Uniaxial Compressive Stress–Strain Relation of Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete with Different Carbonation Depths

HIGHLIGHTS: Uniaxial compressive stress–strain curves of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) with different carbonation depth were investigated. The effect of carbonation depth on peak stress, strain, elastic modulus, and the relative toughness of RAC was studied. Stress–strain models of recycled aggregate concrete with different carbonation depths were established. ABSTRACT: The stress–strain relation of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) after carbonation is very important to the assessment of the durability of RAC. The objective of this study is to investigate the uniaxial compressive stress–strain curves of RAC after carbonation. In this study, the specimens were prepared with 70-mm diameter and 140-mm height cylinders, and the carbonation of the specimens was accelerated after curing 28 days. Then a uniaxial compressive loading test on the specimens was performed by using a mechanical testing machine. The results show that the peak stress ([Formula: see text]) and elastic modulus ([Formula: see text]) of all specimens increase with the increase of carbonation depth. The ratio of ultimate strain to peak strain ([Formula: see text]) and relative toughness of the specimens decrease with the increase of carbonation depth. Furthermore, carbonation has a stronger effect on natural coarse aggregate concrete (NAC) than the 50% replacement rate of RAC with similar compressive strength. Stress–strain models of recycled aggregate concrete with different carbonation depths were established according to experimental results.