Efficient Utilization of Recycled Concrete Aggregate in Structural Concrete

Abstract

In Singapore, the applications of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) are limited to nonstructural concrete, road construction, and backfilling. To realize the beneficial use of RCA, an in-depth study was conducted to evaluate its use in structural concrete. This paper reports the test results of a study that is part of extensive research intended to evaluate the properties of RCA concrete produced by a proposed rational approach in concrete mix design. The key parameters studied include compressive strength, elastic modulus, and drying shrinkage. The results showed that the RCA concrete can be designed to achieve comparable compressive strength and elastic modulus, relative to the corresponding properties of concrete containing natural coarse aggregate (NCA). RCA concrete tends to exhibit higher drying shrinkage strains relative to NCA concrete, but the values are within the recommended limits.