Experimental Investigation to Study the Structural Viability of Recycled Aggregates Found in India

Industrialization and urbanization are indicators of economic growth because they lead to large investments in the construction sector. The main constituent in the construction sector is concrete. And, the most significant component of concrete is aggregate. The rapid consumption of aggregates in the construction sector will soon lead to its depletion. One way of preserving the existing reserve of natural aggregates is to use recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). Although India is one of the major consumers of natural aggregates (NA) and producers of construction and demolition waste (CDW), there is a lack of use of RAC from such waste. The main reasons for this lack of use are, (i) the lack of awareness of recycled aggregate and, (ii) the availability of standard procedures for application of recycled aggregate (RA) similar to NA. The present study is a small step towards that effort. In the present study, the structural behavior of concrete made with the optimum dosage of RA is investigated to see the performance of structural elements in simulated loading conditions. Further, the authors did not directly choose the optimum replacement level of RA from the existing studies because they believe that experimental results will vary depending on various factors such as geography, type of mortar adhered on the surface of RA, concrete curing and production methods, etc. From one of their earlier studies, for the RA obtained from the same source as the present study, the authors found that the optimum dosage of RA in RAC is 50%. If RA can replace NA by up to 50%, this will not only help to reduce and reuse CDW considerably but also will lower the construction cost. For developing countries like India, waste disposal is not the only issue that needs to be addressed but also preserving the existing reserve of natural resources and cost reduction plays a dominant role in the selection of materials. According to the findings, RAC is less ductile and weaker than NA concrete. As a result, RA should be utilized in conjunction with NA rather than alone. Further, RA structures should be adequately reinforced and used in less-loaded areas.