A Research on Fresh and Hardened Concrete Residences with Partial Replacement of Recycled Coarse Aggregates Obtained from Demolition and Construction Waste

Abstract

The modern world is witnessing the development of extremely demanding structures right now. Concrete is an extremely important and widely used material. However, the reuse of construction waste is crucial when considering life cycle assessment (LCA) and the efficient recycling of construction materials. Given its potential to address sustainability and environmental challenges, using recycled materials in construction has attracted much attention. This study aims to examine what happens to concrete's compressive strength when recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) replace some of the conventional coarse aggregates. The aim is to study the impact of RCA content on the mechanical characteristics of concrete and determine its appropriateness for use in structural applications. The main objectives of this work is to determine and compare the Density, Workability, Compressive strength, split tensile strength, and Flexural strength of Recycled aggregate in relation to conventional aggregate also to ascertain the ideal percentage of aggregate replacement with recycled aggregate and to calculate the percentage change in strength for recycled aggregate at different levels of replacement. The research methodology involves carrying out laboratory experiments to examine the compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength of concrete specimens with different proportions of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) substitutions. The typical coarse aggregates are substituted by recycled aggregates in various proportions (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%) by weight in M25 grade concrete. The formulation of the concrete mix design is meticulously done to provide a consistent water-cement ratio and other crucial criteria. The study involves the process of casting and curing concrete specimens that contain varying amounts of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). At certain curing ages (e.g., 7 days and 28 days), the specimens are tested for compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength in order to assess their mechanical capabilities. After that, the outcomes are contrasted with control samples made entirely of conventional coarse aggregates. Primary finding shows workability declines as the proportion of recycled trash rises, but it is kept stable with mixing.