Effect of nanocomposite slurry on strength development of fully recycled aggregate concrete

Abstract

Recycled concrete has been widely used in construction because of the gradual shortage of natural aggregate resources and the large amount of construction waste. In this study, concrete with 100% recycled aggregate was prepared, and its properties, microtopography, and potential enhancement method were investigated. The results indicated that the mechanical properties of the fully recycled aggregate concrete (FRC) were significantly inferior to the natural aggregate concrete. The compressive strength of the FRC with a water-cement ratio of 0.6 was noticeably improved by spraying a nanocomposite slurry on recycled aggregate, whereas this had little influence when the water-cement ratio was 0.3. The compressive strength of the FRC with a water-cement ratio of 0.3 could be improved by mixing with strengthening materials. The best improvement in the compressive strength of the concrete was observed at 28 days because a membrane covered the surface of the aggregate, creating a bond between the aggregate and cement, filling the pores between them, and compacting the concrete. This paper reports a prospective method for improving the properties of FRC, which will promote the application of recycled aggregate in industry.