Mechanical properties of concrete containing recycled materials

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of recycled materials, namely, shredded scrap tire (SST), reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and class C fly ash (CFA) on compressive and tensile strength of concrete. Either SST or RAP was used as an aggregate replacement and class C fly ash (CFA) as Portland cement replacement for making concrete. A total of two types of SST and RAP, namely, chips and screenings were used for replacing coarse and fine aggregates, respectively. A total of 26 concrete mixes containing different replacement level of SST or RAP and CFA were designed. Using the mix designs, cylindrical specimens of concrete were prepared, cured in water tank, and tested for unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and indirect tensile strength (IDT) after 28 days. Experimental results showed aggregate substitution with SST decreased both UCS and IDT of concrete. On the contrary, replacement of aggregate with RAP improved UCS values. Specimens containing RAP chips resulted in concrete with higher IDT values as compared to corresponding specimens containing RAP screenings. Addition of 40% CFA was found to improve UCS values and degrade IDT values of SST containing specimens. Statistical analysis showed that IDT of SST and RAP can be estimated as approximately 13% and 12% of UCS, respectively.