Combined Freeze-Thaw and Chloride Attack Resistance of Concrete Made with Recycled Brick-Concrete Aggregate

The objective of this study was to investigate the physico-chemical properties of concrete made with recycled brick-concrete aggregate, which was the mixture from waste concrete and waste clay brick in a 7:3 ratio. Specifically, this paper investigated the mechanical properties, freeze-thaw resistance, and distribution of water-soluble chloride ions of concrete containing RBCA and fly ash (FA) against combined freeze-thaw and sodium chloride attack. Concrete containing RBCA replacement of natural coarse aggregate and fly ash replacement of Portland cement was subjected to 45 freeze-thaw cycles containing sodium chloride solution. It was discovered that the mechanical properties and freeze-thaw resistance to sodium chloride attack gradually decreased with increasing RBCA content. At the same time, a replacement level of 15% FA by weight resulted in significant improvements in compressive strength and resistance to combined freeze-thaw and chloride attack. Furthermore, using a replacement of 30% FA by weight markedly improved the resistance to chloride ion penetration of concrete due to the lowest water-soluble chloride content.

Automated summary

The study revealed that as the content of recycled brick-concrete aggregate increased, the mechanical properties and freeze-thaw resistance of concrete gradually decreased; a replacement level of 15% fly ash resulted in significant enhancements in compressive strength and resistance to freeze-thaw and chloride attack; using 30% fly ash by weight notably improved the resistance to chloride ion penetration due to the lowest water-soluble chloride content.