Carbonization test and orthogonal polynomial regression analysis of steel fiber reclaimed concrete

To enhance the carbonation resistance of reclaimed concrete, several key factors affecting its performance were investigated. An orthogonal array <i>L</i> ₁₆(4³ × 2⁶) was employed to design the carbonation tests for steel fiber (SF) reinforced concrete. The study included varying SF volume ratios, along with considerations of different concrete ages (T) and water-cement ratios (W/R). The effect of SF volume ratio, regenerated crude aggregate (RCA) replacement rate, W/R, and T on the carbonation resistance of recycled concrete was analyzed. The test results indicated a trend of increasing carbonation depth over time. However, a lower W/R ratio resulted in a reduced carbonation depth. Notably, a 50 % RCA replacement rate led to a shallower carbonation depth compared to other replacement rates. After 28 d, recycled concrete containing 1 % SF exhibited a carbonation depth that was 6.9 %, 1.5 %, 1.5 %, and 9.3 % lower than concrete with 0 %, 0.5 %, 1.5 %, and 2 % SF, respectively. Therefore, the incorporation of 1 % SF was found to be the most effective in improving carbonation resistance. Orthogonal polynomial regression analysis was employed to develop a regression equation relating carbonation depth to SF volume ratio, RCA replacement rate, W/R, and T. The regression coefficients were calculated and tested, leading to the identification of the optimal regression equation and its corresponding confidence interval.