Influence of Recycled High-Performance Aggregate on Deformation and Load-Carrying Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Beams

The use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) in high performance concrete (HPC) was analyzed. The paper presents the experimental studies of model reinforced concrete beams with a rectangular section using high-performance recycled aggregates. Two variable contents of recycled aggregate concrete were used in this study: 50% and 100%. The experimental analyses conducted as immediate studies concerned the following issues: short time loads-deflection, load-carrying capacity of beams, deformation of concrete, cracks, and long-term loads-deflection. The comparative analysis involves the behavior of beams made of high performance concrete-high strength concrete (HPC-HSC) recycled aggregates with model control elements made of regular concrete based on natural aggregates. The deflection values for the recycled aggregate beams were 20% higher than in the case of the control beams made of HPC-HSC exclusively. Replacement of aggregate with recycled concrete aggregate resulted in a large decrease in the value of these two parameters, i.e., compression strength by about 42% and modulus of elasticity by about 33%.