The Influence of Recycled Concrete Aggregate on Crack Development and Bending Capacity of a Reinforced Concrete Beam

Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA), made of construction and demolition waste, provides a sustainable alternative to natural aggregates. Experimental research using locally available RCA is necessary due to the differences in properties between the original concrete. This study examined four full-scale reinforced concrete beams (two with 100% RCA and two with natural aggregates (NA)) to compare deflections, cracking, and flexural capacity. The experimental results reveal that beams made with RCA exhibited larger deflections, earlier and more extensive cracking, and lower peak loads than those made with NA concrete. This behavior is primarily attributed to the reduced tensile strength of RCA concrete. The results indicate that RCA concrete exhibits distinct behavior compared to NA concrete, particularly in crack development and strain progression. Therefore, additional experiments should be conducted to update the design calculations, particularly in the serviceability limit state, to account for the unique behavior of concrete with RCA.