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Brick (BR) and roof tile (RT) fine aggregate fractions derived from construction and demolition wastes have a low recycling rate in new construction and building materials. This article assesses their suitability for replacing the limestone aggregate in foam concrete, which helps valorise such fractions and conserve natural limestone resources. Two concrete categories containing or not silica fume (SF) were investigated, while the BR and RT aggregate replacement rates were 10%, 20% and 40%. Tested properties include flow, density, water absorption, porosity, thermal conductivity, mechanical strengths, microscopy, drying shrinkage, resistance to freeze/thaw cycles and elevated temperature. Results showed that the concrete mechanical properties improved when the limestone aggregate was replaced by 10% BR or RT but gradually curtailed at higher addition rates. Such results concorded with the density, water absorption and porosity measurements. Foamed concrete containing BR is more resistant (compared to RT) to drying shrinkage, freeze/thaw cycle, and heat exposure, which was ascribed to the relatively lower BR porosity that improves the concrete mechanical properties and durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited investigations have evaluated the potential of using layered sections of normal-weight and lightweight concrete (NWC and LWC) mixtures in structural beams and slabs. The main objective of this paper is to assess the flexural strength properties of layered reinforced concrete (RC) beams, which help conserve natural resources and reduce construction weight. Six RC beams cast with different NWC/LWC combinations are tested to determine the damage patterns, concrete strains, ultimate load, displacements at failure, and ductility. The test results showed that the LWC cast in the tension zone (and up to the neutral axis) has a negligible effect on the beam's stiffness and ultimate load since the overall behavior remains governed by the yielding of tensile steel reinforcement. Nevertheless, the deflection at failure and ductility seem to gradually curtail when the NWC is partially replaced by LWC at different elevations across the beam's cross-section. A finite element analysis using ABAQUS software 6.14 is performed, and the results are compared with experimental data for model validation. Such data can be of interest to structural engineers and consultants aiming for optimized design of slabs and beams using layered concrete casting, which helps reduce the overall construction weight while maintaining the structural integrity of members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the feasibility of concrete mixtures containing high replacement rates of fine and/or coarse waste brick aggregates. Three mixture series prepared with different water-to-cement ratios are tested for workability, compressive strength, split tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, water permea-bility (by capillary or under pressure), and drying shrinkage. Test results showed that the concrete proper-ties remarkably degrade when the coarse natural aggregate fraction (i.e., retained on sieve No. 4) is fully replaced by recycled waste bricks, given their increased porosity that reduces the concrete density and weakens its skeleton. In contrast, the strength and durability remained almost unaltered when the fine natural aggregate fraction was replaced by 50 % recycled waste bricks, and considerably better than equivalent mixtures made using the same amount of recycled fine aggregates derived from hardened waste concrete.

Due to the large increase in human population, the need for more buildings and other amenities is widening. Concrete is considered one of the most abundant and popular materials used in the structure and construction fields. It is known as a composite mix composed of cement and aggregates including fine and coarse and water. Despite its good properties, its capability to be formed in different shapes and its ability to resist severe conditions, concrete will struggle with the presence of extremely high temperatures. So, different types of concrete must be found to resist those challenging conditions. Refractory concrete can be considered a good choice to be used in places exposed to elevated temperatures and severe conditions. Mainly, refractory concrete is made up of ordinary Portland cement replacement well known as refractory cement, specific types of fine and coarse aggregates and are known as refractory or temperature-bearing aggregates and water. To the best authors' knowledge, review papers about refractory concrete are rare. For this reason, more than 65 papers were consulted including many recently published. This review describes the different types of materials used in refractory concrete. Furthermore, the different fresh, hardened, structural, durability and thermal properties of refractory concrete are also included such as slump, density, compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, ultrasonic pulse velocity, shrinkage, mass loss, porosity, water absorption, damage level and thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the suitability of geopolymers (GPs) for use as adhesives for ceramic tile fixing, including their compliance to the relevant EN 12004 specification. Two series prepared with different percentages of metakaolin (MK), blast-furnace slag (BFS), and limestone materials activated by an alkaline NaOH/Na2SiO3 solution are investigated. Tested properties included the thixotropy, setting, compressive strength, open time, and adhesion bond strength under different exposure conditions (that is, dry, wet, heat, or freezing-and-thawing cycles). Compared to cement-based mortars containing adjusted proportions of cellulose and redispersible polymers, the GPs exhibited higher thixotropy, reflecting additional energy for spreading the material over the substrate, yet better maintenance of the alternating patterns of ripples and grooves at rest. The bond strengths tested under different exposure conditions were remarkably high for the MK-based GP, given the fine MK particle sizes that foster geopolymerization and crosslinking of solid bonds in the hardened structure. The BFS-based GP exhibited relatively lower bond strengths (compared to MK) due to coarser particles. Such results can be of interest to civil engineers and manufacturers of ready-to-use building materials that aim at reducing the portland cement footprint while assuring performance and sustainability of tiling applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited information exists in literature regarding the effect of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) latexes on rheology and stability of lightweight self-consolidating concrete (LWSCC) intended for repair and precast works. Four series of LWSCC mixtures prepared with various lightweight aggregate (LWA) and SBR concentrations were considered in this project: The free water was adjusted to secure compressive strength of 40 ± 3.5 MPa. The slump flow remained fixed at 700 ± 25 mm, while unit weight varied from 1790 to 2280 kg/m3. Test results have shown that SBR additions lead to reduced concrete flow rate and passing ability. However, improved static stability such as bleeding, segregation, and floating of LWA. The rheological properties including yield stress and plastic viscosity increased for higher SBR additions, reflecting increased cohesiveness resulting from coalescence of water-soluble latexes and binding of cementitious matrix. Three categories of LWSCC classes specified in the European Guidelines were proposed with respect to rheological properties. A Ψ-factor was developed along with series of regression models to predict the combined effect of free water, viscosity-modifier, LWA, and SBR on rheology and stability of polymermodified LWSCC