Performance assessment and cost effectiveness in replacement of aggregates with construction and demolition waste in concrete

Abstract

The demand for Fine Aggregate and Coarse Aggregate is huge owing to infrastructure developments and also a scarcity of natural resources. On the other spectrum, the quantum of a huge quantity of Construction & Demolition Waste (C & D Waste) generated is increasing every year. Disposing of this C & D waste is a posing a very serious problem as it requires a large amount of space, it affects groundwater and also it is not cost effective in case of dumping (Land Filling). So recycling of such waste by means of Segregation Process and utilizing those materials as Recycled Aggregate (RA) for construction projects is a sustainable alternative that helps in the reduction of overutilization of natural resources. This paper is an experimental investigation by means of Compaction Factor, Compressive Strength, Water Absorption and Workability of Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC) and also analyzing the cost to evaluate the effect of replacement of Fine Aggregate and Coarse Aggregate by C & D Waste. The research has been conducted for M25 mix. The optimum mix 20% of Recycled Fine Aggregate (RFA) and 30% of Recycled Coarse Aggregate (RCA) was chosen as the optimum mix among the 4 different mixes depending on its promising results. As a result of cost analysis, the optimum mix is cost-effective when compared with Natural Aggregate Concrete (NAC).