Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete Prepared with Coarse Recycled Concrete Aggregates and Different Water:Cement Ratios

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) used to manufacture self-compacting concrete with recycled aggregates (SCRC) by evaluating the characteristics of this concrete, particularly its self-compactibility. Another aim is to determine the simple compressive strength at 28 days and the durability (water penetration and carbonation). The concrete was prepared with different RCA percentages (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%) and water:cement (w/c) ratios of 0.45, 0.50, and 0.55. A constant percentage of superplasticizer was added, and two saturation methods were analyzed with a w/c = 0.45 ratio, one before and one during mixing. The results indicate that using up to 20% RCA has little influence on the characteristics of the SCRC, meaning that SCRC can be prepared with up to 40% substitutes, depending on the water:cement ratio.