Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete Research Articles

Limiting the maximum fine and coarse recycled aggregates-Type A used in structural concrete

The manufacture of concrete using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) is an alternative used to reduce the exploitation of natural resources and landfilling of construction waste. This paper discusses the suitability of producing structural concrete to be exposed to an XC1-XC4 environment employing different percentages of fine RCA (FRCA) and coarse RCA (CRCA) classified as type A. Two experimental phases were conducted in which 300 kg of cement/m3 and an effective water:cement ratio of 0.48 (Phase 1) and 0.52 (Phase 2) were employed with different percentages of the CRCA and FRCA aggregates. The types of properties determined were physical (density, absorption, accessible porous), mechanical (compressive, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity), shrinkage, and durability (sorptivity, water penetration). After exhausting analyses of the experimental values and structural code requirements, the successful use of a simultaneous combination of up to 60 % CRCA and 30 % of FRCA was defined in Phase 1. In addition, the use of 50 % CRCA and 20 % of FRCA were defined in Phase 2.

Mechanical behavior of multiscale hybrid fiber reinforced recycled aggregate concrete subject to uniaxial compression

This paper presents a multiscale hybrid fiber reinforcing strategy that can remarkably compensate for the adverse effects of recycled coarse aggregate (RA) on the performance of concrete. The hybrid fibers including macro steel fiber (SF), micro polypropylene fiber (PPF), and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) were utilized for crack arresting at multi-levels and improving the mechanical properties of RA concrete (RAC). This work aims to investigate the mechanical performance of multiscale hybrid fiber reinforced RAC (MFRRAC) under uniaxial compression and unveil the multiscale hybrid fiber reinforcement mechanism. A total of 34 groups of prismatic specimens were tested, with an emphasis on the effects of RA replacement rate and fiber parameters on the failure mode, compressive strength, deformation ability, and stress-strain curve. The results showed that the incorporation of multiscale hybrid fibers has a marked impact on the compressive properties of RAC. Specifically, the addition of multiscale hybrid fibers could significantly alter the failure pattern of RAC. In addition, compared with RAC without fibers, the axial compressive strength and peak strain of MFRRAC could be increased by up to 39.34% and 24.85%, respectively. Furthermore, the hybrid fiber reinforcement mechanism on the mechanical enhancement in a physical-chemical manner was revealed, in particular, multiscale crack resistance and hybrid fiber synergetic effect. Finally, a stress-strain model was developed with RA replacement rates and fiber parameters taken into account, and the predictions can correlate well with available experimental results with wide applicability. This research work lays a foundation for the accurate design and analysis of MFRRAC structures.

Fine Recycled Concrete Aggregates Treated by Means of Wastewater and Carbonation Pretreatment

Fine recycled concrete aggregate (FRCA) possesses substantial limitations for its use due to its significant porosity. Extensive research on the effect of carbonation on the accessible porosity of coarse recycled concrete aggregate is available in the literature, but FRCA information is scarce. The present paper presents results of the effect of carbonation on different fractions of FRCA from <0.125 mm to 4 mm previously sprayed with wastewater from mortar production as an additional source of portlandite. The results of water absorption via the electrical conductivity method, TGA, XRD+Rietveld+PONKCS analysis, EDS mapping, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) demonstrate that the efficiency of the treatment depends on the particle size range of the FRCA. It was most effective for the extreme size fractions <0.25 mm and >1 mm of FRCA as a result of the relationship between the amount of precipitated calcium carbonate and the initially accessible porosity in each fraction. As a consequence, mortar produced with 30% replacement of natural sand with carbonated FRCA showed no impact on compressive strength.

Bond Performance of Corroded Steel Reinforcement and Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete after Freeze–Thaw Cycles

Freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion can damage the properties of concrete structures in a frigid marine environment. In this paper, experimental and analytical research on the freeze–thaw resistance of recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RAC) and the bond performance of corroded steel reinforcement and RAC after freeze–thaw cycles was conducted. The results showed that the ultimate bond strength decreases with increasing freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion rates, and the bond strength decreases more rapidly under the coupled effect of freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion. Additionally, the quantitative analysis of the relationships between the ultimate bond strength and different freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion rates was conducted through the relativity analysis, and analysis results revealed that freeze–thaw cycles have a more pronounced effect on the ultimate bond strength than steel reinforcement corrosion. A modified bond–slip prediction model of corroded steel reinforcement and RAC after freeze–thaw cycles was established, and the model exhibited better agreement with the test data of this and other research, demonstrating its rationality and applicability. These research results can provide experimental and analytical support for freeze–thaw-resistant design and bond performance prediction of RAC structures in a frigid marine environment.

Research on the durability of nano-SiO2 and sodium silicate co-modified recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) concrete

Compared with natural aggregate (NA), recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) is of lower strength and higher porosity due to the attached mortar, which limits the application of RCA. In this paper, the nano SiO2-sodium silicate mixed solution (NMS) was prepared and used to modify RCA by improving the properties of the attached mortar. Three groups of concrete with NA, RCA, and modified RCA (MRCA), respectively, were prepared. The modification effects of NMS on the concrete were illustrated in regards to the mechanical properties and durability (impermeability, chloride ion resistance, and freezing-thawing resistance). Results indicated that the concrete with the MRCA had higher mechanical properties, better durability properties, and lower air void content. Then, the surface morphology of the MRCA and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) in concrete were both examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) to understand the modification effect of NMS. It showed that the NMS can fill the pores and repair the cracks on the attached mortar by filling effect (brought by nano SiO2) and film-forming effect (brought by sodium silicate). Moreover, nano SiO2 and sodium silicate could also participate in secondary hydration reaction to form C-S-H gel and strengthen the microstructure of ITZ. The coupling effect both result in the improved mechanical and durable properties of the concrete prepared with MRCA.

Experimental investigation on the flexural performance and damage process of steel fiber reinforced recycled coarse aggregate concrete

The application of recycled concrete requires the reliable information on its flexural performance especially after cracking. In this study, the three-point bending tests were carried out on 40 notched beam specimens to investigate the flexural performance and damage process of steel fiber reinforced recycled coarse aggregate concrete (SFRCAC). The effects of water-cement ratio, recycled coarse aggregate replacement ratio and steel fiber volume fraction on the residual flexural tensile strength and flexural toughness of SFRCAC were analyzed. Moreover, the flexural damage process of the SFRCAC notched beam was explored and analyzed by Acoustic Emission (AE) technology. The results show that the residual flexural tensile strength and flexural toughness of SFRCAC decrease with increased water-cement ratio and recycled coarse aggregate replacement ratio, respectively. Adding steel fibers can effectively improve the residual flexural tensile strength and flexural toughness of SFRCAC. The post-cracking behavior of SFRCAC changes from strain-softening to strain-hardening when steel fiber volume fraction increases from 0.5% to 2%. Finally, the empirical formula of residual flexural tensile strength for SFRCAC has been put forward by analyzing and fitting the test results in this study and related literature.

Shear Behavior of Recycled Coarse Aggregates Concrete Dry Joints Keys Using Digital Image Correlation Technique

In this work, twenty-seven dry joint specimens of prestressed segmental bridges produced using recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RAC) were subjected to push-off tests. The substitution rate of coarse aggregate for recycled aggregate was 100%. The variables observed were the number of keys, including flat, single-keyed, and three-keyed, and the magnitude of the confining stress, varying at 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 MPa. The slippage between both parts of the joint and the cracking of the specimens were analyzed using the digital image correlation technique (DIC). Equations from the literature were used to predict the shear strength of dry joints with recycled coarse aggregate concrete. The experimental results obtained from the present research were compared to those of other conventional concrete researchers. The results showed that the dry joints produced with recycled coarse aggregate concrete presented a crack formation in conventional concrete joints following a similar mechanism of failure; however, they presented lower strength. Some equations in the literature predicted the strength of dry joints with recycled coarse aggregate concrete. Based on the analysis performed, adopting a reduction coefficient of 0.7 in the AASHTO normative equation was recommended for predicting the shear strength of dry joints when produced with recycled coarse aggregates concrete.

Assessment of mechanical attributes and microstructural densification of self-healing recycled coarse aggregate concrete using various bacterial immobilizers

In recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) based concrete, the strength and durability are influenced by the characteristics of RCA. Micro-level cracks and poor interfacial transition zone (ITZ) lead to macro-level cracks, compromising the integrity of concrete structures. Controlling the formation and propagation of smaller cracks in RCA concrete and improving RCA quality is crucial to have good structural performance. Therefore, microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation can help to improve the RCA quality, microstructure, cracks propagation, and ITZ. This research compares the effect of different immobilizers and their size on RCA concrete nested with Bacillus Pumilus. Bacteria were incorporated into the concrete by direct introduction and through nano to macro carriers including RCA, sand, and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). The crack healing potential of the concrete samples, mechanical properties, microstructure, and phase configuration were studied. The compressive strength and split tensile strength of IONPs immobilized bacterial mix was 28% and 45% more than the controlled mix, respectively. The results indicated that maximum of 1.3 mm wide cracks could be sealed by the Bacillus pumilus bacteria when immobilized with IONPs and were more efficient upon pre-cracking at 3 and 7 days. In contrast, bacteria immobilized in RCA were more efficient in healing cracks when samples pre-cracked at 28 days. The crack healing precipitate was identified as calcite using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and x-ray diffraction (XRD).

Environmental optimization of warm mix asphalt (WMA) design with recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) inclusion through artificial intelligence (AI) techniques

Warm Mix Asphalts (WMAs) are asphalt concretes produced at lower temperatures than traditional Hot Mix Asphalts (HMAs). Nonetheless, the above is not enough to diminish the environmental impacts associated with the road infrastructure industry. Accordingly, incorporating Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) as a partial replacement for Natural Aggregates (NAs) in WMA design has been gaining notoriety in the literature as a viable alternative to increase sustainability. However, the eco-friendly manufacturing of WMA with RCA contents (WMA-RCA) is not easy to obtain satisfactorily because the RCA causes alterations in the mix design. Thus, this research proposes three (3) methods to determine the optimal design conditions (coarse RCA content) that minimize the environmental burdens caused by WMA-RCA production. The first method is a mathematical model based on Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), which is used as a benchmark for the other two methods. The second and third methods are computational models based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), i.e., Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs), respectively. Notably, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was employed as the theoretical framework to support all the proposed models. Consequently, this study concludes that: (i) all the proposed methodological alternatives achieve results with a great accuracy; (ii) the GAs model is the most precise method in terms of error minimization; (iii) the MLR model is the fastest method in terms of execution time; and (iv) the ANNs model is the method that requires the longest time of running, and its exactness is at a midpoint concerning the other models.

Effect of enhancement treatments applied to recycled concrete aggregates on concrete durability: A review

Recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) have been demonstrated as an alternative source to exhaustible natural aggregates. In this paper, we focus on the enhancement treatments for coarse and fine RCAs and the effect of these treatments on the durability of recycled concrete (RC) made from treated RCAs by the weakening and strengthening of the cement paste adhered to their surface. We conducted comparative analyses on the improvement of durability and mechanical properties. The results showed that the reduction of water absorption in RCAs increases the compressive strength of RC and that there is a strong linear trend of improvement in the carbonation depth, chloride ion penetration, and compressive strength of RC. For fine and coarse RCAs, the treatment mechanism and particle size are determinants in efficiently improving RC durability.

Enhancing the Performance of Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavement by Synergetic Improvement of Packing Density, Lubrication, and Moisture State of Recycled Concrete Aggregate

Roller-compacted concrete pavement (RCCP) is considered superior to other pavement types with reference to cost, ease of construction, and performance. However, the aggregate demand is significantly higher in RCCP than in the conventional concrete pavement. It is predicted that natural minable limestone sources would be exhausted in India in the next 30 to 40 years. One way to reduce the natural aggregates (NA) requirements in RCCP is through the integration of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). However, the physical property of RCA is significantly inferior to that of NA owing to the presence of adhered mortar (AM), which increases the water demand by 2.3 to 4.6 times and affects the compactness and hardened-state behavior of RCCP. This study has tried to enhance the compactness and improve the performance of RCCP containing RCA (coarse, fine, and total RCAs) through different synergetic approaches. This, in turn, enhances the interlocking capacity using the particle packing approach, followed by mitigating the negative effects of AM by altering the moisture states, then improving the compactability and lubricating the matrix with superplasticizers. The results depict that altering the moisture states alone could adversely affect the RCCP performance because of the moisture transfer mechanism from the hydraulic gradient. Moreover, the inclusion of superplasticizers in different moisture states could manifest better aggregate rearrangement and compactability. Further, it could improve the tensile behavior of the RCCP compared with the concrete containing NA. These findings favor the complete replacement of NA by RCA for low-volume rural road construction.

Effect of various bio-deposition treatment techniques on recycled aggregate and recycled aggregate concrete

When it comes to sustainable construction, recycling is one of the significant aspects to consider. Reusing waste from construction and demolition activities and utilizing recycled aggregate (RA) in construction appears to be a perfect solution. The major drawbacks in the effective utilization of RA in comparison to natural aggregate (NA) are its inferior properties like water absorption, strength, and adhered mortar. In this study, three biomineralization treatment techniques (spraying, single immersion, and double immersion) with three different cell concentrations of Bacillus sphaericus (1 × 103 cells/ml, 1 × 105 cells/ml, and 1 × 107 cells/ml) were applied for treating coarse recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). The treated coarse RCA was tested for water absorption, weight change, ultrasonic pulse resistance, and fragmentation resistance. In addition, the concrete mixes made with various treated coarse RCA were evaluated for compressive strength, permeability, water absorption, and resistance to the sulphate environment and economical aspect. As per the observations, the concrete mix containing double immersion treated RCA and bacterial cell count of 1 × 105 cells/ml provided almost equal 28 days of compressive strength compared to controlled mix concrete. The water absorption of RCA subjected to this treatment was 12% less than the untreated RCA. Also, the concrete made with these treated RCA showed equal 28 days of water absorption to controlled concrete. As per the economic analysis as well the concrete treated with double immersion and bacterial cell count of 1 × 105 cells/ml was found most effective. Treatment also had a positive effect on other properties of RCA and treated RCA concrete. It can be concluded that double immersion technique that is two-time immersion of untreated RCA in the grown bacterial culture for 24 h, and growth medium for three days of Bacillus sphaericus bacteria with cell concentration of 1 × 105 cells/ml is ideal for the effective treatment of RCA.

Studies on mechanical performance of treated and non-treated coarse recycled concrete aggregate and its performance in concrete-an Indian case study

In India, utilization of construction & demolition (C&D) waste-based coarse recycled concrete aggregate (CRCA) for RCC work is limited up to 20% for M25 grade of concrete as codified in IS 383:2016. However, enhanced utilization is not possible until classification based on quality grading of C&D waste-based aggregate is made available. One of the possible ways to classify C&D waste-based aggregate can be routed based on specific gravity and water absorption value of the parent rock which is generally affected by the adhered mortar. In the present study, C&D waste-based coarse recycled concrete aggregate (CRCA) sourced from two different sources was studied holistically. CRCA aggregates were subjected to mechanical treatment in a Los Angeles machine and Characteristics of CRCA before and after treatment were evaluated and compared. Further, a comparative study in fresh, hardened, and durability stages was conducted on the properties of concrete made with treated and non–treated CRCA. Fresh, hardened, and durability properties of concrete made with C&DW-based CRCA investigated for the (a) Fresh properties – workability in terms of slump, and air content. (b) Hardened properties–compressive and flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, drying shrinkage (c) Durability properties –resistance to chloride (RCPT, as per ASTM C1202), resistance to carbonation as per ISO 1920 Part 12 and resistance to water penetration as per IS 516 Part2 / Section-1. From the study, it can be concluded that physical properties such as specific gravity and water absorption of CRCA can be used as a tool for the grading of C&D waste-based CRCA. Based upon fresh, hardened, and durable behavior of concrete made with CRCA, it was observed that non-treated CRCA can be used up to 40 % for a grade of concrete up to M 30 whereas treated CRCA can be used up to 100 %. This was attributed to the improvement in the ITZ.

Strength properties of ordinary Portland cement concrete containing high volume recycled coarse aggregate and volcanic ash

Due to the increasing demand and declining reserve of natural coarse aggregate, waste recycling is one of the most viable options for sustainable development in concrete production. The paper assessed the compressive and tensile strength of ordinary Portland cement concrete containing high-volume recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and volcanic ash (VA). Concrete of grade 60 was designed using the Department of Environment (DoE) method of mix design to produce concrete cubes of 100 × 100 × 100 mm and cylinders of 200 × 100 mm using a water/binder ratio of 0.35. The recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RCAC) was produced using ordinary Portland cement, 15% VA, 100% recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), natural fine aggregate and water while the conventional concrete was produced using ordinary Portland cement, natural fine and coarse aggregate, and water. The hardened concrete cubes and cylinders were subjected to compressive and tensile strength at 7, 14, 28, 56, and 90 days. The microstructure of the concrete samples was also evaluated. Results obtained from the study showed that the conventional concrete had higher compressive strength than the RCAC by 12.8% and 7.12% at 28 and 56 days respectively. However, at 90 days, RCAC attained higher compressive strength than conventional concrete by 1.5%. Similarly, the conventional concrete had higher tensile strength than RCAC by 12.87% and 6.45% at 28 and 56 days respectively. At 90 days, RCAC attained higher tensile strength than that of conventional concrete by 4.55%. Higher compressive and tensile strength improvement at 90 days exhibited by RCAC was due to the pozzolanic reactivity of VA which yielded additional calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) at a later age. It is recommended that up to 100% of normal coarse aggregate could be replaced with recycled coarse aggregate especially when pozzolanic material (VA) is to be added.

Effect of Replacement Ratio on Torsional Behaviour of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Beams

In the past two decade, researchers have studied the flexural, shear and bond behaviour of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) beams. This work intends to analyze the behaviour of RAC beams under pure torsion, despite the lack of information on its behaviour under pure torsion. The coarse recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) extracted from construction and demolition (C & D) waste was used to replace natural coarse aggregates (NCA) in 0 %, 50 %, and 100 % ratio. Their recycling could help preserve the environment and promote sustainability through solid waste management. Six beams, each of size 150 x 250 x 1800 mm were prepared and tested. To detects minor deformation and to achieve the same strength through the out-of-plane direction, 250 mm inbuilt cantilever projections were provided on opposite faces of the beams at a span of 1000 mm along the longitudinal axis. The ultimate torsional capacity of tested beams was lower by 7.41 %, 8.60 % and 13.58 % than ATENA-3D (FEM) for 0 %, 50 % and 100 % RCA. The change in the replacement ratio of aggregate has a low impact on the ultimate torque and angle of twist. Based on the experimental and analytical results, it was established that the torque resistance capacity of the RAC beam was reduced as the % of RCA increased. Similar crack patterns and failure behaviour were observed in RAC and NAC beams in both studies. Therefore, it is practically possible to apply RAC in structural applications under pure torsional loading.

Artificial Neural Networks, A Tool for Predicting Compressive strength of Recycled Aggregate Concrete

Now a days designing of mix proportions is more costly and time taking process. The final mix proportions are arrived from several trail mixes. Due to this there is a lot of wastage of material and also it requires at least 7 days to finalizing the mix proportions. Present study deals with the prediction of compressive strength of Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete (RCA) utilizing Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Finding the compressive strength using conventional methods involves usage of various mixes, materials, and most importantly time. Based on this problem, there is a need to develop a software based strength design rather than going for experimental based design. The compressive strength as modeled is a function of five inputs and one output variable. The input variables are Coarse Aggregate, Recycled Coarse Aggregate (RCA), Fine Aggregate, Cement, Water, and output variable is Compressive Strength. The required data is collected from the previous research works carried on Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete by several researchers from detailed literature review, about 60 mix proportions are selected and considered to predict the compressive strength of RCA by using VISUAL GENE DEVELOPER software. The selected values are trained, validated and predicted for analytical based mix proportions. To validate the predicted strength values, regression values are checked. The analytical predicted values are compared with the experimental values. From results it is concluded that the artificial neural network based results shown high prediction accuracy and the outcomes exhibited that the utilization of ANN in evaluating compressive strength of concrete is valuable in fostering the blend extents for various evaluations of cements.

The Impact of Fiber Reinforcement on Fresh and Physical Properties with Durability of Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete: A Review

The Impact of Fiber Reinforcement on Fresh and Physical Properties with Durability of Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete: A Review

Study on the properties variation of recycled concrete paving block containing multiple waste materials

Waste materials are widely used in concrete products, but the properties variation of concrete products containing multiple recycled materials have not been well studied. This research aims to thoroughly investigate the properties, including compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, water absorption, slip resistance and abrasion resistance of concrete paving blocks by replacing the natural aggregates with recycled concrete coarse aggregate (RCCA), crushed glass (CG), recycled concrete fine aggregate (RCFA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). Orthogonal experimental designs were adopted, and microstructure analyses were conducted to reveal the underlying mechanisms. Results demonstrate that RCCA significantly degraded the tensile splitting strength, water absorption, and abrasion resistance of the block containing multiple recycled materials, but CG hardly affected the tested properties. RCFA had an adverse effect on all five blocks’ properties and was proved to have a highly negative impact on blocks’ tensile splitting strength and water absorption. At an optimal replacement level, GGBS was able to improve the compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, and water absorption properties. Furthermore, not only the limit replacement levels of the waste materials in the particular block were investigated, but also two optimal replacement levels for the concrete blocks that contained multiple waste materials were tested and verified successfully: 1. 20 % for RCCA, 0 % for RCFA, and 30 % for GGBS; 2. 20 % for CG, 0 % for RCFA, and 30 % for GGBS. A series of index equations were first derived in this research, which can be used as effective methods to predict the properties of concrete blocks containing multiple waste materials in future studies.

Structural performance of recycled coarse aggregate concrete beams containing waste glass powder and waste aluminum fibers

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the flexural and shear performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams containing recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), waste aluminum fiber (WAF) and waste glass powder (WGP). Five concrete mixes contained different percentages of (0% and 100%) RCA, (0, 1%, 2%, and 3%) WAF with a fixed percentage of 20% of WGP as cement substitution were investigated. Ten RC beams (two beams for each) were tested, five beams were designed to fail in flexure and the last five beams were designed to fail in shear. Results showed that using a combination of RCA and WAF has an adverse influence on the slump of concrete mixes. The compressive strength decreased by full substitution of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) with RCA. Conversely, adding WAF resulted in an improvement in mechanical characteristics of recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RCAC) mixes. The results revealed that the full substitution of NCA with RCA results in an adverse impact on the capacity, toughness, initial stiffness and ductility of tested beams. The load carrying capacity of tested RCAC beams was increased with the addition of WAF. The optimum percentage of WAF that can be added to RCAC to give optimistic responses to the overall behavior of tested beams is 1%.

Study on the stress–strain full curve of recycled coarse aggregate concrete under uniaxial compression

The study of stress–strain full curves of recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RCAC) with different substitution rates at C25 and C35 strength grades is lacking, which is the basic theory for design and simulation. Therefore, this ignored problem was studied through experiment, theoretical analysis and simulation. Firstly, the load-deformation full curve, failure process and failure mode of 48 RCAC prismatic specimens were studied by uniaxial compression test. Secondly, the peak compressive stress, elastic modulus, peak compressive strain, and ultimate compressive strain of RCAC with different substitution rates under different strengths were analyzed, and the formula was proposed. Then, it was found that the slope of the descending section of the stress–strain curve fluctuated after the addition of recycled coarse aggregate, which is different from the monotonic increase rule found by other scholars. The constitutive equation of natural concrete was used for RCAC, and the parameters of the descending section for different substitution rates at C25 and C35 grades were obtained and verified. Subsequently, Software for Calculating RCAC Stress-Strain Curve was developed for the convenient application of the proposed constitutive equation. Finally, the tests were simulated by the concrete damage plastic (CDP) model, and the parametric study found that the expansion angle and mesh size had little effect on the results, but had a significant impact on the computational cost. The smaller the viscosity coefficient, the more accurate the calculation result and the longer the time-consuming. The conclusions are meaningful for the design and fine analysis of RCAC structure.