Is it possible, after demolishing a concrete building or breaking apart sidewalk, that your crew could recycle the debris for future building material? That’s the question a research team from University of Notre Dame set out to answer. So reports Science Daily.
They wanted to find a sustainable use for deteriorating infrastructure material—the crushed rock and gravel that make up most of the volume of concrete—for use in new buildings and bridges, for example. Concerns about recycled concrete include the quality of its composition in terms of strength and durability.
Lead researcher, Yahya Kurama’s research team is looking at conservation of coarse aggregates, structural deflection under normal loads and typical environmental conditions. The implications of the research could help engineers to design concrete structures that blend appropriate ratios of recycled concrete aggregates that will have less environmental impact than those made with natural aggregates.
The study was published in the esteemed journal Science.