A Few Mechanical and Flexural Properties of Brick, Recycled and Natural Aggregate Concrete

Abstract

The need for finding sustainable alternative sources of coarse aggregates as an ingredient for concrete has been increasing globally. Recycled and brick aggregates are two viable options in this regard. Many properties of recycled and brick aggregate concrete remain to be investigated to predict their behaviour accurately and to set proper code guidelines. In this study, a few properties of recycled and brick aggregate concrete and their behaviour in flexural members have been investigated. In particular, the stress–strain relationship, modulus of elasticity and splitting tensile strength of concrete made of brick, recycled and natural aggregate have been analysed. Using these properties, some of the flexural properties of reinforced concrete members made with these three types of aggregates have been determined and compared. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, a comparative analysis of these properties of brick, recycled and natural aggregate concrete has been conducted in this study. Results from the study show that while the code equations for predicting some of the important mechanical properties of concrete are suitable for natural aggregate concrete, they are not appropriate for recycled or brick aggregate concrete. The moment–curvature response and deflection properties in flexural members made of recycled and brick aggregate concrete are affected by the difference in the properties of the aggregate. Finally, it is suggested that the utilization of recycled and brick aggregate in concrete is likely a feasible option without any significant degradation in the mechanical and flexural properties of the structural members.