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Recycling of Brick Aggregate Concrete as Coarse Aggregate

Article  in  Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering · January 2014

DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001043

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 Recycling of Brick Aggregate Concrete as
Coarse Aggregate
Tarek Uddin Mohammed 1; Ariful Hasnat, S.M.ASCE 2; Mohammad Abdul Awal 3; and Shamim Z. Bosunia 4

Abstract: An extensive investigation was carried out for recycling of demolished brick aggregate concrete as coarse aggregate. For this,
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demolished concrete blocks were collected from 33 different building sites of different ages and broken into pieces as coarse aggregate. Owing
to the lack of availability of stone aggregate in Bangladesh, most of the old structures are constructed with brick chips as coarse aggregate,
therefore the recycled aggregate investigated in this study is different from the recycled aggregate investigated in other countries which are
mostly made of stone chips. The properties of recycled aggregate, such as specific gravity, absorption capacity, and abrasion were tested. More
than 700 cylinder concrete specimens of diameter 150 mm and height 300 mm were made with water-to-cement ratios of 0.45 and 0.55. Concrete
specimens were tested at 7, 14, and 28 days for compressive strength, tensile strength, and Young’s modulus. The results are compared with
virgin brick aggregate. Extended study was also conducted on partial replacement (10–50%) of virgin brick aggregate with recycled brick
aggregate. Also, in-situ strength of an old structure has been compared with the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete made
with the recycled aggregate collected from the same structure. Based on this investigation, it is revealed that recycled brick aggregate can be used
as coarse aggregate for making concrete of strength 20.7 to 31.0 MPa. For the same mix design, the recycled aggregate concrete produces almost
similar strength compared with the virgin first class brick aggregate concrete commonly used in Bangladesh. However, relatively better per-
formance of recycled aggregate concrete is found for W/C = 0.45. No significant change in compressive strength of concrete is found for up to
50% replacement of virgin aggregate by recycled aggregate. By recycling, it is possible to make concrete with more strength compared with the
in-situ strength of concrete of old structures. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001043. © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Brick; Compressive strength; Concrete; Recycling; Tensile strength; Young’s modulus.

Introduction (Yanagibashi et al. 2002). By recycling of demolished concrete,

Concrete consumption in the world is estimated at two and a half
tons per capita per year (equivalent to 17.5 billion tons for seven
billion population in the world) (CAMBUREAU 2008; Mehta
2009). To make this huge volume of concrete, 2.62 billion tons
of cement, 13.12 billion tons of aggregate, 1.75 billion tons of
water are necessary. Generally, aggregates are collected by cutting
mountains or breaking river gravels or boulders, or by breaking
clay bricks. A significant amount of natural resources can be saved
if the demolished concrete is recycled for new constructions. In
addition to the saving of natural resources, recycling of demolished
concrete will also provide other benefits, such as creation of addi-
tional business opportunities, saving cost of disposal, saving money
for local government and other purchaser, and helping local
government to meet the goal of reducing disposal. At present,
the amount of global demolished concrete is estimated at 2–3 billion
tons (Torring and Lauritzen 2002). Sixty to 70 percent of demol-
ished concrete is used as subbase aggregate for road construction
1
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Asia Pacific, House No.
8/A, Rd. No. 7, Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1209, Bangladesh (corresponding
author). E-mail: tarek@uap-bd.edu
2
Research Associate, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Asia Pacific,
House No. 8/A, Rd. No. 7, Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1209, Bangladesh.
3
Managing Director, Structural Engineers Limited, 29, West
Panthapath, Dhaka-1209, Bangladesh.
4
Managing Director, Abode of Consultants Limited, House No. 17, Rd.
No. 32 (Old), 11 (New), Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1209, Bangladesh.
Note. This manuscript was submitted on August 29, 2013; approved on
January 27, 2014; published online on January 29, 2014. Discussion period
open until December 7, 2014; separate discussions must be submitted for
individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in Civil
Engineering, © ASCE, ISSN 0899-1561/B4014005(9)/$25.00.
20% of normal aggregates can be saved. It is also estimated that
in the next 10 years, the amount of demolished concrete will be
increased to 7.5–12.5 billion tons (Torring and Lauritzen 2002).
If technology and public acceptance of using recycled aggregate
are developed, there will be no requirement for virgin aggregate,
if 100% of demolished concrete is recycled for new construction.
In Bangladesh, the volume of demolished concrete is increasing
owing to the deterioration of concrete structures and the replacement
of many low-rise buildings by relatively high-rise buildings attribut-
able to the booming of real estate business. Disposal of the demol-
ished concrete is becoming a great concern to the developers of the
buildings. If the demolished concrete is used for new construction,
the disposal problem will be solved, the demand for new aggregates
will be reduced, and finally consumption of the natural resources for
making aggregate will be reduced. In most of the old buildings, brick
chips were used as coarse aggregate of concrete. Studies related to
the recycling of demolished concrete are generally found for stone
chips made concrete (Alan 1977; Gomez-Soberon et al. 2002; Zega
et al. 2010; Kou et al. 2011). Therefore, investigations on recycling
of brick made demolished concrete are necessary. With this
background, this study was planned.
Demolished concrete from demolished building sites was
collected and broken into pieces manually as coarse aggregates.
Before making concrete, the aggregates were investigated for
absorption capacity, unit weight, and abrasion. Standard grading
of the aggregates was controlled. Cylinder concrete specimens of
diameter 150 mm and height 300 mm were made and tested for
compressive strength, Young’s modulus, and stress-strain curves.
The results were compared with brick aggregate concrete.
Extended study was also conducted on partial replacement of
virgin brick aggregate from 10 to 50% with recycled brick aggregate.
Also, in-situ strength of an old structure has been compared with

© ASCE B4014005-1 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by BANGALDESH UNIVERSITY on 11/02/14. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
Fig. 1. Demolished concrete block and recycled aggregates
the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete made with
the recycled aggregate collected from the same structure.
Experimental Methods
Demolished concrete blocks were collected from the structural
members of the demolished buildings. The collected concrete sam-
ples were broken into pieces manually in three particular sizes as 25
to 20 mm, 20 to 10 mm, and 10 to 5 mm. Demolished concrete
blocks and recycled aggregates are shown in Fig. 1. After breaking
into pieces, the aggregates were mixed as 5% from 25 to 20 mm,
57.5% from 20 to 10 mm, and 37.5% from 10 to 5 mm according to
ASTM C33-93 (ASTM 1993). The aggregates were tested for ab-
sorption capacity, specific gravity, unit weight, and abrasion. The
specific gravity and absorption capacity were determined in accor-
dance with ASTM C128-03 (ASTM 2003c), unit weight in con-
formity with ASTM C29-03 (ASTM 2003a), and abrasion value
according to ASTM C131-03 (ASTM 2003d). For comparison with
recycled brick aggregate (RB), picked brick aggregate (PB, which
has better quality than other brick aggregates), first class brick ag-
gregate (FB, which is better than second class and third class brick
aggregates, and it is commonly used in Bangladesh), second class
brick aggregate (SB, which is better than third class brick aggre-
gates), and third class brick aggregate (TB) were investigated. FB is
commonly used in Bangladesh compared with PB. Therefore, for
comparison with recycled brick aggregate concrete, specimens
Table 1. Cases Investigated (63 Cases)
Case number Symbol
1–29 (W/C = 0.55) PBWC55, FBWC55, SBWC55, TBWC55, RBY1WC55,
RBY1.5WC55, RBY15WC55, RBY28WC55, RBY29WC55,
RBY30WC55, RB31WC55, RBY32WC55, RBY33WC55,
RBY34WC55, RBY35aWC55, RBY35bWC55, RBY35cWC55,
RBY36WC55, RBY37aWC55, RBY37bWC55, RBY38aWC55,
RBY38bWC55, RBY40WC55, RBY41WC55, RBY43WC55,
RBY44WC55, RBY45WC55, RBY46WC55, RB60WC55
30–63 (W/C = 0.45) FBWC45, SBWC45, TBWC45, RBY1WC45, RBY1.5WC45,
RBY20WC45, RBY28WC45, RBY29WC45, RBY30WC45,
RBY31WC45, RBY32WC45, RBY33WC45, RBY34WC45,
RBY35aWC45, RBY35bWC45, RBY35cWC45, RBY35cWC45,
RBY35dWC45, RBY36WC45, RBY37aWC45, RBY37bWC45,
RBY38aWC45, RBY38bWC45, RBY40WC45, RBY41WC45,
RBY43WC45, RBY44WC45, RBY45aWC45, RBY45bWC45,
RBY46WC45, RBY50WC45, RBY52WC45, RBY55WC45,
RBY60WC45
© ASCE B4014005-2
J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
were made with W/C = 0.45 and W/C = 0.55 for FB. On the other
hand, specimens were made with W/C = 0.55 for PB. SB and TB
are not used as coarse aggregate, however, they are included in this
study for comparison with recycled brick aggregate concrete.
Some cylinder specimens (made with brick chips) were also
made in the lab and then broken into pieces for recycling. These
are the one-year-old recycled brick aggregates. The fineness modu-
lus (FM), water absorption, and specific gravity of sand used in
this investigation were 2.64, 3.9%, and 2.61, respectively. After in-
vestigation of aggregates, concrete cylinders 150 mm in diameter
and 300 mm in height were made for evaluation of compressive
strength at 7, 14, and 28 days according to ASTM C39-03 (ASTM
2003b). The investigated cases are summarized in Table 1. The
mixture proportions of concrete for all cases are summarized in
Table 2. Approximately 700 concrete cylinder specimens were
made for 63 cases. To reduce number of specimens, some cases
were omitted from testing at 7 days and 14 days. W/C ratios of
concrete were 0.55 and 0.45. Cement content of concrete was
340 kg=m3 for all cases. Sand to total aggregate volume ratio
was 0.44. Naphthalene based superplasticizer was used for W/C =
0.45 to improve the workability of concrete. After mixing concrete,
the workability of concrete was measured by slump cone test.
Cylinder concrete specimens were made and demolded after one
day of casting. Then the specimens were cured under wet jute bags
continuously. The compressive strength of concrete was measured
at 7, 14, and 28 days by using universal testing machine (UTM).
Explanation
PB—picked brick aggregate, FB—first class brick aggregate,
SB—second class brick aggregate, TB—third class brick
aggregate, The digit after PB, FB, SB, and TB indicates
W/C RB—recycled brick aggregate, The digit after RB
indicates age and the digit after the age indicates W/C.
To separate the cases made with recycled aggregate of
same ages a, b, c, or d are used accordingly
J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
 Table 2. Mixture Proportions of Concrete (63 Cases) The strain of concrete specimens was measured by a strain meas-
Unit content (kg=m3 ) urement setup with two dial gauges. The gauge length was
100 mm. The failure surfaces of concrete were also checked care-
Case W/C C FA CA W AD
fully after crushing of the concrete cylinders. The Young’s modulus
PBWC55 0.55 340 782 764 187 — of concrete was determined from the stress-strain curves. The stress
FBWC55 0.55 340 788 842 187 — of concrete at strain level 0.0005 was used to determine the Young’s
SBWC55 0.55 340 827 804 187 — modulus of concrete.
TBWC55 0.55 340 827 804 187 — Cylinder concrete specimens were also made with partial
RBY1WC55 0.55 340 781 899 187 —
replacement (10, 20, 30, and 50%) of normal aggregate by recycled
RBY30WC55 0.55 340 824 1056 187 —
RBY28WC55 0.55 340 781 956 187 — aggregate and tested accordingly for different mechanical proper-
RBY31WC55 0.55 340 781 849 187 — ties. W/C ratio of these cases was 0.55. The age of the recycled
RBY32WC55 0.55 340 780 850 187 — aggregate was 55 years. Other mix-design parameters were the
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RBY46WC55 0.55 340 781 765 187 — same as the basic study on recycled aggregate concrete as explained
RBY60WC55 0.55 340 781 803 187 — earlier. In-situ strength of a structural member of a 35-year-old
RBY29WC55 0.55 340 782 869 187 — structure was measured before demolition. After demolition of
RBY33WC55 0.55 340 782 850 187 — the structural members, recycled aggregate was made accordingly
RBY38aWC55 0.55 340 781 849 187 — and cylinder specimens were made for evaluation of compressive
RBY43WC55 0.55 340 781 849 187 — strength of concrete. The water to cement ratio of recycled aggre-
RBY41WC55 0.55 340 782 808 187 —
gate concrete was 0.45. The in-situ strength of concrete was com-
RBY34WC55 0.55 340 782 808 187 —
RBY37aWC55 0.55 340 782 788 187 — pared with the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete.
RBY40WC55 0.55 340 782 819 187 —
RBY36WC55 0.55 340 782 800 187 —
RBY38cWC55 0.55 340 782 788 187 — Results and Discussion
RBY16WC55 0.55 340 782 823 187 —
RBY1.5WC55 0.55 340 782 804 187 — Properties of Aggregate
RBY35bWC55 0.55 340 782 788 187 —
RBY35cWC55 0.55 340 782 792 187 — The properties of recycled aggregates investigated are summarized
RBY45aWC55 0.55 340 782 804 187 — in Table 3. For comparison, different brick aggregates were also
RBY15WC55 0.55 340 782 823 187 — investigated. One-year-old aggregates were obtained by crushing
RBY44WC55 0.55 340 782 773 187 — cylinder specimens tested at the laboratory. In addition to the one-
RBY35dWC55 0.55 340 782 800 187 — year-old recycled aggregates, recycled aggregates from 15, 20, 28,
FBWC45 0.45 340 827 884 153 3.06
29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 38, 43, 45, 46, 50, 52, 55, and 60-year-old
SBWC45 0.45 340 827 803 153 3.06
TBWC45 0.45 340 827 803 153 3.06
buildings were also investigated. The concrete of these buildings
RBY1WC45 0.45 340 820 944 153 1.02 was made using brick chips. In most of the cases, the absorption
RBY50WC45 0.45 340 820 944 153 1.02 capacity of the recycled aggregates is lower than the first class brick
RBY30WC45 0.45 340 824 892 153 3.06 aggregates but higher than the picked brick aggregate. Also, in
RBY20WC45 0.45 340 827 884 153 1.02 most of the cases, no significant difference is found between the
RBY45aWC45 0.45 340 827 844 153 2.38 abrasion values of first class brick aggregate and recycled brick
RBY52WC45 0.45 340 827 884 153 3.06 aggregate. From the large number of data obtained from investiga-
RBY55WC45 0.45 340 827 844 153 3.06 tion recycled brick aggregate, it is understood that recycled brick
RBY35aWC45 0.45 340 827 844 153 3.06 aggregate is better or similar compared with the first class brick
RBY28WC45 0.45 340 820 1004 153 3.06
aggregate commonly used in Bangladesh.
RBY31WC45 0.45 340 820 883 153 3.06
RBY32WC45 0.45 340 820 883 153 3.06
RBY46WC45 0.45 340 821 806 153 3.06 Workability of Concrete
RBY60WC45 0.45 340 820 843 153 3.06
RBY29WC45 0.45 340 821 912 153 3.06 The workability of concrete as slump (in cm) is shown in Fig. 2 for
RBY33WC45 0.45 340 821 892 153 3.06 W/C = 0.55 and 0.45. For W/C = 0.55, it is found that the work-
RBY38aWC45 0.45 340 820 891 153 3.06 ability of the recycled aggregate concrete is lower compared with
RBY43WC45 0.45 340 820 891 153 3.06 the first class aggregate concrete (FBWC55) in most of the cases.
RBY41WC45 0.45 340 821 848 153 3.06 However, for W/C = 0.45, most of the recycled aggregate cases
RBY34WC45 0.45 340 821 848 153 3.06 show higher workability compared with the first class brick aggre-
RBY37aWC45 0.45 340 821 828 153 3.06 gate (FBWC45). Further investigations are necessary to understand
RBY38bWC45 0.45 340 821 864 153 3.06 this phenomenon.
RBY40WC45 0.45 340 821 860 153 3.06
RBY36WC45 0.45 340 821 840 153 3.06
RBY38cWC45 0.45 340 821 828 153 3.06 Compressive Strength of Concrete
RBY1.5WC45 0.45 340 821 844 153 3.06
RBY35bWC45 0.45 340 821 828 153 3.06 The compressive strength of concrete at 7, 14 and 28 days is shown
RBY35cWC45 0.45 340 821 832 153 3.06 in Fig. 3. For W/C = 0.55, a reduction in strength of concrete is
RBY45aWC45 0.45 340 821 844 153 3.06 found for recycled brick aggregate concrete compared with the first
RBY15WC45 0.45 340 821 864 153 3.06 class brick aggregate concrete (FBWC55) and picked brick aggre-
RBY44WC45 0.45 340 821 811 153 3.06 gate concrete (PBWC55). But for W/C = 0.45, in most of the cases,
RBY35dWC45 0.45 340 821 840 153 3.06 the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete is higher
RBY37bWC45 0.45 340 821 828 153 3.06 than the first class brick aggregate concrete (FBWC45). The results
Note: AD = admixture; C = cement; CA = coarse aggregate; FA = fine indicate that for a low W/C, recycled brick aggregates show better
aggregate; W = water. performance compared with high W/C with respect to compressive

© ASCE B4014005-3 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

 Table 3. Properties of Aggregates Investigated Stress-Strain Curves of Concrete
Age Specific Absorption Abrasion The relationship between stress and strain of concrete specimen
Type (years) gravity capacity (%) (%) under uniaxial loading has been proposed by Desayi and Krishnan
PB — 2.10 9.50 26.13 (1964) and Domingo and Chu (1985) for stone aggregate concrete
FB — 2.20 21.06 47.80 based on experimental data. This relationship depends on water to
SB — 2.00 26.58 69.20 cement ratio, cement content, coarse aggregate characteristics and
TB — 2.00 29.11 76.88 many other properties of concrete. An attempt has been made to
RB 1 2.35 10.00 46.90 formulate a relationship between stress and strain of recycled brick
RB 1.5 2.10 17.17 46.03
aggregate concrete. Variation of normalized stress (ratio of stress to
RB 15 2.15 9.03 40.96
RB 16 2.03 10.91 37.17
compressive strength) with strain for concrete specimens is shown
RB 20 2.20 17.92 49.55 in Fig. 4. Based on these data, the following stress-strain relation-
RB 28 2.50 15.85 40.33 ship is proposed for recycled brick aggregate concrete:
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RB 29 2.27 18.30 53.18

fc 1.643ε
RB 30 2.32 9.12 47.26 ¼ ; R2 ¼ 0.92 0 ≤ ε ≤ 0.0025 ð1Þ
RB 31 2.22 16.70 48.06 f c0 0.001633 þ ε
RB 32 2.22 18.40 43.82
RB 33 2.22 15.80 47.16 where f c is stress at strain, ε and fc0 is compressive strength of
RB 34 2.11 15.47 45.88 concrete. This equation is valid till strain level of 0.0025. It is owing
RB 35a 2.00 19.76 49.04 to the limitation of recording strain data after maximum stress level.
RB 35b 2.06 17.86 48.45
RB 35c 2.07 15.30 45.43
Young’s Modulus of Concrete
RB 35d 2.09 12.87 42.40
RB 36 2.09 14.24 49.80 Young’s modulus of concrete at 7, 14, and 28 days for different
RB 37a 2.06 19.10 48.20 cases is shown in Fig. 5. For W/C = 0.55, the Young’s modulus
RB 37b 2.06 18.50 48.32 of concrete for recycled aggregate is lower compared with the same
RB 38a 2.20 18.50 47.68 with picked brick aggregate concrete (PBWC55) (approximately
RB 38b 2.15 15.90 47.36
20–30% lower). However, for both W/C ratios (0.55 and 0.45)
RB 38c 2.06 10.04 42.29
RB 40 2.14 15.0 47.00 compared with first class brick aggregate concrete (FBWC55),
RB 41 2.11 18.60 48.6 no reduction of Young’s modulus of recycled brick aggregate con-
RB 43 2.22 15.15 50.94 crete is found. Even, some recycled brick aggregate cases show
RB 44 2.02 14.92 45.60 higher Young’s modulus of concrete compared with the first class
RB 45a 2.10 22.70 50.58 brick aggregate concrete. Reduction of W/C of recycled aggregate
RB 45b 2.00 17.76 48.32 concrete improves the Young’s modulus. The variation of Young’s
RB 46 2.00 19.80 52.32 modulus of recycled aggregate concrete with square root of com-
RB 50 2.34 10.70 57.00 pressive strength of concrete is shown in Fig. 6. The following
RB 52 2.20 18.80 46.16 linear relationship is found between the Young’s modulus and
RB 55 2.10 23.15 43.44
the square root of compressive strength of concrete:
RB 60 2.10 13.40 44.80
pffiffiffiffiffi
EC ¼ 3,595ψðtÞ fc0 ð2Þ
strength of concrete. Further investigation is necessary to clarify where Ec is Young’s modulus of concrete in MPa, and fc0 is com-
this observation. It is understood that for possible recycling of pressive strength of concrete in MPa and ψðtÞ is a time dependent
demolished aggregate concrete as coarse aggregate, it is necessary constant.
to reduce W/C. ψðtÞ ¼ 1; 0.98, and 0.94 at 28, 14, and 7 days, respectively.

14

12
W/C=0.55
10 W/C=0.45
Slump (cm)

0
PB
FB
SB
TB
RBY1
RBY1.5
RBY15
RBY16
RBY20
RBY28
RBY29
RBY30
RBY31
RBY32
RBY33
RBY34
RBY35a
RBY35b
RBY35c
RBY35d
RBY36
RBY37a
RBY37b
RBY38a
RBY38b
RBY38c
RBY40
RBY41
RBY43
RBY44
RBY45a
RBY45b
RBY46
RBY50
RBY52
RBY55
RBY60

Fig. 2. Workability of concrete for W/C = 0.45 and W/C = 0.55

© ASCE B4014005-4 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

 35

Compressive Strength (MPa)

30 7D
14D
25 28D

20
15
10
5
0

PBWC55
FBWC55
SBWC55
TBWC55
RBY1WC55
RBY1.5WC55
RBY15WC55
RBY16WC55
RBY28WC55
RBY29WC55
RBY30WC55
RBY31WC55
RBY32WC55
RBY33WC55
RBY34WC55
RBY35bWC55
RBY35cWC55
RBY35dWC55
RBY36WC55
RBY37aWC55
RBY37bWC55
RBY38aWC55
RBY38bWC55
RBY38cWC55
RBY40WC55
RBY41WC55
RBY43WC55
RBY44WC55
RBY45aWC55
RBY46WC55
RBY60WC55
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(a)

35
7D
Compressive Strength (MPa)

30
14D
25 28D

20
15
10
5
0
FBWC45
SBWC45
TBWC45
RBY1WC45
RBY1.5WC45
RBY15WC45
RBY16WC45
RBY20WC45
RBY28WC45
RBY29WC45
RBY30WC45
RBY31WC45
RBY32WC45
RBY33WC45
RBY34WC45
RBY35aWC45
RBY35bWC45
RBY35cWC45
RBY35dWC45
RBY36WC45
RBY37aWC45
RBY37bWC45
RBY38aWC45
RBY38bWC45
RBY38cWC45
RBY40WC45
RBY41WC45
RBY43WC45
RBY44WC45
RBY45aWC45
RBY45bWC45
RBY46WC45
RBY50WC45
RBY52WC45
RBY55WC45
RBY60WC45
(b)

Fig. 3. Compressive strength of concrete: (a) W/C = 0.55-top; (b) W/C = 0.45-bottom

pffiffiffiffiffi
Compressive Strength and Tensile Strength f t ¼ 0.50 f c0 ð3Þ
Relationship
where ft is tensile strength of concrete in MPa and f c0 is compres-
The variation of tensile strength of recycled brick aggregate con-
sive strength of concrete in MPa.
crete with compressive strength is shown in Fig. 7 for recycled
brick aggregate. Based on the experimental data of recycled brick
aggregate, the following relationship is proposed between tensile Compressive Strength and Wear Relationship
strength and compressive strength of concrete:
The variation of compressive strength of recycled brick aggregate
concrete with the wear value of recycled brick aggregate is shown
in Fig. 8. It is observed that with an increase of wear value, the
1.2 compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete is reduced.
The following relationships are proposed between compressive
1
strength and wear value of recycled brick aggregate for W/C =
0.55 and W/C = 0.45, respectively:

0.8 f c0 ¼ −0.57X þ 47.7 ð4Þ

Normalized Stress

f c0 ¼ −0.49X þ 48.6 ð5Þ

0.6
where fc0 is compressive strength of concrete at 28 days in MPa,
and X is wear value of recycled brick aggregate in percentage.
0.4
Using these relationships, the strength of recycled brick aggre-
gate concrete for a particular recycled brick aggregate with known
0.2 Actual - RB wear value can be judged (for W/C = 0.55 and 0.45).
Proposed Equation - RB

0 Strength versus Time Relationship

0 0.0005 0.001 0.0015 0.002 0.0025 0.003
Strain The strength of recycled brick aggregate concrete at seven and
14 days was normalized by the corresponding 28-day strength.
Fig. 4. Stress-strain curves of concrete
Variation of normalized strength of recycled brick aggregate

© ASCE B4014005-5 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

 3.E+04
7D

Young's Modulus (MPa)

3.E+04 14D
2.E+04 28D

2.E+04

1.E+04

5.E+03

0.E+00

PBWC55
FBWC55
SBWC55
TBWC55
RBY1WC55
RBY1.5WC55
RBY15WC55
RBY16WC55
RBY28WC55
RBY29WC55
RBY30WC55
RBY31WC55
RBY32WC55
RBY33WC55
RBY34WC55
RBY35bWC55
RBY35cWC55
RBY35dWC55
RBY36WC55
RBY37aWC55
RBY37bWC55
RBY38aWC55
RBY38bWC55
RBY38cWC55
RBY40WC55
RBY41WC55
RBY43WC55
RBY44WC55
RBY45aWC55
RBY46WC55
RBY60WC55
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(a)

3.E+04
Young's Modulus (MPa)

7D
3.E+04 14D
2.E+04 28D
2.E+04
1.E+04
5.E+03
0.E+00
FBWC45
SBWC45
TBWC45
RBY1WC45
RBY1.5WC45
RBY15WC45
RBY16WC45
RBY20WC45
RBY28WC45
RBY29WC45
RBY30WC45
RBY31WC45
RBY32WC45
RBY33WC45
RBY34WC45
RBY35aWC45
RBY35bWC45
RBY35cWC45
RBY35dWC45
RBY36WC45
RBY37aWC45
RBY37bWC45
RBY38aWC45
RBY38bWC45
RBY38cWC45
RBY40WC45
RBY41WC45
RBY43WC45
RBY44WC45
RBY45aWC45
RBY45bWC45
RBY46WC45
RBY50WC45
RBY52WC45
RBY55WC45
RBY60WC45
(b)

Fig. 5. Young’s modulus of concrete: (a) W/C = 0.55-top; (b) W/C = 0.45-bottom

3.E+04 4

3.E+04
y = 3594.7x y = 0.5005x
Young's Modulus (MPa)

R² = 0.2622 R² = 0.4279
3
Tensile Strength (MPa)

2.E+04

2.E+04
2
1.E+04

5.E+03
1
0.E+00
0 2 4 6 8
√f'c
0
Fig. 6. Relationship between Young’s modulus and compressive 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
√f'c
strength at 28 days
Fig. 7. Relationship between tensile strength and compressive strength
at 28 days

concrete with time is shown in Fig. 9. The variation of compressive

strength of recycled brick aggregate concrete (and for tensile ft 0.1192t
¼ ; R2 ¼ 0.20 ðTensile strengthÞ ð7Þ
strength) is attributable to the variation of quality of different fc0 3.042 þ t
recycled aggregates. The variation of compressive strength of con-
crete with wear value of different recycled aggregates is explained where fc and ft are compressive strength and tensile strength at
in the previous section. The following time dependent relationships time t, respectively. f c0 is 28-day compressive strength of concrete.
are proposed for compressive strength and tensile strength of re-
cycled brick aggregate concrete. From these relationships, 28-day
Statistical Analysis of Compressive Strength of
strength of concrete can be obtained from 3 days, or 7 days, or
Recycled Aggregate Concrete
14 days strength
Using normal distribution, the probability distribution function
fc 1.108t
¼ ; R2 ¼ 0.80 ðCompressive strengthÞ ð6Þ (PDF) and cumulative probability distribution function (CDF) of
fc0 3.069 þ t 28-day compressive strength of concrete collected from 33 different

© ASCE B4014005-6 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

 30 0.0011
y = -0.5746x + 47.682 0.001
RBWC45
R² = 0.9973 0.0009
RBWC55
y = -0.4941x + 48.581 0.0008
Compressive Strength (MPa)

R² = 0.9914
0.0007
25 0.0006

PDF
0.0005
0.0004
0.0003
0.0002
w/c = 0.55
20 0.0001
w/c = 0.45 0
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0 10 20 30 40
Compressive Strength (MPa)

15 Fig. 10. PDF for compressive strength of concrete—W/C = 0.55 and

40 45 50 55 0.45
% Wear

Fig. 8. Wear of recycled aggregate versus compressive strength of

concrete 1
0.9 RBWC45
0.8 RBWC55
1.2
0.7
0.6
1
CDF 0.5
0.4

0.8 0.3
Normalized Strength

0.2

Data - Comp. Str.-RB 0.1

0.6
Equation - Comp. Str. - RB 0
0 10 20 30 40
Data - Ten. Str.-RB Compressive Strength (MPa)
0.4
Equation - Ten. Str. - RB
Fig. 11. CDF for compressive strength of concrete—W/C = 0.55 and
0.45
0.2

0 without replacement was marked as FB100RB0Y55WC55. The

0 10
Time (Days)
Fig. 9. Variation of normalized strength of concrete with time
sites were determined and shown in Figs. 10 and 11 for W/C = 0.55
and W/C = 0.45, respectively. The average strength for W/C = 0.55
is found to be 20.4 MPa and the same for W/C = 0.45 is 24.7 MPa.
20 30
compressive strength of concrete for these cases is shown in Fig. 12.
For all five cases, the strength of concrete is very close to the com-
pressive strength of first class brick aggregate concrete without any
replacement. It is also seen that there is no significant reduction of
compressive strength of concrete from 10 to 50% of replacement.
35
Compressive Strength (MPa)

The standard deviation was 2.7 MPa for W/C = 0.55 and 4.0 MPa 30
for W/C = 0.45. 25
20
Compressive Strength of Concrete with Partial 15
Replacement
10
The virgin first class brick aggregate was investigated with partial 5
replacement for 10, 20, 30, and 50%. The age of the recycled
0
aggregate investigated for partial replacement was 55 years. The
FB100RB0Y55

FB90RB10Y55

FB80RB20Y55

FB70RB30Y55

FB50RB50Y55

properties of recycled aggregate used for this study can be obtained

WC55

WC55

WC55

WC55

WC55

from Table 3. Water to cement ratio of concrete was 0.55 for this
investigation. The cases were marked as FB90RB10Y55WC55
(case with 10% replacement), FB80RB20Y55WC55 (case with 20%
replacement), FB70RB30Y55WC55 (case with 30% replacement),
Fig. 12. Compressive strength of concrete with partial replacement
and FB50RB50Y55WC55 (case with 50% replacement). The case

© ASCE B4014005-7 J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

J. Mater. Civ. Eng.

 The first class brick aggregate concrete gives almost similar strength
compared with the recycled brick aggregate concrete made with
replacement of brick aggregate from 10 to 50%.
In-Situ Strength and Compressive Strength of
Concrete after Recycling
For evaluation of in-situ strength of concrete, 100-mm core samples
were collected from the structural members of 35-year-old concrete
structure as shown in Fig. 13. The core samples were marked as
RBY35CR. Concrete samples were also made with recycled brick
aggregate collected from the same structure. The water to cement
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ratio of concrete was 0.45. The case made with recycled brick
aggregate concrete collected from this structure was marked as
RBY35aWC45. The properties of recycled brick aggregate used
for this investigation can be obtained from Table 3. The variation
of strength of core samples and new concrete samples made with
the recycled aggregate of the same structure is shown in Fig. 14.
The in-situ strength of 35-year-old concrete was 20.7 MPa and the
compressive strength of concrete made with the recycled aggregate
of the same structure became 27.6 MPa. It is clearly observed that
by recycling of brick aggregate concrete, it is possible to make
concrete with higher strength compared with the in-situ strength
of concrete.
Fig. 13. Collection of core samples from a demolished structural
member of 35-year-old building
35
7D
30 14D
Compressive Strength (MPa)
28D
25
20
15
10
5 drical concrete specimens.” ASTM C-39, West Conshohocken, PA.
0 cific gravity), and absorption of fine aggregate.” ASTM C-128, West
RBY35CR RBY35aWC45
Fig. 14. In-situ strength and compressive strength of recycled aggre-
gate concrete
© ASCE B4014005-8
J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
Conclusions
From the scope of this investigation on recycling of brick aggregate
concrete, the following conclusions are drawn:
• Compared with the first class brick aggregate commonly used in
Bangladesh, the recycled aggregates show better performance
with respect to abrasion and absorption capacity,
• For W/C = 0.55, the workability of recycled aggregate concrete
is relatively lower compared with the workability of the first
class brick aggregate concrete,
• For W/C = 0.55, the recycled aggregate concrete gives lower
strength compared with the first class brick aggregate concrete.
If W/C is reduced (from 0.55 to 0.45), the strength and Young’s
modulus of concrete are improved significantly,
• The average strength of recycled aggregate concrete is found to
be 24.7 and 20.4 MPa for W/C = 0.45 and 0.55, respectively,
• The relationship between the Young’s modulus and compressive
strength of recycled aggregate concrete is proposed,
• Strength (both for compressive and tensile strength) versus time
relationship for recycled brick aggregate concrete is proposed,
• The relationships between wear value of recycled brick aggre-
gate and compressive strength of recycled brick aggregate con-
crete for W/C = 0.45 and 0.55 are proposed that can be used as a
guideline to estimate the compressive strength of recycled brick
aggregate concrete with the variation of wear value. If the wear
value of recycled brick aggregate is known or determined from a
concrete laboratory, then the compressive strength of concrete
from the wear value of recycled brick aggregate can be esti-
mated for W/C = 0.55 and W/C = 0.45,
• For partial replacement up to 50%, no remarkable reduction in
compressive strength of concrete is found compared with the
first class brick aggregate concrete, and
• By recycling, it is possible to make concrete with higher
strength compared with the in-situ strength of concrete.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial grants provided by The
Structural Engineers Limited (SEL), 29 West Panthapath, Dhaka
1205, Bangladesh and International Committee on Concrete Model
Code for Asia (ICCMC) [presently Asia Concrete Federation
(ACF)] for this study. All results included in this study were
summarized from the undergraduate thesis of some students.
The authors acknowledge the efforts of all students who conducted
this study. The authors also acknowledge the financial support and
facilities provided by University of Asia Pacific (UAP) for concrete
research at the Department of Civil Engineering.
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