Durability assessment of concrete containing recycled coarse refractory brick aggregate

Recycled aggregate in concrete production is used for the preservation of natural aggregate and consistently exploited to support infrastructure development. Refractory brick waste generated from dismantling furnace wall structures presents a potential alternative to natural coarse aggregate in concrete production. However, the use of refractory brick coarse aggregate (RBCA) in concrete may lead to durability issues due to its porous nature. This experimental research was carried out to assess durability performance of concrete containing RBCA. For this purpose, eight concrete mixtures were produced, which contained 0%, 15%, 30%, and 50% of RBCA as natural coarse aggregate (NCA) replacement by volume with two water–cement ratios (w/c) of 0.49 and 0.52. This research evaluated and compared compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, porosity, water absorption rate/sorptivity, and chloride penetration depth of RBCA concrete with those of NCA concrete. Although replacing NCA with RBCA adversely affected the concrete performance, employing a low w/c ratio of 0.49 alongside 15% RBCA yields in negligible reduction in compressive strength and durability toward NCA concrete. The result showed that the incorporation of 15% RBCA as coarse aggregate in the production of sustainable and durable concrete holds promise for the future.