Recycling and reuse of waste concrete in China: Part I. Material behaviour of recycled aggregate concrete

From the viewpoint of environmental preservation and effective utilization of resources, it is beneficial and necessary to reuse waste concrete as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for new concrete, often referred to as recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). In the recent years, intensive researches on this topic have been carried out in China and several successful applications of RAC in practical engineering were also performed. This paper provides an introduction of the background information for the recycling of waste concrete in China and a critical review of the related studies and achievements on the material behaviour of RAC. The following aspects are mainly focused on: the production of RCA, the mechanical behaviour of RAC (both strength and deformation characteristics) and the durability aspects of RAC. Furthermore, a brief introduction to the provisions for RCA and material behaviour of RAC specified in the first standard for RAC in China—Technical Code for Application of Recycled Aggregate Concrete (DG/TJ07-008), issued in 2007, was also presented.