Successively Recycled Concretes: Mechanical and Durable Performance

Abstract

As recycled concrete reaches the end of its service life, a new generation of coarse recycled aggregate (CRA) is created. Although the variables influencing the physical properties of CRA are well understood, the performance of multi-recycled coarse aggregate (MRCA) remains insufficiently explored, being essential to study how the modified properties could affect the performance of recycled concrete. This research involved five recycling cycles to evaluate the properties of MRCA and its impact on the mechanical and durability performance of concrete made with 75% MRCA. The f indings indicate that water absorption, porosity, and abrasion of MRCA increase with each recycling cycle. Although the mechanical behavior of the concretes appears to be unaffected by the number of recycling cycles, the elastic modulus is negatively impacted when MRCA is used. Furthermore, while some permeability properties are significantly influenced by each recycling cycle, both water penetration depth and resistance to sulfate attack remain largely unchanged.