THE INFLUENCE OF RECYCLED AGGREGATE CONTENT AND SILICA FUME ADDITION ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF RECYCLED AGGREGATE CONCRETE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36773/1818-1112-2025-138-3-9-14Keywords:
concrete, recycled aggregate, silica fume, mechanical propertiesAbstract
The use of waste from concrete and reinforced concrete structures is one of the current areas of development in the construction industry in the Republic of Belarus and abroad. Despite the active growth of this field, there is insufficient research devoted to the comprehensive study of concretes using recycled aggregates, especially with the introduction of various types of pozzolanic additives. A comprehensive study was conducted on concrete using recycled aggregate, aimed at examining effects of various levels of recycled aggregate in the concrete at 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 % of the total aggregate mass, with the addition of fly ash, on compressive strength, tensile strength, and the adhesion between the reinforcement and the concrete. Experimental results indicate that as the content of recycled aggregate increases, the mechanical properties of the concrete tend to decline. This is primarily due to the inherent lower strength of the recycled aggregate and the presence of two transitional zones in the concrete with recycled aggregate (in the cement paste and the recycled aggregate). However, the addition of fly ash can improve this issue: the pozzolanic reaction of SiO₂ with portlandite Ca(OH)₂ leads to the filling of pores in the transitional zones with reaction products and the solidification of their structure. This contributes to the elimination of the distinct phase boundary and, consequently, to the merging of the transition zone of the cement paste with the transition zone of the recycled aggregate, significantly enhancing its adhesion to the cement paste. The research results confirm that concrete made with recycled aggregate exhibits improved mechanical properties compared to control mixes without fly ash.
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