Abstract:
Nowadays, with the increase of sustainable construction criteria, the incorporation of recycled
coarse aggregate concrete (RCA) in concrete has become a reality. Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is one
of the most concerning degradation causes of concrete with natural aggregates. The incorporation of
RCA in concrete raises the ASR issue.
The main goal of this article is to present the first results of a research program on ASR in
concretes with RCA, using different replacement levels of natural coarse aggregates (NCA) with RCA.
For this purpose, controlled RCA were used, which were artificially aged to simulate an old and a
recent concrete. The influence of the concrete source, as well as the cement type on ASR development
in concrete with RCA was evaluated.
The study is still ongoing, but the results obtained so far indicate that the incorporation of 20%
reactive RCA did not show a marked expansion, i.e. their partial incorporation seems feasible. The highest
expansions were obtained with a 100% reactive RCA and also with a higher strength class cement.