Volume : 2, Issue : 1, January - 2013

Performance of Concrete with Recycled Coarse Aggregate

Chetna M Vyas, Darshana R Bhatt

Abstract :

Initially for a long period concrete was considered as a durable material which requires a little or no maintenance and it was true except a test subjected to very hostile or aggressive environments. Concrete is the premier construction material across the world. It is most widely used in all types of civil engineering infrastructure and environment protection, local/domestic developments. Concrete is a manufactured product, consisting of cement, aggregates and water. Among these, aggregates, i.e. sand, crushed stone or gravel form the major part. Now a day’s the use of aggregates from natural resources has been questioned at an international level. This is mainly because of the greater awareness of environmental protection. A large proportion of potentially useful material i.e. recycled coarse aggregate disposed of as landfill. The results of this experimental programme aimed at examining the performance of cement concrete produced with natural and recycled coarse aggregates. The effects of up to 100% recycled coarse aggregate concrete on a range of durability properties have been established and assessed its suitability for use in a series of various applications. The environmental and economic implications of this are no longer considered sustainable and, as a result, the construction industry is experiencing more pressure than ever before to overcome this practice.