Advances on properties of fiber reinforced recycled aggregate concrete: Experiments and models

Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has recently been a good alternative to natural aggregate concrete (NAC) because of the increased focus on sustainability in the construction industry. However, RAC has a great number of defects in comparison to NAC, such as lower strength and higher water absorption. In order to solve these disadvantages, many researchers incorporated fibers into RAC. A body of literature on the fiber-reinforced RAC (FRRAC) is currently available, but a systematic review is lacking. Therefore, this article aims to review the influence of fiber addition on fresh properties, mechanical strength, and durability of RAC. In addition, the mechanical performance evaluation models of FRRAC have been summarized. Results indicated that fiber addition has adverse influence on workability, but can improve the mechanical properties and durability of RAC through the crack-bridging effect. Furthermore, compared with other fibers, steel fiber has a better role in enhancing the mechanical properties of RAC, but basalt fiber has better sustainability. Additionally, an outlook on the fiber reinforced RAC was presented, and we expected that this work may inform further investigation of the use of fibers to enhance the properties of RAC. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has become a good alternative to natural aggregate concrete (NAC) due to increased sustainability focus, but has drawbacks such as lower strength and higher water absorption compared to NAC. Adding fibers to RAC can improve mechanical properties and durability, with steel fibers showing the best enhancement in mechanical properties. Basalt fibers offer better sustainability. This study aims to inform further research on using fibers to enhance RAC properties.