Experimental and numerical investigation of the properties of concrete with ceramic tile waste and stone dust as substitutes for natural aggregates

Rapid urbanization and infrastructure development around the world have led to the overexploitation of natural aggregates and increased industrial waste disposal, posing significant environmental challenges. Utilizing daily-generated, non-recyclable waste materials in concrete production can address these issues while promoting sustainability. Therefore, this paper focuses on adapting ceramic tile waste and stone dust in concrete as partial replacements for natural aggregates, since they are both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. In this study, coarse aggregate was replaced with ceramic tile aggregate at 10%, 20%, and 30% levels, while fine aggregate was substituted with stone dust at 30%, 40%, and 50% levels. The mechanical properties of concrete at 28 days, such as compressive strength, split tensile strength, and bond strength, were experimentally investigated for all mixes. Afterward, finite element models were developed using ABAQUS, and comparisons were made between experimental and numerical results. The test results indicated that replacing aggregates with tile waste and stone dust increased the overall strength of the concrete compared to conventional concrete, with the maximum compressive, tensile, and bond strengths achieved in the 30% ceramic tile aggregate and 30% stone dust mix. The numerical results showed that the proposed finite element models in this study agreed well with the experimental results.