An experimental study on shear strength of reinforced concrete beams with 100% recycled concrete aggregate

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the shear strength of full-scale beams constructed with 100% recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as well as conventional concrete (CC). This experimental program consisted of 12 beams (six for each concrete type). The test parameters for this study include longitudinal reinforcement ratio and concrete type. The experimental shear strengths of the beams were compared with the shear provisions of both U.S. and international design codes (U.S., Australia, Canada, Europe, and Japan) as well as a shear database of CC specimens. The shear strengths of the beams were also evaluated based on different fracture mechanics approaches and the modified compression field theory (MCFT) method. Furthermore, statistical data analyses (both parametric and non-parametric) were performed to evaluate whether or not there was any statistically significant difference between the shear strength of the recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and CC beams. Results of these statistical tests show that the 100% RCA beams possess approximately 12% lower shear strength compared with the CC beams. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.