Performance Enhancement of Recycled Aggregate Concrete – An Experimental Study
Extensive studies have been performed on the mechanical and durability properties of the concrete prepared with recycled coarse aggregates (RCA), however, only modest consideration has been given to the studies on the behaviour of RAC prepared by alternative mixing approach techniques. This study presents the mechanical properties of the recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) with different percentages of RCA prepared by normal mixing approach (NMA), two-stage mixing approach (TSMA) and sand enveloped mixing approach (SEMA) techniques. The manufactured concrete mixtures were tested for compression, tension, flexure and elastic modulus at 7, 28 and 90 days. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of the RAC (with 100% of RCA) prepared through TSMA and SEMA were improved by 9.36 and 12.14% at 28 days. Perhaps, prolonged curing to TSMA and SEMA mixtures improved the mechanical properties of the RAC that is nearly equal to normal aggregate concrete (NAC) prepared by NMA.