Flexural behaviour of recycled aggregate concrete graded slabs

This paper proposes a new concept for “recycled aggregate concrete graded slabs”, which can be achieved through graded distribution for the mechanical properties of the recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). In this study, one four-point bending test was used to investigate six RAC graded slabs and three homogeneous slabs with RAC. The major parameters considered were the layers with different recycled coarse aggregates (RCAs) replacement percentages (0, 50 and 100%), the grading pattern (different casting methods) and the reinforcement ratio. It has been concluded that RAC graded slabs have similar flexural behaviour to that of homogeneous slabs with RAC. The reinforcement ratio, the layers with different RCA replacement percentages and the grading pattern can influence the flexural behaviour of RAC graded slabs. Furthermore, the effects of the three factors on both the flexural capacity and the deflection of the RAC graded slabs were studied with finite element method (FEM) simulation using ABAQUS software. Both the experiments and the FEM analysis indicate that the flexural behaviour of RAC slabs can be improved by using this suitable grading method.