Effect of Recycled Waste Brick Fine Aggregate on Compressive Strength and Flexural Strength of Mortar

Abstract

Recycled waste brick (RWB) aggregate has obvious different properties from recycled concrete (RC) aggregate and is hardly accepted because of its lower strength and higher water absorption. The effect of recycled waste brick fine aggregate on compressive strength and flexural strength of mortar was studied. Meanwhile the influence of recycled waste brick fine aggregate content and water to cement ratio (w/c) was considered in the experiment. Optical microscope with a large depth-of- field was used to observe the microstructure of hardened mortar made with manufactured sand and recycled fine aggregate. The results show that the compressive strength and flexural strength of mortar decreased with the increase of recycled fine aggregate content in various w/c. The recycled aggregate has inner-curing effect, which can benefit the hydration of cement as well as the interfacial transition zone between the hydration product and aggregate.