Compressive Performance of Normal Strength Concrete with Varying Percentages of Recycled Portland Cement Concrete Pavement as Coarse Aggregate

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the compressive performance of normal strength (20 N/mm2 to 40 N/mm2) concrete with varying percentages (0%, 25%, 50%, 75 %, and 100%) of recycled Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) as coarse aggregates. Due to a lack of understanding and researches, it is not widely utilized in infrastructure construction, but it is used in the construction of highways and embankments. The effects of varying percentage of RCA on the compressive strength (CS), physical characteristics, and durability of such concretes have been established. The results revealed that up to 100% RCA had no effect on the concrete’s compressive performance. There is an evident rise in CS as the RCA replacement percentage increases up to 75%, then a gradual drop as the RCA replacement percentage increases further. Despite this, all of the concretes containing RCA outperformed the CS of non-RCA concrete, wherein the 75% RCA replacement percentage yields the highest compressive strength with 27.11 MPa that is 28% higher than the CS of non -RCA concrete. The study confirms that normal-strength RCA concrete will have the same engineering performance in terms of compressive strength similar with concrete prepared with natural aggregates and is promising for maximizing knowledge and advancing sustainable construction in the country. With continuous construction, and rehabilitation projects, there will be more prospects for the use of RCA.