Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Recycled Brick Coarse Aggregate Concrete

Abstract

This paper investigates the mechanical and micro-interfacial properties of recycled concrete. Concrete specimens with recycled brick coarse aggregate (RBCA) admixtures of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% were prepared. Apparent density, slump, and mechanical tests were carried out to evaluate the properties and behavior of the recycled concrete. The evolution laws of parameters such as compressive strength, peak strain, and elastic modulus of the recycled concrete specimens were tested and analyzed. Combined with numerical analysis, the stress distribution and damage propagation process of recycled concrete specimens with different RBCA contents were revealed. Furthermore, the RBCA content parameters and the thickness of the interface transition zone were analyzed to predict the mechanical behavior of RBCA concrete. The results show that the slump of fresh recycled concrete is less than 50 mm when the content of RBCA exceeds 50%. The apparent density of concrete is 15.55% lower than that of ordinary concrete when the content of RBCA is 100%. The cube compressive strength of RBCA concrete decreases with increased RBCA content. With increasing RBCA substitution rate, the internal cracks change from discrete to concentrated. The substitution rate of RBCA and thickness of the interfacial transition zone are negatively correlated with compressive strength and positively correlated with elastic modulus and peak stress.