Engineering Behaviour of Waste Glass as Aggregates in Concrete Containing Sand and Gravels

Abstract

In this study waste glass was used as a coarse aggregate in concrete. This paper investigates experimentally the use of waste glass as a partial replacement for traditional coarse aggregates in concrete. The concrete resulting from the use of these recycled aggregates showed that waste glass is estimated to undergo pozzolanic reactions with cement hydrates, forming secondary calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H). These reactions bring about favourable changes in the structure of the hydrated cement paste and the interfacial transition zones in recycled aggregate concrete. The use of waste glass as a partial replacement of coarse aggregates produced significant gains in strength and durability in the recycled aggregate concrete. The traditional concrete containing 50 mass-% gravel and 50 mass-% sand showed a compression strength of 150 kg/cm2, while with the replacement of 25 mass-% glass, the compression strength became 140 kg/cm2. The glass alone (100% glass) gave a compression strength value of 50 kg/cm2. The encouraging test results are viewed as an impetus for broad-based use of recycled aggregates to produce concrete incorporating waste glass.