Properties of Low Strength Concrete made with Recycled Concrete Aggregate and Fly Ash

Abstract

Conventional concrete aggregate consists of sand and various sizes of stones. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in substituting conventional aggregates with recycled materials. The present investigation has been carried out to study the effect of fly ash on the mechanical properties of low strength concrete of mix 1:6:12 (by weight) made with recycled concrete aggregates as coarse aggregate and fly ash as partial replacement for fine aggregate. Static and dynamic tests were carried out to study the compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, abrasion resistance and flexural fatigue behaviour of the concrete mix. The results obtained from this test program show that the low strength concrete consisting primarily of recycled concrete aggregate and upto 50% replacement of fine aggregate with fly ash has the mechanical properties comparable to conventional concrete. Use of these aggregates in low strength concrete production will not only replace the conventional aggregates but also reduce the cost of construction and make the environment pollution free.

Journal of Civil Engineering Research and Practice Vol. 2(2) 2005: 13-23