Construction and demolition waste aggregates: Analysis of the physical and mechanical properties of mortars

Abstract

Civil construction is responsible for the excessive consumption of natural resources and the generation of the largest share of solid urban waste. In this context, recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW) is presented as an alternative to minimize the impacts generated by construction. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of recycled CDW aggregates on the behavior of Portland cement mortars with three distinct mixtures. In addition to the reference mixtures, mortars with three different substitution levels of the natural aggregate for recycled aggregate, which were submitted to physical and mechanical tests in the Laboratory of Structures and Materials (LABEST) - COPPE/UFRJ. The results showed that for some substitution levels there was no loss on the properties of the mortars. Therefore, their performance is a function of the mixture adopted and the substitution content of the natural aggregate for the recycled.