Influence of quality and variation of recycled masonry aggregates on failure behavior of cement treated demolition waste

• Investigation on the influence of quality and variation of the recycled masonry in CDW.
• The masonry content in CDW determining the properties of cement treated demolition waste.
• Fracture of cement treated demolition waste depends on the mechanical properties of masonry.

Cement treatment of construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a good option as a road base layer with a higher load spreading capacity for pavements. However, the quality and variation of recycled masonry in CDW change considerably in practice and this certainly influences the mechanical properties of cement treated demolition waste. This paper presents the influence of quality and variation of recycled masonry aggregates on its failure and indirect tensile strength by carrying out experimental tests in the laboratory and employing lattice modeling to analyze the fracture process. Numerical analysis and experimental results indicate that the masonry content is an important factor to determine the mechanical properties of the mixture. The failure of cement treated demolition waste originates either in the bonding layer between aggregates and matrix or through some low-quality masonry particles along the loading direction.