Structural application of recycled aggregate concrete within the fib Model Code 2020 and the new Eurocode 2: overview of design provisions, background and work of fib Task Group 4.7

Abstract

The need to use recycled aggregate (RA) in the production of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is increasingly recognized as a necessary and viable way to improving the sustainability of concrete production and saving scarce natural resources. For this purpose, over the last decades, a significant body of knowledge on RAC physical-mechanical, durability and structural properties has been generated by researchers and practitioners. However, what was missing was the standardization of this knowledge into structural design codes. With this aim, the fib Model Code 2020 (MC2020) and the new revision of Eurocode 2 (prEN1992-1-1) contain sections dedicated to the structural design of RAC with provisions for the modification of mechanical properties and resistance models. In parallel, background documents supporting the adopted provisions have been prepared. This work is organized through a new Task Group of the fib, TG4.7 “Structural Applications of Recycled Aggregate Concrete: Properties, Modeling and Design” which is preparing an extensive state of the art bulletin with background information on experimental, analytical and numerical research on RAC. Within this paper, the incorporation of RAC into MC2020 and prEN1992-1-1 is presented and discussed, alongside main implications, and an over-view of the background information being prepared by TG4.7 is given.