Study on the high temperature performance of recycled concrete with manufactured sand

Abstract

Recycled concrete with manufactured sand (RCM) is a type of recycled concrete that uses manufactured sand as fine aggregate, and there have been limited reports on the investigation of its high temperature performance in the construction industry. This study, starting from two curing regimes, explored the high temperature performance of RCM with water-to-cementitious ratios of 0.32, 0.4, and 0.48. Various physical properties of the samples in each group were tested, including surface morphology changes, mass loss rate, microstructure and composition alterations, as well as fundamental mechanical properties like compressive strength and elastic moduli. The experimental results indicate that RCM specimens exhibit slightly higher compressive strength after 7 d of high-temperature water curing compared to the 30 d standard curing. Furthermore, following high temperature tests ranging from 200 °C to 800 °C, the strength reduction in the specimens is not significantly pronounced when compared to those subjected to standard curing. Utilizing the measured stress-strain curves and existing constitutive models for high temperature behavior of recycled concrete, this study analyzes the influencing factors affecting the performance of RCM under high temperature conditions. The findings provide theoretical support for the practical engineering application of RCM.