aggregate can produce a range of concretes with
acceptable compressive strength, exceeding 30% water reduc-
ing admixtures or larger amount of cement is to be used. Recy-
cled aggregate concrete mixes require more water than natural
aggregate concrete to maintain the same workability without
the use of admixtures and this affects the quality and strength
of the concrete, resulting in lower concrete strength. It is
known that when using the same water to cement ratio, as
recycled aggregate percentage increase, the mechanical and
physical properties of the recycled aggregate concrete deterio-
rate. Although concrete production is one of the high-grade
applications where recycled aggregate can be used, concrete
strength decreases when recycled aggregates were used and
the strength reduction could be as low as 40% [8–10]. Concrete
made with 100% of recycled coarse aggregates has 20–25%
less compression strength than conventional concrete at
28 days, with the same effective w/c ratio (w/c = 0.50) and
cement quantity (325 kg/m3) [11]. On the other hand, the gen-
eral trend in the tensile strength as measured by the splitting
tensile test, depends mainly on binder rather than aggregate
type [12]. The use of coarse aggregate made from recycled
concrete with strength equal to 50 MPa results in compressive
Ö. Çakır, Ö.Ö. Sofyanlı
and tensile strengths comparable with that achieved when
using natural coarse aggregate [13].
Recycled aggregate is more absorptive than natural aggre-
gate and one of the marked physical differences between recy-
cled and natural aggregate is higher water absorption rate. The
higher water absorption of the recycled aggregate results from
the higher absorption rate of cement mortar attached to the
aggregate particles. This characterizes concrete made with
higher water absorption recycled aggregate reduced compres-
sive strength than with natural aggregate [14–18]. Under the
same mixture proportions, the mechanical properties of recy-
cled aggregate concrete were worse than those for natural
aggregate concrete. When recycled aggregate was washed,
these negative effects were greatly improved [10]. Moreover,
adding SF as a supplementary binder material can also
improve the mechanical and physical properties of concrete
prepared with recycled concrete aggregate [4,19–22].
This paper presents the experimental results of the use of
silica fume as a cement replacement in proportion to the recy-
cled aggregate concrete. The effects of silica fume on the
mechanical and physical properties such as compressive
strength, tensile splitting strength, water absorption, capillarity
coefficient and ultrasonic pulse velocity, of recycled aggregate
concrete that was cured in water up to 90 days were
investigated.
Experimental details
Materials
Binders
The cementitious materials used in this experimental study
were Portland Cement CEM I 42.5R cement type according
to TS EN 196-1:09 [23] and SF according to ASTM C
1240:12 [24] with a specific surface area of about 15,000 m2/
kg and relative density of 2.3. The chemical composition, phys-
ical and mechanical properties of the cement and SF are listed
in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.
Aggregates
Natural and washed recycled aggregates were used in the con-
crete mixes. In this study, two size fractions of crushed lime-
stone coarse aggregates were used, one with nominal sizes of
4/12 mm (NA1) and the other with nominal size of 8/22 mm
(NA2), as the natural coarse aggregate. Size fraction of silica
based natural aggregate (river sand) with nominal sizes of 0/
4 mm was used as the natural fine aggregate (sand) in the con-
Table 1 Properties of cement.
Contents Composition (%)
SiO2 20.1
Al2O3 4.9
Fe2O3 3.6
CaO 63.5
MgO 1.2
SO3 2.9
Loss on ignition 1.7
Specific gravity (g/cm3) 3.14
Specific surface area (cm2/g) 3942
Influence of silica fume on recycled aggregate concrete 159

Table 2 Properties of SF. Table 4 Properties of superplasticizer.

Contents Composition (%) Content Composition (%)
SiO2 >85 Structure of material Polycarboxylic ether
CaO <1 Color Amber
SO3 <2 Density (kg/liter) 1.082–1.142
Structure of material Condensed microsilica Chlorine ratio (%) <0.1
Color Amber Alkaline ratio (%) <3
Density (kg/liter) 0.55–0.70
Chlorine ratio <1
Specific surface area (m2/kg) 15,000 cured in water-curing tank at 20 ± 2 C till test age at 7, 28,
Activity index (%) >95
and 90 days.
Particle ratio (<0.045 mm) <40

crete mixes. The recycled aggregate contained almost entirely
of crushed concrete rubbles obtained from building demolition
projects. By using laboratory jaw crusher, demolition waste
aggregates were crushed to obtain a cumulative grain size dis-
tribution curve similar to that prepared with the natural coarse
aggregates. Two size fractions (4/12 mm-RA1; 8/22 mm-RA2;
and both of two-RA1/2) as recycled aggregates were used.
Density test and water absorption test were carried according
to TS EN 1097-6:02 [25], Los Angeles abrasion resistance tests
were carried according to TS EN 1097-2:2000 [26]. The physi-
cal properties of natural and recycled aggregates are shown in
Table 3.
Concrete mixtures
Four series of concrete mixtures were prepared in the labora-
tory using a Pan mixer. SF was used as a cement replacement
on a weight basis. In all concrete mixtures, a constant water/
binder ratio of 0.50 was used and concrete mixtures with a tar-
get initial slump of S4 class (16–21 cm) were prepared. In order
to obtain constant workability, water-reducing admixture
(Glenium Sky) was used. Approximately the same amount of
water-reducing admixture (0.9–1.2%) was used in the concrete
mixtures. Properties of superplasticizer are given in Table 4.
The abbreviation of the mixtures is presented in Table 5 and
the mixture proportions of the concrete are presented in
Table 6.
Specimen casting and curing
100/200 mm cylinders, 70 mm and 150 mm cubes were cast for
each concrete mixture. The cylinders were used to evaluate the
tensile splitting strength. 150 mm cubes were used to determine
the compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity, 70 mm
cubes were used to determine the capillary and water absorp-
tion. All the specimens were cast in steel molds and compacted
using vibrating table. After demoulding, the specimens were
Tests
Compressive and tensile splitting strengths
The compressive strength test was carried out according to TS
EN 12390-3:10 [27], while the tensile splitting strength was
conducted following TS EN 12390-6:10 [28]. Compressive
and tensile splitting strengths of concrete were determined
using a compression machine with a loading capacity of
3000 kN. The loading rates applied in the compressive and ten-
sile splitting strength tests were 10.6 kN/s and 1.6 kN/s, respec-
tively. The compressive and tensile splitting strengths were
measured at the ages of 7, 28 and 90 days.
Water absorption
Capillary water absorption test and volumetric water absorp-
tion test were conducted following TS EN 480-5:01 [29] and
TS 12390-7:10 [30], respectively. Water absorption tests were
performed on 70 mm cubic specimens. Three specimens for
the capillary water absorption and another three for the volu-
metric water absorption tests were used for each of the con-
crete mixes. For the capillary water absorption test, lower
face (parallel to the trowelled upper face) was brought in con-
tact with water in a tray. Environmental temperature was
20 ± 2 C during the test. Absorbed water was measured at
different intervals. Initial slope of the curve of absorbed
water-square root of time was calculated representing the cap-
illary water absorption coefficient. For the volumetric water
absorption test, specimens were immersed in water and the
mass was measured until a constant value was achieved.
Absorbed water was calculated as the difference between satu-
rated surface dry and dry masses and the values were given as
percent by the volume of specimen.
Ultrasonic pulse velocity
Ultrasonic pulse velocity test was carried out according to
ASTM C597:09 [31]. The pulse velocity measurements were
made with commercially available portable equipment (PUN-
DIT); paraffin wax was used as a couplant between the trans-

Table 3 Physical properties of river sand, natural aggregates, and recycled aggregates.
Type Bulk density (kg/m3) Water absorption (%) Initial moisture content (%) Abrasion resistance (LA)
Natural sand 2550 1.7 1.2 –
4/12 mm natural aggregate 2670 2.2 0.7 LA20
8/22 mm natural aggregate 2670 2.0 0.8 LA20
4/12 mm recycled aggregate 2370 7.4 3.4 LA35
8/22 mm recycled aggregate 2380 5.1 2.9 LA30
160 Ö. Çakır, Ö.Ö. Sofyanlı

Table 5 Notation of abbreviations.

Abbreviation Notation
NA Conventional concrete containing NS, NA1 and NA2
RA1 Concrete containing NS, RA1 and NA2
RA2 Concrete containing NS, NA1 and RA2
RA1/2 Concrete containing NS, RA1 and RA2
NASF5 Conventional concrete containing NS, NA, NA2 and SF content 5%
RA1SF5 Concrete containing NS, RA1, NA2 and SF content 5%
RA2SF5 Concrete containing NS, NA1, RA2 and SF content 5%
RA1/2SF5 Concrete containing NS, RA1, RA2 and SF content 5%
NASF10 Conventional concrete containing NS, NA, NA2 and SF content 10%
RA1SF10 Concrete containing NS, RA1, NA2 and SF content 10%
RA2SF10 Concrete containing NS, NA1, RA2 and SF content 10%
RA1/2SF10 Concrete containing NS, RA1, RA2 and SF content 10%
(NA: Natural Aggregate, NS: Natural Sand, SF: Silica Fume, RA1: Recycled Aggregate (Size 1), RA2: Recycled Aggregate (Size 2), RA1/2:
Recycled Aggregates (Size 1 + Size 2), SF5: Silica Fume with replacement percentage of cement 5%, SF10: Silica Fume with replacement
percentage of cement 10%).

Table 6 Concrete mix proportions.

Abbreviation Constituents (kg/m3) (Liter/m3) (cm)
Composite of binder Natural aggregate Recycled aggregate Water reducing admixture Slump
Water Cement SF Sand NA1 NA2 RA1 RA2
NA 190 380 0 523 640 640 0 0 0.342 18
RA1 190 380 0 523 0 640 640 0 0.456 20
RA2 190 380 0 523 640 0 0 640 0.456 18
RA1/2 190 380 0 523 0 0 640 640 0.456 20
NASF5 190 361 19 523 640 640 0 0 0.342 18
RA1SF5 190 361 19 523 0 640 640 0 0.456 19
RA2SF5 190 361 19 523 640 0 0 640 0.456 20
RA1/2SF5 190 361 19 523 0 0 640 640 0.456 20
NASF10 190 342 38 523 640 640 0 0 0.342 18
RA1SF10 190 342 38 523 0 640 640 0 0.456 18
RA2SF10 190 342 38 523 640 0 0 640 0.456 18
RA1/2SF10 190 342 38 523 0 0 640 640 0.456 20

ducers and the concrete surface. The pulse velocity readings,
reported for a given age, are the average of six measurements
through a path length of 150 mm in three cubes, taken in a
direction perpendicular to the casting direction.
Results and discussion
Compressive strength
The results of the compressive strength of the concretes with
and without recycled coarse aggregate at the ages up to 90 days
are shown in Table 7. Each presented value is the average of
three measurements. Although the use of recycled aggregates
diminishes the compressive strength of the concrete, depending
on the percentage of recycled aggregates used [3,7,9], for con-
crete mixtures with similar mixture proportions and workabil-
ity, there was no significant difference at the 5% confidence
level in the 7, 28 and 90 days compressive strengths of concrete
made with recycled aggregate (RA1, RA2 and RA1/2) and
compressive strengths of natural aggregate concrete (NA) in
this study. Crentsil and Taylor [12] reported that compressive
strengths of concrete made with commercial recycled aggregate
and normal weight natural basalt aggregate concrete are simi-
lar at 28 days. Moreover, Fonteboa and Abella [2] reported
that, with the same workability, it is possible to produce recy-
cled aggregate concrete with 50% recycled aggregates with
almost the same compressive strength as natural aggregate
concrete. By washing recycled aggregates prior to using in con-
crete production, the negative effects on concrete strength were
greatly improved [10].
The compressive strength of both the natural and recycled
aggregate concretes with and without silica fume with standard
water curing significantly increased with curing age. In general,
the concrete incorporating silica fume underwent a reduction
in early age compressive strength of natural and recycled
aggregate concretes. The compressive strength decreased with
an increase in the silica fume content. At 7 days, the compres-
sive strength of the concrete mixture NA with 5% and 10% of
silica fume was reduced by 6% and 12%, respectively, in com-
parison to the strength of the control concrete without silica
fume. The compressive strength of concrete mixture RA1 with
5% and 10% of silica fume was reduced by 3%, in comparison
to the strength of the control concrete without silica fume.
Influence of silica fume on recycled aggregate concrete 161

Moreover, concrete mixture RA2 with 5% and 10% of silica

fume was reduced by 3% and 9%, and concrete mixture

Ultrasonic pulse velocity (km/s)

RA1/2 with 5% and 10% of silica fume was reduced by 2%

4.83
4.87
5.10
5.14
4.72
4.91
4.67
4.67
4.67
4.91
4.88
4.92
90
and 4%, in comparison to the strength of the control concrete
without silica fume. Fig. 2 shows the compressive strength of
the concretes. Compressive strength loss of concretes contain-
4.53 ing recycled aggregate was less than the concretes containing
4.64
4.51
4.48
4.34
4.47
4.40
4.51
4.29
4.34
4.35
4.48
28

natural aggregate at 7 days due to SF usage. At 28 days, the

strengths of the concrete mixtures NA, RA2 and RA1/2 with
5% and 10% of silica fume were reduced but concrete mixture
4.54
4.62
4.44
4.45
4.31
4.44
4.40
4.41
4.30
4.38
4.23
4.34
RA1 with 5% and 10% of silica fume was increased by 8%
7

and 23%, in comparison to the strength of the control concrete

without silica fume. The highest percentage gain in compres-
cm2/s)

sive strength was recorded for 10% silica fume RA1 followed
by 5% silica fume RA1. The concrete mixture RA1SF10 had
3.1
5.3
4.6
5.4
3.0
4.9
3.2
5.1
2.9
3.9
3.0
4.0
90
6

the highest compressive strength gain (23%). At 90 days, the

Capillarity coefficient (10

strength of all the concrete mixtures with 5% and 10% of silica

fume was increased, in comparison to the strength of the con-
trol concrete without silica fume. The strength of the concrete
3.4
6.2
5.3
6.5
3.3
5.5
5.0
5.7
3.2
4.5
4.2
4.8
28

mixture NA with 5% and 10% of silica fume was increased by

4% and 5%, respectively, in comparison to the strength of the
control concrete without silica fume. Moreover, the compres-
sive strength of concrete mixture RA1 with 5% and 10% of sil-
4.4
7.1
6.5
7.3
4.2
6.0
5.8
6.2
3.9
4.7
5.4
5.6
7

ica fume was increased by 19% and 21%, respectively, in

comparison to the strength of the control concrete without sil-
Volumetric water absorption (%)

ica fume. Concrete mixture RA2 with 5% and 10% of silica

8.4
9.6
9.8

8.1
9.3
9.1
9.9
7.7
9.0
8.2
9.1
10.2

fume was increased by 6% and 13%, respectively, in compar-

90

ison to the strength of the control concrete without silica fume.

Concrete mixture RA1/2 with 5% and 10% of silica fume was
increased by 6% and 12%, respectively, in comparison to the
9.3

8.7

9.7

8.2
9.9
9.1
11.2
10.6
11.4

10.9

11.0

10.5

strength of the control concrete without silica fume.

28

Fig. 1 shows the compressive strength of the concretes. The

highest percentage gain in compressive strength was recorded
for 10% silica fume RA1 followed by 5% silica fume RA1.
11.5
13.6
13.4
14.1
11.4
12.9
11.9
13.1
11.2
11.9
10.4
12.0

The concrete mixture RA1SF10 had the highest compressive

7
Test results of the concrete mixtures at the ages of 7, 28 and 90 days.

strength gain (21%) and this might be attributed to incorpo-

rating silica fume into the recycled aggregate concrete. SF’s
Tensile splitting strength (MPa)

effects (the pozzolanic effect and filler effect) improve all the
3.2
3.8
3.8
3.5
3.7
4.3
4.0
3.8
4.2
4.4
4.1
3.7
90

mechanical properties of the concrete but, particularly, its

compressive strength [2]. Due to the recycled aggregates being
more porous, some part of the cement and silica fume would
be able to penetrate into the aggregate, which subsequently
3.3
3.8
3.7
3.4
3.9
3.4
3.8
3.4
3.9
3.9
3.5
3.2
28

would increase the bond strength between the aggregates and

hydrated cementitious matrix. With the presence of silica
fume, the cracks in the recycled aggregates were reduced due
to the healing effect after longer curing of silica fume blended
2.9
2.8
3.6
3.4
3.6
3.1
3.6
3.3
3.3
3.1
3.3
3.1
7

cement pastes. Therefore the concrete made with recycled con-

crete aggregate, and the quality of the interfacial transition
Compressive strength (MPa)

zone, was better than that of the old paste and natural aggre-
49.2
48.9
52.0
51.7
51.4
58.2
55.3
54.8
51.8
59.1
58.6
58.0
90

gate concrete. The bond between the new cement paste and
recycled concrete aggregate was enhanced [21,32].
46.7
46.9
46.4
48.6
46.2
50.5
42.5
46.4
47.5
57.7
47.4
48.6
28

Tensile splitting strength

The tensile splitting strengths of the concretes at the ages up to

40.4
39.3
41.6
39.5
38.1
38.2
40.3
38.8
35.5
38.0
37.8
38.0
7

90 days are shown in Table 7. The tensile splitting strengths of

RA1/2CSF10

recycled aggregates concretes are higher than the tensile split-

Abbreviation

RA1/2SF5

ting strengths of natural aggregate concrete up to 90 days,

RA1SF10
RA2SF10
NASF10
RA1SF5
RA2SF5
Table 7

NASF5

except the strength of concrete mixture R1 at 7 days. This

RA1/2
RA1
RA2

increase might be due to the high quality of washed recycled

NA

aggregates and constant workability of concrete mixtures.

162 Ö. Çakır, Ö.Ö. Sofyanlı

Fig. 1 Compressive strength of concrete mixture.

Chen et al. [10] concluded that when the recycled aggregate
was washed, negative effects were greatly improved and this
is especially true for the flexural strength of the recycled aggre-
gate concrete. Tabsh and Abdelfateh [13] found that, the use of
coarse aggregate made from recycled concrete with strength
equal to 50 MPa results in compressive and tensile strengths
comparable with that obtained when using natural coarse
aggregate. At all the test ages the tensile splitting strength gain
of the concrete mixture NA with and without SF was higher
than that of the recycled concrete mixtures. At 7 days, the ten-
sile splitting strengths of the concrete mixture NA with 5%
and 10% of silica fume were increased by 23% and 12%,
respectively, in comparison to the tensile splitting strengths
of the control concrete without silica fume. Moreover, the ten-
sile splitting strengths of concrete mixture RA1 with 5% and
10% of silica fume were increased by 10% and 11%, respec-
tively, in comparison to the strengths of the control concrete
without silica fume. Compressive strength loss was observed
in concrete mixtures RA2 and RA1/2. Concrete mixture
RA2 with 5% and 10% of silica fume was reduced by 2%
and 9%, respectively, in comparison to the strength of the con-
trol concrete without silica fume and concrete mixture RA12
with 5% and 10% of silica fume was reduced by 3% and
9%, respectively, in comparison to the strength of the control
concrete without silica fume. Fig. 2 shows the tensile splitting
strengths of the concretes. Tensile splitting strengths of con-

Fig. 2 Tensile splitting strength of concrete mixture.

Influence of silica fume on recycled aggregate concrete 163

crete series except NA and RA1 decreased with use of SF. The
Table 8 Ratio of tensile splitting strength to compressive
highest percentage gain in the tensile splitting strengths was
strength for different percentages of SF and RA.
recorded for 5% silica fume NA followed by 10% silica fume
NA at 7 days. At 28 days, the tensile splitting strengths of the Abbreviation RA (%) SF (%) Ratio
concrete mixture NA with 5% and 10% of silica fume were 7 28 90
increased by 17% and 19%, respectively, in comparison to NA 0 0 0.072 0.070 0.065
the strengths of the control concrete without silica fume but NASF5 5 0.094 0.083 0.072
concrete mixtures RA1, RA2, and RA1/2 with 5% and 10% NASF10 10 0.093 0.082 0.082
of silica fume were decreased in comparison to the strengths
RA1 35 0 0.071 0.081 0.078
of the control concrete without silica fume. The highest per- RA1SF5 5 0.080 0.068 0.071
centage gain in tensile splitting strength was recorded for RA1SF10 10 0.082 0.068 0.074
10% silica fume NA followed by 5% silica fume NA. At
90 days, the tensile splitting strengths of the concretes contain- RA2 35 0 0.087 0.078 0.072
RA2SF5 5 0.088 0.088 0.073
ing both natural and recycled aggregates with and without SF
RA2SF10 10 0.087 0.074 0.070
were increased significantly. The concrete mixture NA with
5% and 10% of silica fume was increased by 16% and 33%, RA1/2 70 0 0.085 0.070 0.068
respectively, in comparison to the tensile splitting strength of RA1/2SF5 5 0.084 0.073 0.069
the control concrete without silica fume. Moreover, the com- RA1/2SF10 10 0.081 0.067 0.064
pressive strength of concrete mixture RA1 with 5% and 10%
of silica fume was increased by 13% and 15%, respectively,
in comparison to the strength of the control concrete without lowed by RA2 and RA1, which are 21%, 17% and 14% times
silica fume. Concrete mixture RA2 with 5% and 10% of silica higher, respectively than NA. It was due to the high absorption
fume was increased by 8% and 9%, respectively, in compari- capacity of recycled coarse aggregate itself, which has created
son to the strength of the control concrete without silica fume. higher osmosis pressure within the concrete. When the dry
Concrete mixture RA1/2 with 5% and 10% of silica fume was specimens are immersed into water during the testing, the spec-
increased by 8% and 6%, respectively, in comparison to the imens with high osmosis pressure tend to absorb more water
strength of the control concrete without silica fume. The high- from the surrounding of the specimens. Recycled aggregate
est percentage gain in the tensile splitting strengths among surface coated with mortar phase has a higher porosity than
recycled aggregate concretes (RA1, RA2 and RA1/2) was aggregate phase [2,34]. The absorption values of concrete con-
recorded for 10% silica fume RA1 followed by 5% silica fume taining the recycled coarse aggregates are higher than those of
RA1, similar to compressive strength test results. However, the normal concrete and results show an increasing trend
comparing the results at 90 days shows that there was a contin- toward higher recycled concrete aggregate content [35,36].
uous and significant improvement in the tensile splitting However, the volumetric water absorption values of concrete
strength of recycled aggregate concretes. Adding ultra fine containing the recycled aggregate with SF were decreased sig-
SF particles decreases the porosity and enhances the matrix nificantly especially at later ages. This effect is more significant
and transition zone between aggregates and cement mortar. in recycled aggregate concretes incorporating 10% SF rather
The volume of micro pores is reduced causing benefits in terms than recycled aggregate concretes incorporating 5% SF.
of mechanical performances [21,32].
As reported by many researchers [7,11], the workability of Capillarity coefficient
recycled aggregate concretes for the same water content in
the concrete is lower, especially when the replacement levels According to the experimental results of capillary pore investi-
exceed 50% [33]. In this study, the recycled aggregate concretes gation, it can be seen from Table 7 that the capillarity coeffi-
showed a better mechanical performance rather than the natu- cient of the specimens with recycled aggregate is higher
ral aggregate concrete up to 90 days due to the SF usage and compared to the specimens with natural aggregate. As seen
the constant workability of the concrete mixes. from Fig. 4, the capillarity coefficient decreases in all concrete
Table 8 also shows the ratio of tensile splitting strength to mixes with time for both NA and RA. At 7 days, the highest
compressive strength for different percentages of SF and RA. capillarity coefficient value is attained for RA1/2 specimens
followed by RA1 and RA2, which are 92%, 82% and 57%
Water absorption times higher, respectively, than NA. At 28 days, the highest
absorption value is attained for RA1/2 specimens followed
The volumetric water absorption values of concrete containing by RA1 and RA2, which are 73%, 71% and 49% times higher,
the recycled aggregates are higher than those of the normal respectively than NA. At 90 days, the highest absorption value
concrete up to 90 days and it shows an increasing trend toward is attained for RA1/2 specimens followed by RA1 and RA2,
higher recycled coarse aggregate content as shown in Table 7 which are 74%, 71% and 48% times higher, respectively than
and Fig. 3. At 7 days, the highest absorption value is attained NA. A similar trend can be seen up to 90 days among recycled
for RA1/2 specimens followed by RA1 and RA2, which are aggregate concretes. The capillarity coefficient test results
22%, 18% and 16% times higher, respectively, than NA. At show an increasing trend toward higher recycled aggregate
28 days, the highest absorption value is attained for RA1/2 content as shown in Table 6. The capillarity coefficient values
specimens followed by RA1 and RA2, which are 23%, 20% of concrete containing the recycled aggregate with SF were
and 14% times higher, respectively than NA. At 90 days, the decreased significantly especially at later ages. This effect is
highest absorption value is attained for RA1/2 specimens fol- more significant in recycled aggregate concretes incorporating
164 Ö. Çakır, Ö.Ö. Sofyanlı

Fig. 3 Volumetric water absorption of concrete mixture.

10% SF rather than recycled aggregate concretes incorporat-
ing 5% SF, similar to the volumetric water absorption test
results. This situation can be explained as the SF finer than
the cement particles fill the capillary pores physically and also
pozzolanic property of SF is affective on gel structure [21].
Ultrasonic pulse velocity
The ultrasonic pulse velocity values of all specimens were in
the range of 4.23 km/s to 5.14 km/s and the values tend to
increase with the ages as shown in Table 7 and Fig. 5. The
results presented in Fig. 5 clearly show the relation between
the average UPV values of specimens with the recycled aggre-
gate content and the age of testing. At 7 days, the UPV value
of the concrete mixtures NA and RA1 with 5% and 10% of
silica fume was reduced by 5% in comparison to the UPV of
the control concrete without silica fume. The UPV value of
concrete mixture RA2 with 5% and 10% of SF was reduced
by 1% and 5%, in comparison to the UPV of the control con-
crete without silica fume. Concrete mixture RA1/2 with 5%
and 10% of silica fume was reduced by 1% and 3%, in com-
parison to the UPV of the control concrete without silica fume.
However, the UPV values of concrete containing the recycled
aggregate with SF were slightly increased especially at later
ages due to the hydration and pozzolanic properties of SF.
According to the rating suggested by Malhotra, the specimens
are classified as in ‘‘good’’ condition as their UPV values fall in
the range of 3.66 km/s–4.58 km/s [37]. At 7, 28 and 90 days, all
specimens are evidently being in ‘‘good’’ condition. The UPV
test is used to predict the characteristic of the internal particles
of concrete and the quality of the concrete. The pore structures
in the concrete may have an impact on the UPV values and

Fig. 4 Capillarity coefficient of concrete mixture.

Influence of silica fume on recycled aggregate concrete
Fig. 5 Ultrasonic pulse velocity of concrete mixture.
their strength. Even though adhered mortars are porous mate-
rials and it would reduce the UPV at early tages as proven in
the experiment, the UPV value of the all replacement levels of
the recycled coarse aggregate content is still acceptable as they
fall in the ‘‘good’’ category according to Malhotra. As long as
the UPV values lie within the ‘‘good’’ category, it implies that a
particular concrete does not contain any large voids or cracks
which would affect the structural integrity. Therefore, the recy-
cled aggregate is still considered suitable to replace finer and
coarse aggregates in large portions as long as it achieves the
target strength.
Conclusion
Based on this experimental study, the following conclusions
can be drawn:
1. Concretes produced with natural and recycled aggregates
incorporating silica fume underwent a reduction in early
age compressive strength. The compressive strength
decreased with increase in the silica fume content. However,
compressive strength loss of concretes containing recycled
aggregate was less than the concretes containing natural
aggregate at early age due to the SF usage. At 28 and
90 days, the strength of all the concrete mixtures with 5%
and 10% of silica fume was increased, in comparison to
the strength of the control concrete without silica fume.
The pozzolanic effect of the SF that usually occurs after
7 days tends to increase the compressive strength of the
concretes with this mineral admixture. This effect is more
significant in recycled aggregate concrete incorporating
10% SF and containing 4/12 mm fraction recycled aggre-
gates rather than the other concrete series.
2. Usage of SF is more effective on the compressive strength
of concrete having 4/12 mm fraction recycled aggregate
than 8/22 mm fraction aggregate incorporating the same
SF content.
165
3. Continuous and significant improvement in the tensile split-
ting strength of recycled aggregate concretes incorporating
SF was observed with time. The concrete with 10% SF and
having 4/12 mm fraction recycled aggregates showed a bet-
ter performance than the other concrete series in terms of
the physical and the mechanical properties.
4. Water absorption values of concretes containing the recy-
cled aggregates with SF were decreased significantly espe-
cially at later ages. This effect is more significant in
recycled aggregate concretes incorporating 10% SF rather
than recycled aggregate concretes incorporating 5% SF.
Conflict of interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Acknowledgements
_
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the ISTAÇ
_
(The Istanbul Environmental Protection and Waste Processing
Corporation), AKÇANSA Cement Industry and Trading Co.,
and BASF Chemical Company for providing recycled aggre-
gates, cement and mineral/chemical admixtures.
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