RESEARCH PROPORSAL

ON THE

EFFECT OF RECYCLED AGGREGATE ON THE PERFORMANCE AND

DURABILITY OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES

CARRIED OUT

BY

ABUBAKAR ABDULLAHI
MATRIC NUMBER: HCV/23/0234

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

DIRECTORATE OF ENGINEERING PROGRAMMES
WAZIRI UMARU FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC BIRNIN KEBBI

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 Acknowledgement
In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful, all praise is due to Allah (SWT) the
creator, cherisher, sustainer of the world and master of the Day of Judgment. And may His
peace, benedictions be upon His final prophet, his families, companions and those who follow
his teachings till the day of resurrection. I am most grateful to Allah for his infinite mercy and
bounties that have been bestowed upon me and the opportunity given to me to embark on this
project work.

I want to acknowledge the efforts of the following members Engr. DanjumaNoma, the Head Of
Department Engr. Kabiru Umar Dangoma, Engr. Abdulrasheed Muhammad Kardi, The project
coordinator Tgst. SufiyanuAbdulhamid and Muhammad TankoDaraha for their support during
the entire project.

I say thank you all

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 Table of content
Page
Tittle page 1
Acknowledgement ii

Table of content iii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.2 Problem Statement 3

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study 4

1.4 Scope and Limitations 4

1.5 Significance of the study 4

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Related Literature review 5

CHAPTER THREE: MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY 11

3.1 Materials 11

3.2 Methodology 12

Reference 16

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 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
According to the global Statistics the need of using recycled materials is increasing due to the
volume of demolished waste which is being discarded into the landfills. The main reason which
is making it happen is the construction business. So, it has become necessary for the industry of
construction to get aware of it and start working sensibly towards this topic by recycling the
demolished waste that is being generated.
Concrete as we know is the material being vastly used in the construction process. The purpose
of research should be to replace the material which consumes 80% volume of concrete, known as
aggregates. The consumption of aggregates which are rising day by day in the urban areas. This
leads to an increase in the transportation of these things as they have to be taken to the cities
where most of the construction takes place. The adverse environmental issues and the increase in
the awareness of public has forced the need of introducing recycled products in today’s time.
The purpose of the thesis is to provide an overview of the strength and durability of the recycled
aggregates also known as RA, for the concrete to be produced. In general, the motive behind the
thesis is to check the strength and durability of the blocks made of concrete which are made by
the help of RAC. The purpose of the research is to identity the characteristics of RAC in
comparison with the natural aggregates that help in achieving the suitable strength which is
required for the construction to take place.
All in all, the thesis provides a perspective on how it has become important to replace the natural
aggregates with RA in order to improve the environmental effects, the scarcity of aggregates is
having on the nature. It has become an urgent need in today’s time to reduce the amount of the
consumption of natural aggregates and replace it with the recycled aggregates for the sake of
future generations as environmental degradation is increasing rapidly these days. The use of
recycled aggregate (RA) in concrete production has gain sufficient attention in recent years due
its potential to reduce waste, conserve natural resources, and promote sustainability in the
construction industry, however, concerns regarding the durability and performance of concrete
structures made with RA persist. The research aims to investigate the effect of recycled
aggregate on durability and the performance of concrete structures.

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Concrete is still one of the most common construction materials used worldwide because of its
strength, adaptability, and widespread availability. Aside from its production, construction and
demolition (C&D) waste and the depletion of natural aggregates significantly contribute to the
environmental footprint. The global demand for construction aggregates, i.e., crushed rock, sand,
and gravel, is now estimated at 40 billion tons a year, depending on the base conditions (Poon,
Shui, & Lam, 2004), and has been used to justify expanding large-scale mining worldwide.
Urbanisation is a significant factor contributing to this, and faster economic development will
lead to more urbanization in countries like Bangladesh, which will produce large amounts of
C&D waste from demolished buildings (Silva, Brito, &Dhir, 2015). Recycling Construction &
Demolition (C&D) waste and using the processed RCA (Recycled Coarse Aggregates) in
concrete structures has become a global sustainable alternative to natural coarse aggregates
(NCA). RCA can be reused in fresh concrete mixtures, thus lowering the demand for natural
aggregates (virgin aggregate) and reducing the environmental impact of waste generation (Kang,
& Lee, 2012). On the other hand, several studies have shown that RCA can reduce the carbon
footprint associated with concrete production and energy consumption by restricting virtuous
extractions and processing of natural resources (Pareek, Saha, & Gupta, 2019; Amiri, Hatami,
&Golafshani, 2021). However, the engineering properties of concrete made with RCA still
present a significant challenge despite these environmental benefits.
Mechanical properties of concrete containing different percentage replacement factors of RCA
by 25, 50, 75, and 100% compared to conventional concrete using the entire NCA have been
studied in this research work. The results revealed that the compressive strength in RCA concrete
is generally lower than that of natural aggregate due to its higher porosity and water adsorption
than NCA weakens ITZ (Bui, Satomi, & Takahashi, 2018; Berredjem, Arabi, &Molez, 2020).
For example, the strength of concrete with 50% RCA was found to be 60%-85% when compared
to NCA concrete (Rahal, 2007). This aligns with the literature as RCA generally reduces
compressive strength by 10%–30%) (Yang, & Lee, 2008).
Tensile strength was also reduced in RCA concrete, thereby attaining about 50%-89% of the
tensile strength of NCA concrete (Kang, T. Kim, & Choi, 2012). This is mainly due to the
weaker bond in ITZ, and the recycled aggregate has a higher tendency for microcracking than
RAs (Gholampour, &Ozbakkaloglu, 2018). Nevertheless, soaking RCA in water or adding
different kinds of chemical surface treatments can improve the anchorage between RCA and

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cement paste, increasing tensile strength (Dimitriou, Savva, &Petrou, 2018; Arulrajah,
Yaghoubi, & Wong, 2017).
The other important factor is the durability of water absorption. Your investigations have found
that water absorption of RCA concrete is considerably higher than that of conventional mixtures-
even plain 100 % RCA will absorb as much as 6.7 %, compared to about 4.75 %, as evidenced in
the control mix (Ali, & Tam, 2012). This rise in absorption could reduce the durability of RCA
concrete, especially in freeze-thaw or chemical attack environments (Braga, Silvestre, & de
Brito, 2017). Nevertheless, the water absorption of RCA concrete has decreased by adding
supplementary materials like fly ash or silica fume, which improves its long-term durability
(Kang, T. Kim, & Choi, 2012; Thomas, Thaickavil, & Wilson, 2018). From an environmental
standpoint, RCA is environmentally friendly, where the demand for natural aggregates is
reduced, and waste is diverted from landfills. The carbon footprint of construction is thus also
reduced using RCC. Fewer natural resources are extracted and processed (Etxeberria, et al.,
2007). Economic analyses have demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of RCA concrete, especially
in countries where natural aggregates are more expensive or rare (Pacheco, Brito, & Evangelista,
2017). In your study, RCA concrete costs 11% less than conventional concrete when considering
the overall material price (Rahman, Uddin, &Sarker, 2019). While the results are encouraging,
more work is needed to optimize RCA concrete mixes and determine their sustainability for
long-term engineering applications under tropical conditions such as those prevalent in
Bangladesh. The current work is an addition to the wealth of knowledge that seeks to assess the
mechanical characteristics of RCA concrete to develop a sustainable construction practice.
1.2 Problem Statement
The increasing demand for natural aggregates in concrete production has led to depletion of
natural resources, environmental degradation, and waste management issues. Recycled aggregate
(RA) offers a sustainable alternative, but its impact on concrete durability and performance is not
fully understood. This research aims to investigate the effect of RA on the durability and
performance of concrete structures.

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1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this research work is to examine theeffect of recycled aggregate on the performance
and durability of concrete structures, through the following objectives:-
i. Evaluate the physical, mechanical, and durability properties of concrete made with RA.
ii. Investigate the impact of RA quality on concrete performance.
iii. Assess the potential applications and limitations of RA in concrete structures.
1.4 Scope and Limitations
Laboratory experiments on concrete specimens made with different types and proportions of
RA.Mechanical properties: compressive strength, tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity.
Belloware some of the limitation:-
- Focus on specific types of recycled aggregate(RA) and concrete mixes.
- Laboratory experiments; field testing not included.
- Long-term performance in actual structures not included
1.5 Significance of the study
The studies will Contributes to sustainable construction practices by promoting the use of RA,
Enhances understanding of RA's impact on concrete durability and performance, informs
industry stakeholders on the potential benefits and limitations of RA in concrete structures.

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Related Literature review

The review of the literature done here presents and explains all the different kind of researches
that have been done regarding the compressive strength of concrete with the help of replacing
RA with natural coarse aggregates. Different studies show different conclusions, although the
curing time used in most of them was 28 days. The main thing that has been noticed in most of
the cases is that the compressive strength increases with time; perhaps, it can be claimed that the
initial values are not final values. The manufacturing of the concrete was done according to the
country codes that are used in their respective countries and no amends were made in the quality
of cement when the concrete was casted with RA and natural aggregates.
Khalil, et al (2021) reviewed Concrete is one of the most important materials used in the
construction industry. Rapid depletion ofnatural resources, high energy consumption, and
environmental degradation involved in cement production have prompted researchers to
investigate other appropriate ways to apply cement partially or partially. A study conducted over
the past two decades on the use of Bagasse Ash (SCBA) sugarcane as a cement for the
production of concrete is summarized in this paper. First, general information about SCBA
production, the effect of heat dissipation on the SCBA structure, the physical and chemical
properties of SCBA and the SCBA response mechanism are briefly discussed. Subsequently, the
influence of SCBA is introduced on the structures of the new state and finally, the enhanced state
features namely strength and level of energy gain, durability mode, chloride ion penetration and
aggressive environmental effect
The construction sector is responsible for the waste that’s produced. Generation of this kind of
waste usually happens at demolition sites after the structures gets demolished and the idea of
recycling it is totally ignored by people ( Evangelista, 2017). It’s not only concrete that produces
waste other things like shingles, gypsum board, metals, glass, insulation component, paper, etc
are also responsible. 47% amount accounts for demolished waste in Europe.
Introducing RA that’s produced from demolition can be very useful for reducing the impact on
environment caused by disposing waste into the landfills. It can be helpful in many other aspects

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as well such as reduction of energy, decrease in transportation cost and most importantly
recycling the demolition waste in cities where this problem has started becoming critical. In
addition to this, this can also help in raising the employment in developing countries as a lot of
demolition waste is generated over there.
A survey done estimates the amount of construction waste produced in EU countries add up to
821 million tonnes by the end of 2013; so it’s very obvious that the use of RA in the form of
demolition waste has to be used in the construction sector and it’s not very surprising anymore. It
is noticed every time that the results obtained by different researchers are different; these results
are totally dependent on the quality of concrete waste that is used for recycling. This means that
if the concrete which was used as RA was constructed with proper specification will be better
than the one constructed incorrectly.

TYPES OF AGGREGATE
Aggregate refers to a collection of granular materials, such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, or
recycled materials, used in construction. Aggregates are a fundamental component of various
civil engineering projects, including roads, bridges, buildings, and dams.
Aggregates can be classified into several types based on their characteristics, sources, and
uses:

1. Fine Aggregate
Fine aggregates are materials that pass through a 4.75 mm sieve. Examples include:

- Sand
- Crushed stone fines
- Other materials with similar particle sizes

2. Coarse Aggregate
Coarse aggregates are materials retained on a 4.75 mm sieve. Examples include:

- Gravel
- Crushed stone

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- Other materials with larger particle sizes

3. Recycled Aggregate
Recycled aggregates are materials derived from construction and demolition waste, such as:

- Recycled concrete
- Recycled asphalt
- Other materials that can be reused in construction projects

Other Classifications
Aggregates can also be classified based on their:

- *Source*: Natural aggregates (e.g., sand, gravel) or manufactured aggregates (e.g., crushed
stone)
- *Composition*: Aggregates can be composed of various materials, such as limestone, granite,
or basalt
- *Application*: Aggregates can be used in various applications, such as concrete, road
construction, or landscaping

USES OF AGGREGATE
Aggregates are used in various civil engineering projects, including:

1. Concrete
Aggregates are a primary component of concrete, providing:

- Strength
- Durability
- Volume

2. Road Construction
Aggregates are used in road construction as:

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- Base courses
- Subbase courses
- Surface courses

3. Drainage
Aggregates are used in drainage systems, such as:

- Filter layers
- Drainage blankets

4. Landscaping
Aggregates are used in landscaping projects, such as:

- Decorative stone
- Gravel paths
- Driveways

Other Uses
Aggregates are also used in:

- Building foundations
- Retaining walls
- Dams
- Airport runways

Aggregates play a crucial role in providing strength, durability, and stability to structures and
infrastructure.

IMPORTANCE OF AGGREGATE

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Aggregates are used in various civil engineering projects, including:

1. Concrete
Aggregates are a primary component of concrete, providing:

- Strength
- Durability
- Volume

2. Road Construction
Aggregates are used in road construction as:

- Base courses
- Subbase courses
- Surface courses

3. Drainage
Aggregates are used in drainage systems, such as:

- Filter layers
- Drainage blankets

4. Landscaping
Aggregates are used in landscaping projects, such as:

- Decorative stone
- Gravel paths
- Driveways

Other Uses
Aggregates are also used in:

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- Building foundations
- Retaining walls
- Dams
- Airport runways

Aggregates play a crucial role in providing strength, durability, and stability to structures and
infrastructure.

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 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Material and Methodology

3.1 Materials
i. Portland cement: Cement is tested for its physical properties in the laboratory as per the
Indian standards. When cement reacts with water it liberates considerable heat and this
reaction is termed as exothermic. Due to the reaction Calcium Silicate Hydrates are
formed, which are responsible for the good properties of concrete. It is better to use
cement produced within three months from the date of production.
ii. Fine aggregate (i) R-Sand Ordinary river sand is used. Specimens are casted using the
sand passing through 2.36 mm sieve. As per the methodology mentioned in IS2386
(Part-I)-1963Sieve analysis for the sand is carried out in the laboratory. Sand plays key
role in reducing shrinkage of concrete in the process of curing. Sand will also help in
reducing the cost. As the availability of sand is becoming scarce, manufactured sand can
be used in making concrete. Recycled fine aggregate can also be used in making
concrete. Sand can be tested as per Indian Standards in the laboratory.
iii. Recycled Coarse aggregate:The recycled course aggregate used in this study is
extracted from demolished concrete members after crushing. Recycled coarse aggregate
used in the study is of 20mm size. Coarse aggregate give body to the mass of concrete. It
plays vital role in reducing shrinkage. It also helps in reducing the cost of concrete as we
are using waste material. It is tested as per Indian Standards for knowing the physical
properties. Recycled aggregate is classified into the following types. Recycled concrete
aggregate (RCA): Aggregate extracted from crushed concrete made with Natural
aggregate. Construction and demolition recycled aggregate (CDRA): Aggregates which
has not been properly extracted from construction and demolition waste or Recycled
aggregate that is unrecognizable due to a lack of information on its composition.

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3.2 Methodology
3.2.1 Sieve Analysis Test

The sieve analysis is the term given to operation in dividing a sample of aggregate into various
fractions, each fraction consisting of particles of the various sizes. This test is carried out in
accordance with BS 812 part 103.

Aim: To determine the particle size distribution of soil sample dry sieve analysis method.

Procedure: The British set of sieve were properly cleaned and arrayed according to the size of
the sieve. A dry laterite soil sample of about 500g was weighed on weighing balance and poured
into set of BS sieve seated on a mechanical sieve shaker. The shaker vibrates for about 10
minutes, this process aids the sieve to sieve the sample retained on each sieve size and receiver
was weighed and recorded.

Therefore a graph of cumulative percentage passing against particle size is plotted.

Calculation:

Mass passing
Cumulative percentage pass = × 100
Total mass retained

Mass passing = Total mass retained - individual mass retained

Therefore total mass = summation of mass retained of sample retained.

3.2.2 Density

Density is a physical property that describes the amount of mass per unit volume of a substance.
It's typically measured in units such as kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³) or grams per cubic
centimeter (g/cm³).

Formula
Density = Mass / Volume

Importance in Aggregates

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In the context of aggregates, density is crucial because it affects:

1. Strength and stability: Denser aggregates can provide greater strength and stability to
structures.
2. Volume calculations: Accurate density measurements are necessary for calculating the volume
of aggregates required for a project.
3. Material selection: Density can influence the selection of aggregates for specific applications,
such as high-density aggregates for heavy-duty construction projects.

Types of Density
1. Bulk density: The mass of aggregate particles per unit volume, including voids between
particles.
2. Apparent density: The mass of aggregate particles per unit volume, excluding voids between
particles.

Types of Density
There are two main types of density:

1. Bulk Density
Bulk density includes the volume of voids between aggregate particles. It's essential for:

- Calculating the volume of aggregates required for a project

- Determining the weight of aggregates needed

2. Apparent Density
Apparent density excludes the volume of voids between aggregate particles. It's crucial for:

- Understanding the properties of individual aggregate particles

- Evaluating the aggregate's strength and durability

Why Both Types Matter

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Both bulk and apparent density are important in construction projects because they:

- Influence material selection

- Affect structural integrity
- Impact project costs

Understanding both types of density helps ensure accurate calculations and informed decision-
making.

Importance of Density in Aggregates

Density plays a crucial role in aggregates because it affects:
1. Strength and Stability
Denser aggregates can provide greater strength and stability to structures, ensuring they can
withstand loads and stresses.
2. Volume Calculations
Accurate density measurements are necessary for calculating the volume of aggregates required
for a project, helping to:
- Estimate material quantities
- Plan logistics
- Manage costs
3. Material Selection
Density can influence the selection of aggregates for specific applications, such as:
- High-density aggregates for heavy-duty construction projects
- Low-density aggregates for applications where weight is a concern

3.2.3 Specific Gravity (GS) Test

The specific gravity of the materials (soil) is defined as the ratio of the mass of a given volume
of that material to the mass of an equal volume of water.

Aim: To determine the specific gravity of soil sample in accordance with (BS / 12).

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Procedure: The mass of gas jar and cover was taken as (Mi). The soil sample was poured into
the gas jar the weight was recovered as (M2). An unknown volume of water was added to the
soil sample in the gas jar and cover and shaken for about 10 minutes in order to dissolve the soil
completely. The gas jar was filled up to the brim and weighted as (M 2) the content was then
turned away. The gas jar was thoroughly cleaned and once again filled with water and allowed
to overflow to disallow air trapped before covereing it with gas jar cover and weighed as (M 4).
The specific gravity of the sample was calculated and computed.

Calculation

The specific gravity of the soil particles shall be calculated from this equation.

M 2−M 1
GS= =
( M 4−M 1 )−( M 3−M 2)

Where

M1 = The mass of gas jar + cover (g)

M2 = The mass of gas jar + cover + soil (g)

M3 = The mass of gas jar + cover + soil + water (g)

M4 = The mass of gas jar + cover + water (g)

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