Rheological properties of recycled aggregate concrete using superplasticizers

Overview & Synopsis

The mechanical properties of recycled aggregates concrete from demolition have been studied for several years. It has been documented that rheological properties of these concrete are generally affected by use of recycled aggregates. They could present mechanical properties less affected by the presence of recycled aggregates if the initial concrete were of good quality. However, manufacturing problems, mainly attributed to the angular character of these aggregates and to the granulometry of recycled sand, limit their industrial use. The worth point of this study consists in the optimization of the concrete formulation using specific admixture, adapted to this aggregates in order to facilitate its manufacturing. It shows that the new generation of superplasticizers containing some copolymer polycarboxylate makes it possible to significantly improve the fluidity of the recycled aggregates concrete in its fresh state. The aim of this research is to control rheological properties of fresh recycled aggregates concrete with fine and coarse recycled aggregates to limit the negative influence of aggregates on mechanical properties of concrete.