Durability and mechanical characteristics of sustainable self-curing concrete utilizing crushed ceramic and brick wastes

Saving natural resources and utilizing building wastes (crushed bricks (CB) and crushed ceramic (CC)) are the major goals of this project. Polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000) was employed as an internal chemical curing material, and CB and CC were used as coarse aggregate substitutes with 25 %, 50 %, and 75 % of dolomite as an internal physical curing agent. Mechanical properties tests compression, splitting tensile, flexural stresses, and modulus of elasticity have been carried out. Durability is inferred by investigating sorptivity, water absorption, drying shrinkage, and chloride penetration tests. Finally, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) microstructure testing were performed that showed the bond and cohesion between different aggregates and mortar, and also showed mortar compounds. The ideal PEG 6000 dosage is 1.5 % of cement weight for self-curing concrete mechanical characteristics which resulted in an increment of compressive strength by 48.9 % after 28 days, at 2 % PEG for the greatest durability results the water absorption, sorptivity, and drying shrinkage decreased by 37.5 %, 27 %, and 44 % respectively, and 4 % PEG showed the best chloride penetrability defense and the penetration depth decreased by about 78.7 % all compared to the air cured (AC) mix. The optimum CC replacement percentage is 50 % with 1 % PEG for self-curing (SC) concrete mechanical characteristics which caused a rise in compressive, splitting tensile, flexural strengths, and modulus of elasticity by 55.6 %, 55.35 %, 54.47 %, and 28 % compared to the AC mix.