Study on Durability of Recycled Aggregate Concrete in High-Temperature and Complex Environments

Recycled aggregate concrete refers to a new type of concrete material made by processing waste concrete materials through grading,crushing,and cleaning,and then mixing them with cement,water,and other materials in a certain gradation or proportion.This type of concrete is highly suitable for modern construction waste disposal and reuse and has been widely used in various construction projects.It can also be used as an environmentally friendly permeable brick material to promote the development of modern green buildings.However,practical applications have found that compared to ordinary concrete,the durability of this type of concrete is more susceptible to high-temperature and complex environments.Based on this,this paper conducts theoretical research on its durability in high-temperature and complex environments,including the current research status,existing problems,and application prospects of recycled aggregate concrete’s durability in such environments.It is hoped that this analysis can provide some reference for studying the influence of high-temperature and complex environments on recycled aggregate concrete and its subsequent application strategies.

Compressive Strength, Pore Size Distribution and Chloride-ion Penetration of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Incorporating Class-F Fly Ash

The effects of fly ash on the compressive strength, pore size distribution and chloride-ion penetration of recycled aggregate concrete were investigated. Two series of concrete mb：tures were prepared. The concrete mixtures in series I had a water-to-binder ratio and a cement content of 0.55 and 410 kg/ m^3 , respectively. The concrete rnixtures in series II had a water-to-binder ratio and a cement content of 0.45 and 400 kg/ ml respectively. Recycled aggregate was ased as 20% , 50% , and 100% replacements of natural coarse aggregate in the concrete mixtures in both series. In cutdition, fly ash was used as 0% , 25% and 35% by weight replacements of cement. The results show that the compressive strengths of the concrete decreased as the recycled aggregate and the fly ash contents increased. The total porosity and average porosity diameter of the concrete increased us the recycled aggregate content increased. Furtherrruore , an increase in the recycled aggregate content decreased the resistance to chloride ion penetration. Nevertheless, the replacement of cement by 25% fly ush improved the resistance to chloride ion penetration and pore diameters and reduced the total porosity of the recycled aggregate concrete.

Freeze-thaw Durability of Recycled Aggregate Concrete:An Overview

The characteristics of surface appearances,mass loss,relative dynamic modulus of elasticity and strength loss of different recycled aggregate concretes(RAC) exposed to freeze-thaw cycles were analyzed.It was found that the freeze-thaw resistance of RAC could be determined by the recycled aggregate compositions and admixtures.Both the saturation degree and the air void structure were the key factors influencing the freeze-thaw damage on concrete.Some major proposed freeze-thaw deterioration mechanisms were utilized to interpret the freeze-thaw damage on recycled aggregate concrete.Meanwhile,some potential measures to enhance the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete were summarized and discussed.

Effect of flexural loading on degradation progress of recycled aggregate concrete subjected to sulfate attack and wetting-drying cycles

The degradation progress of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC) subjected to sulfate attack under wetting-drying cycles and flexural loading is studied. Three different stress ratios(0, 0.3 and 0.5) were applied in this test. The variations of relative dynamic elastic modulus Erd and water-soluble SO2-4 contents in RAC were used to evaluate degradation progress. The changes in mineral products and microstructures of interior concrete were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), the environmental scanning electron microscope(ESEM) and X-ray computed tomography(X-CT). The results indicate that flexural loading accelerates the degradation of RAC under sulfate attack and wetting-drying cycles by expediting the transmission of SO2-4 into interior concrete. Furthermore, the accelerated effect of flexural loading is more obvious with the increase of stress ratio, that is because higher stress ratios can accelerate the extension of microcracks and generate more channels for the transmission of SO2-4. Also, more expansive products(gypsum and ettringite) are generated by the reaction of Ca(OH)2 with SO2-4, which can further accelerate the degradation of RAC.

Improving performance of recycled aggregate concrete with superfine pozzolanic powders

Phosphorous slag （PHS）, ground granulated blast-furnace slag （GGBS） and fly ash （FA） were used as replacements of Portland cement to modify the microstruc^xe of recycled aggregate concrete （RAC）. A new manufacturing method named ＂W3T4＂ was proposed to improve the performances of interracial transition zone （ITZ） between recycled aggregate and mortar. The mechanical properties and the durability of RAC were tested, which show that this new manufacturing method improves the properties of RAC, and the GGBS with finest size makes a great contribution to the performance of RAC due to its better filling effect and much earlier pozzolanic reaction. Combined with GGBS, the effects of PHS on the retardation of setting time can be alleviated and the synergistic effect helps to make a more compact RAC. For the RAC with 25% of the recycled aggregate （RA） replacement and 10% PHS ＋ 10% GGBS additives, the compressive strength increases by 25.4%, but the permeability decreases by 64.3% with respect to the reference concrete made with nature aggregates. The micro-mechanisms of these improvements were investigated by the scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The SEM images show that the new manufacturing method, adding superfine pozzolanic powders and super-plasticizer benefits, makes a much denser ITZ in RAC.

Bond Behavior between BFRP Bars and Hybrid Fiber Recycled Aggregate Concrete after High Temperature

The aim of this study is to improve the bond performance of basalt fiber reinforced polymer(BFRP)bars and recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)after being exposed to high temperatures.The bond behavior(failure modes,bond strength,bond stress-slip curves)between BFRP bars and hybrid fiber recycled aggregate concrete(HFRAC)after being exposed to temperatures ranging from 20℃up to 500℃was studied by using pull-out tests.The effect of high temperatures on mechanical properties of concrete(compressive strength,splitting tensile strength)and tensile strength of BFRP bars was also investigated.The bond strength decreased as the temperature increased and the drop of bond strength between RAC and BFRP bar was larger than that between HFRAC and BFRP bar.As the temperature rises,the key factor affecting the bond strength was gradually transformed from concrete strength to BFRP bar strength.The relationship between bond stress and slip in the dimensionless bond stress-slip ascending section was established,which was in good agreement with the experimental results.

The Complete Stress-strain Curve of Recycled Aggregate Concrete under Uniaxial Compression Loading

The mechanical performance of recycled aggregate concrete （RAC） is investigated. An experiment on the complete stress-strain curve under uniaxial compression loading of RAC is carried out. The experimental results indicate that the peak stress, peak strain, secant modulus of the peak point and original point increase with the strength grade of RAC enhanced. On the contrary, the residual stress of RAC decreases with the strength grade enhancing, and the failure of RAC is often broken at the interface between the recycled aggregate and the mortar matrix. Finally, the constitutive model of stress-strain model of RAC has been constituted, and the results from the constitutive model of stress-strain meet the experiment results very well.

Study of the seismic response of a recycled aggregate concrete frame structure

Based on six-degree-of-freedom three-dimensional shaking table tests, the seismic response of a recycled aggregate concrete （RAC） frame was obtained. The analysis results indicate that the maximum story shear force and overturning moment reduce proportionally along the height of the model under the same earthquake wave. The story shear force, base shear coefficient and overturning moment of the structure increase progressively as the acceleration amplitude increases. The base shear coefficient is primarily controlled by the peak ground acceleration （PGA）. The relationships between the PGA and the shear coefficient as well as between the PGA and the dynamic amplification factor are obtained by mathematical fitting. The dynamic amplification factor decreases rapidly at the elastic-plastic stage, but decreases slowly with the development of the elastic-plasticity stage. The results show that the RAC frame structure has reasonable deformability when compared with natural aggregate concrete frame structures. The maximum inter-story drift ratios of the RAC frame model under frequent and rare intensity 8 test phases are 1/266 and 1/29, respectively, which are larger than the allowable value of 1/500 and 1/50 according to Chinese seismic design requirements. Nevertheless, the RAC frame structure does not collapse under base excitations with PGAs from 0.066 g up to 1.170 g.

Mechanical Properties and ITZ Microstructure of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Using Carbonated Recycled Coarse Aggregate

The effect of carbonation treatment and mixing method on the mechanical properties and interfacial transition zone（ITZ） properties of recycled aggregate concrete（RAC） was investigated. Properties of recycled concrete aggregate（RCA） were tested firstly. Then, five types of concretes were made and slump of fresh concrete was measured immediately after mixing. Compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of hardened concrete were measured at 28 d. Meanwhile, the microstructure of RAC was analyzed by backscattered electron（BSE） image. It was found that the water absorption ratio of carbonated recycled concrete aggregate（CRCA） was much lower when compared to the untreated RCA. Comparatively, the apparent density of CRCA was not significantly modified. The concrete strength results indicate that the mix CRAC-2 prepared with CRCA by adopting two-stage mixing approach shows the highest compressive strength value compared to the other mixes. The microstructural analysis demonstrate that the mix CRAC-2 has a much denser old ITZ than the untreated RAC because of the chemical reaction between CO2 and the hydration products of RCA. This study confirms that the ITZ microstructure of RAC can be efficiently modified by carbonation treatment of RCA and encourages broadening the application of construction and demolition wastes.

Compressive Performance of Fiber Reinforced Recycled Aggregate Concrete by Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer-Polyvinyl Chloride Composite Jackets

The development of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)provides a new approach to limiting the waste of natural resources.In the present study,the mechanical properties and deformability of RACs were improved by adding basalt fibers(BFs)and using external restraints,such as a fiber-reinforced polymer(FRP)jacket or a PVC pipe.Samples were tested under axial compression.The results showed that RAC(50%replacement of aggregate)containing 0.2%BFs had the best mechanical properties.Using either BFs or PVC reinforcement had a slight effect on the loadbearing capacity and mode of failure.With different levels of BFs,the compressive strengths of the specimens reinforced with 1-layer and 3-layer basalt fiber reinforced polymer(BFRP)increased by 6.7%–10.5%and 16.5%–23.7%,respectively,and the ultimate strains increased by 48.5%–80.7%and 97.1%–141.1%,respectively.The peak stress of the 3-layer BFRP-PVC increased by 42.2%,and the ultimate strain improved by 131.3%,relative to the control.This reinforcement combined the high tensile strength of BFRP,which improved the post-peak behavior,and PVC,which enhanced the structural durability.In addition,to investigate the influence of the various constraints on compressive behavior,the stress-strain response was analyzed.Based on the analysis of experimental results,a peak stress-strain model and an amended ultimate stress-strain model were proposed.The models were verified as well;the result showed that the predictions from calculations are generally consistent with the experimental data(error within 10%).The results of this study provide a theoretical basis and reference for future applications of fiber-reinforced recycled concrete.

Experimental Study on the Axial Compression Behavior of Short Columns of Steel-Fiber-Reinforced Recycled Aggregate Concrete

In order to study the axial compression performances of short columns made of recycled aggregate concrete,four samples were designed with different recycled aggregate replacement rates and carbon fibre reinforced plastics(CFRP)sheets.Then,monotonic loading was implemented to assess the variation trends of their axial compression properties.The ABAQUS finite element software was also used to determined the compression performances.Good agreement between experimental and numerical results has been found for the different parameters being considered.As shown by the results,recycled coarse aggregates result in improved ductility and better deformation performance of the specimens.The failure of specimens caused by pre damage can be compensated by using CFRP sheets,by which both the resistance to deformation and the axial carrying capacity of columns can be increased.

Effect of High Temperature Curing on the Frost Resistance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete and the Physical Properties of Second-Generation Recycled Coarse Aggregate under Freeze-Thaw Cycles

With the emphasis on environmental issues,the recycling of waste concrete,even recycled concrete,has become a hot spot in the field of architecture.But the repeated recycling of waste concrete used in harsh environments is still a complex problem.This paper discusses the durability and recyclability of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)as a prefabricated material in the harsh environment,the effect of high-temperature curing(60℃,80℃,and 100℃)on the frost resistance of RAC and physical properties of the second generation recycled coarse aggregate(RCA_(2))of RAC after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were studied.The frost resistance of RAC was characterized by compressive strength,relative dynamic elastic modulus,and mass loss.As the physical properties of RCA_(2),the apparent density,water absorption,and crushing value were measured.And the SEM images of RAC after 300 freeze-thaw cycles were shown.The results indicated that the frost resistance of RAC cured at 80℃ for 7 days was comparable to that cured in the standard condition(cured for 28 days at 20℃±2℃ and 95%humidity),and the RAC cured at 100℃ was slightly worse.However,the frost resistance of RAC cured at 60℃ deteriorated seriously.The RAC cured at 80℃ for 7 days is the best.Whether after the freeze-thaw cycle or not,the RCA that curd at 60℃,80℃,and 100℃ for 7 days can also meet the requirements of Grade III RCA and be used as the aggregate of non-bearing part of prefabricated concrete components.RCA_(2) which is cured at 80℃ for 7 days had the best physical properties.

Physical Model of Drying Shrinkage of Recycled Aggregate Concrete

We prepared concretes（RC0, RC30, and RC100） with three different mixes. The poresize distribution parameters of RAC were examined by high-precision mercury intrusion method（MIM） and nuclear magnetic resonance（NMR） imaging. A capillary-bundle physical model with random-distribution pores（improved model, IM） was established according to the parameters, and dry-shrinkage strain values were calculated and verified. Results show that in all pore types, capillary pores, and gel pores have the greatest impacts on concrete shrinkage, especially for pores 2.5-50 and 50-100 nm in size. The median radii are 34.2, 31, and 34 nm for RC0, RC30, and RC100, respectively. Moreover, the internal micropore size distribution of RC0 differs from that of RC30 and RC100, and the pore descriptions of MIM and NMR are consistent both in theory and in practice. Compared with the traditional capillary-bundle model, the calculated results of IM have higher accuracy as demonstrated by experimental verifi cation.

Experimental Behavior of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Filled Steel Tubular Columns

During the modernization or rehabilitation activity,the demolished structural waste causes large soil pollution and unavailability of natural aggregate is the big concern for the construction industry.Therefore,this manuscript deals with the Composite Steel Circular Column(CSCC)with Recycled Aggregate concrete(RAC)as infill is partly used,with the replacement of 25%and 50%in M30 grade of Concrete.And internal reinforcement steel is fully replaced by rolled steel tubes(circular and square)with varied thickness,ISA-unequal angle.Around 14 specimens are cast and examined under axial load for analysis of the deflection characteristics,the load-bearing capacity along with its buckling behavior.The experimental values are estimated through LVDT(linear variable differential transducer)at 3-phase.The curve of load-deflection is drawn with the load pattern.From the date interpretation,it is found column made of 50%-RAC has more than 25%-RAC.

Experimental Investigation on Compressive Properties of Fiber Recycled Aggregate Concrete

This paper presents an experimental study to explore the compressive properties of fiber recycled aggregate concrete.A total of 75 specimens with the replacement rate of recycled coarse aggregate and fiber type were conducted under a uniaxial compressive test.The failure modes,stress-strain whole curves,peak stress,peak strain,and energy dissipation capacity were systematically observed and revealed.Test results indicate that steel fiber has the best modification effect on energy dissipation capacity and the toughness index of recycled concrete,corresponding to the enhancement of 81.75% and 22.90% on average.The addition of polyvinyl alcohol fiber can effectively improve the compressive strength and energy dissipation capacity of recycled aggregate concrete by 28.49% and 29.43% on average,respectively.The compressive strength and energy dissipation capacity of recycled aggregate concrete is increased by an average of 16.5% and 24.4% by incorporating carbon fiber.The energy dissipation capacity of recycled aggregate concrete is increased by an average of 13.5% with the incorporation of polypropylene fiber.However,the addition of carbon fiber results in a slight reduction of toughness by 16.97%,and the effect of polyvinyl alcohol fiber on the energy dissipation capacity is limited.Besides,with the increase in replacement rate,the compressive strength and the energy dissipation capacity of recycled coarse aggregate concrete with fiber decreased,and toughness first decreased and then increased.Finally,based on the analysis of test data,a segment-based stress-strain model of fiber recycled aggregate concrete was proposed,which shows good agreement with the test results.

Performance Degradation of the Repeated Recycled Aggregate Concrete with 70% Replacement of Three-generation Recycled Coarse Aggregate

The feasibility of using different generations recycled coarse aggregate（RCA） on structural concrete was fully evaluated by studying the performance of the recycled coarse aggregates and their corresponding concretes, the different generations of RCA were recycled by following the repeated mode of ‘concrete-waste concrete-coarse aggregate-concrete＇. Moreover, the focus was on ‘three generations＇ of repeated RCAs, the RCA was produced by crushing and regenerating the artificial accelerated degraded concrete, the process was designed to follow the nature degradation of the concrete with a coupling action of accelerated carbonation and bending load. The properties of x-generation（x=1, 2 or 3） of repeated RCA were systematically investigated and the compressive and splitting tensile strengths of relating structural concretes（with 70% replacement of x-generation of RCA） were studied accordingly. The results show a competent compressive and splitting tensile strength of 30 MPa at 28 th day of structural concretes with all generations of repeated RAC. And the gradual degraded performance of the repeated RCAs was observed with an increased numbers of repetition（1〉2〉3 generations）, the overall performances of all repeated RCAs fulfill the Class Ⅲ according to Chinese Standards GB25177-2010. Our gained insight demonstrates a feasibility of using at least 3 generations of repeated RCA for the production of normal structural concrete.

Effect of Modification Treatment on Chloride Ions Permeability and Microstructure of Recycled Brick-mixed Aggregate Concrete

The modification methods of pozzolan slurry combined with sodium silicate and silicon-based additive were respectively adopted to treat recycled coarse brick-mixed aggregate(RCBA)in this study.The compressive strength and chloride permeability resistance of recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)before and after modification treatment were tested,and the microstructure of RAC was analyzed by mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The results show that the physical properties of RCBA strengthened by modification treatment are improved,and the compressive strength and chloride permeability resistance of treated RAC are also significantly improved.The modification treatment optimizes the pore size distribution of RAC,which increases the number of gel pores and transition pores,and decreases the number of capillary pores and macro pores.The surface fractal dimension shows a significant correlation with chloride diffusion coefficient,indicating that the variation of chloride permeability of treated RAC is consistent with the microstructure evolution.

A comprehensive comparison of different regression techniques and nature-inspired optimization algorithms to predict carbonation depth of recycled aggregate concrete

The utilization of recycled aggregates(RA)for concrete production has the potential to offer substantial environmental and economic advantages.However,RA concrete is plagued with considerable durability concerns,particularly carbonation.To advance the application of RA concrete,the establishment of a reliable model for predicting the carbonation is needed.On the one hand,concrete carbonation is a long and slow process and thus consumes a lot of time and energy to monitor.On the other hand,carbonation is influenced by many factors and is hard to predict.Regarding this,this paper proposes the use of machine learning techniques to establish accurate prediction models for the carbonation depth(CD)of RA concrete.Three types of regression techniques and meta-heuristic algorithms were employed to provide more alternative predictive tools.It was found that the best prediction performance was obtained from extreme gradient boosting-multi-universe optimizer(XGB-MVO)with R^(2) value of 0.9949 and 0.9398 for training and testing sets,respectively.XGB-MVO was used for evaluating physical laws of carbonation and it was found that the developed XGB-MVO model could provide reasonable predictions when new data were investigated.It also showed better generalization capabilities when compared with different models in the literature.Overall,this paper emphasizes the need for sustainable solutions in the construction industry to reduce its environmental impact and contribute to sustainable and low-carbon economies.

Effect of Aggregate Gradation on the Properties of 3D Printed Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete

A simplex centroid design method was employed to design the gradation of recycled coarse aggregate.The bulk density was measured while the specific surface area and average excess paste thickness were calculated with different gradations.The fluidity,dynamic yield stress,static yield stress,printed width,printed inclination,compressive strength and ultrasonic wave velocity of 3D printed recycled aggregate concrete(3DPRAC)were further studied.The experimental results demonstrate that,with the increase of small-sized aggregate(4.75-7 mm)content,the bulk density initially increases and then decreases,and the specific surface area gradually increases.The average excess paste thickness fluctuates with both bulk density and specific surface area.The workability of 3DPRAC is closely related to the average excess paste thickness.With an increase in average paste thickness,there is a gradual decrease in dynamic yield stress,static yield stress and printed inclination,accompanied by an increase in fluidity and printed width.The mechanical performance of 3DPRAC closely correlates with the bulk density.With an increase in the bulk density,there is an increase in the ultrasonic wave velocity,accompanied by a slight increase in the compressive strength and a significant decrease in the anisotropic coefficient.Furthermore,an index for buildability failure of 3DPRAC based on the average excess paste thickness is proposed.

Three-Dimensional Multi-Phase Microscopic Simulation of Service Life of Recycled Large Aggregate Self-Compacting Concrete

Recycled large aggregate self-compacting concrete (RLA-SCC) within multiple weak areas. These weak areas have poor resistance to chloride ion erosion, which affects the service life of RLA-SCC in the marine environment. A three-dimensional multi-phase mesoscopic numerical model of RLA-SCC was established to simulate the chloride ions transportation in concrete. Experiments of RLA-SCC immersing in chloride solution were carried out to verify the simulation results. The effects of recycled large aggregate (RLA) content and RLA particle size on the service life of concrete were explored. The results indicate that the mesoscopic numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. At the same depth, the closer to the surface of the RLA, the greater the chloride ion concentration. The service life of RLA-SCC in marine environment decreases with the increase of RLA content. Compared with the service life of 20% content, the service life of 25% and 30% content decreased by 20% and 42% respectively. Increasing the particle size of RLA can effectively improve the service life of RLA-SCC in chloride environment. Compared with the service life of 50 mm particle size, the service life of 70 mm and 90 mm increased by 61% and 163%, respectively. .