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Abstract

Concrete is everywhere, from buildings to roads, bridges to tunnels; it can even be found providing fun in applications such as swimming pools, man-made white water rapids for watersports and water-based amusement rides. Given the amount of concrete in the world, the need to ensure that it is possible to get the longest usable lifespan from concrete structures, coupled with reducing the environmental impact from the continued use of this material, are very important sustainability factors. Additionally, the end of life for concrete usually ends up in a landfill, while new materials are mined for use in fresh concrete. This study investigates using recycled concrete aggregate as a natural aggregate replacement. In this research, standard performance and high-performance concrete mix designs using recycled aggregates and recycled sand are tested for compressive strength and permeability to water under pressure, with replacement levels of 0%, 50% and 100%. It was found that the permeability of concrete does not decrease with the replacement of natural fine aggregates; however, workability is severely affected by the inclusion of recycled sand containing a high percentage of fines, leading to issues with air entrainment and voids within concrete.

Course: Civil Engineering - MEng - U0178178YC

Date Deposited: 2024-08-08

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14439.html