Durability of untreated fine recycled aggregate concrete: a literature review

Abstract

Unlike natural aggregate particles, recycled concrete aggregates contain hardened cement paste phases and multiple interfacial transition zones. These differences in properties may be linked to a decrease in durability performance in recycled aggregate concrete. This paper presents a review of the literature published on the durability performance of concrete produced using untreated fine recycled concrete aggregate (fRCA). From the available literature, the durability performance of concrete made using fRCA is strongly linked to the w/b used and the porosity of the resulting concrete matrix. Water absorption, gas permeability, and chloride penetration were found to increase with fRCA replacement. A possible maximum replacement level of 30% was observed in this regard. Carbonation resistance was found to increase with fRCA replacement due to the presence of calcium hydroxide in fRCA samples.