Influence of steam curing on the pore structures and mechanical properties of fly-ash high performance concrete prepared with recycled aggregates

Abstract

In this research work, High Performance Concrete (HPC) was produced employing 30% of fly ash and 70% of Portland cement as binder materials. Three types of coarse recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) sourced from medium to high strength concretes were employed as 100% replacement of natural aggregates for recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) production. The specimens of four types of concretes (natural aggregate concrete (NAC) and three RACs) were subjected to initial steam curing besides the conventional curing process. The use of high quality RCA (>100 MPa) in HPC produced RAC with similar or improved pore structures, compressive and splitting tensile strengths, and modulus of elasticity to those of NAC. It was determined that the mechanical and physical behaviour of HPC decreased with the reduction of RCA quality. Nonetheless steam-cured RACs had greater reductions of porosity up to 90 days than NAC, which led to lower capillary pore volume.