Effect of Recycled Aggregate in Concrete on Column Resistance

Abstract:

The utilisation of concrete has significant environmental repercussions, including CO2 emissions (notably from cement production), the exhaustion of natural resources due to aggregate extraction, and the disposal of debris in landfills. In concrete production, recycled aggregate has a minimal direct effect on greenhouse gas emissions, as the predominant source of emissions is cement production. Its contribution is in diminishing the extraction of raw materials required for concrete production, hence decreasing waste and safeguarding natural resources. This paper examines the resistance of small columns constructed from concrete with recycled material. The essay outlines the results of experimental assessments of eccentrically loaded columns. The modulus of elasticity of concrete, including recycled aggregate, particularly when incorporating masonry and mixed material, markedly diminishes in comparison to concrete composed of natural aggregate or recycled concrete aggregate. Currently, recycled masonry or mixed aggregate is predominantly used in embankments, sub-base layers of roadways, and non-load-bearing structural components. To present, experiments have predominantly concentrated on its application in concrete components exposed to bending and shear forces. The utilisation of recycled masonry aggregate may have substantial applications in large piers, where the impact of a reduced modulus of elasticity would be minimal due to the primarily compressive load. In the experiment, following the normalisation of strengths, the samples exhibited comparable resistance; the sample with a 50% proportion of RA demonstrated nearly identical resistance to the reference column (0% RA proportion). The sample with a complete 100% share of RA exhibited a 6.57% increase in normalised resistance relative to the reference column.

• Periodical: Advances in Science and Technology (Volume 176)
• Pages: 125-132
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-wg6RDD
• Online since: May 2026
• Authors: Martin Bobek, Robert Sonnenschein*
• Keywords: Column Resistance, Compression Members, Recycled Aggregate

References

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