A review of experimental results on structural performance of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete beams and columns

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive and critical review of the structural performances of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete beams and columns based on experimental results reported in the literature. Extensive data sets collected from the literature are categorized to investigate the effects on the local and global structural behavior. First, the flexural and shear response of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete beams is discussed. The structural performances are reviewed focusing on the main geometric and material variables such as the recycled concrete aggregate replacement ratio, the longitudinal reinforcement ratio, the transverse reinforcement ratio, and the shear span-to-depth ratio. Then, the behavior of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete columns under concentric and eccentric compressive loads and the seismic performance under low cyclic loading are discussed. The similarities and the differences between reinforced recycled aggregate concrete and reinforced natural aggregate concrete beams and columns are highlighted. The need for further research is pointed out at the end of the article. The results reported in this review clearly indicate that reinforced recycled aggregate concrete beams and columns with various recycled concrete aggregate replacement ratios have comparable or slightly lower structural performances to the reinforced natural aggregate concrete ones indicating the feasibility of recycled concrete aggregate for structural applications.