Influence of recycled brick aggregates on properties of structural concrete for manufacturing precast prestressed beams

The European Union has set as a target for 2020 the reuse of 70% of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste (C&DW) in order to reduce its impact on the environment and on health, as well as to improve the efficiency of available resources. Within the framework of this initiative, this study addresses the use of ceramic aggregates from precast production facilities in order to replace natural aggregates for manufacturing structural concrete for the production of precast prestressed beams. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of the substitution of the fine and coarse fraction of natural aggregates for ceramic brick aggregates in the mechanical properties of concrete, with the aim of applying the results obtained to the subsequent manufacture and testing of prestressed beams commonly used in one-way slabs. The focus of this analysis is on the replacement of the fine fraction of the natural aggregate by the recycled one. However, the coarse aggregate was also substituted. Furthermore, two hardly studied replacement percentages (35% and 70%) were included in the experimental program. The main result obtained was that prestressed beams can be manufactured with up to 35% of the proposed type of ceramic recycled aggregates in order to reach the requirements of the European standards. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.