Mechanical properties of recycled coarse aggregate concrete reinforced with steel fibers

This paper presents the combined influence of natural aggregates (NA) replacement with recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) and incorporating steel fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties of normal-strength (30 MPa) concrete mixes. Hookedend steel fibers were added in a 2% volumetric fraction to promote 100% RCA replacement. Fine aggregates were in the form of locally-abundant desert dune sand. Mechanical properties of 28-day concrete samples were assessed, including compression strength, tensile splitting strength, elastic modulus, flexural stress, and flexural toughness. For plain concrete mixes, the replacement of NA by RCA resulted in 18, 27, and 5% reductions in the respective design compression strength, elastic modulus, and tensile splitting strength. Nevertheless, the addition of steel fibers could restore the aforementioned properties by up to 90, 77, and 164%. Compared to the control mix made with NA, the flexural strength of the plain RCA-based concrete mix decreased by 33%, while the flexural toughness increased by 100%. In turn, the corresponding flexural properties of RCA concrete mix reinforced with steel fibers were 2 and 56 times those of the control made with NA. Findings provide evidence of the ability to produce concrete made with 100% RCA and reinforced with steel fibers with comparable compression properties and improved tensile and flexural performance compared to those of NA-based concrete.