Concrete paving blocks and flags made with crushed brick as aggregate

Demolition of old buildings in urban cores has produced a large amount of waste material. Since they are mostly masonry structures the largest part of the waste material is ceramic waste. Besides that, ceramic waste is obtained as a byproduct in the ceramic industry. All of this initiated a research for the application of concrete with recycled brick as aggregate. In this paper, the possibility of using crushed bricks in the production of concrete elements for the pedestrian zone is shown. The application of recycled brick as aggregate, produces concrete of less density and strength, and of increased absorption. All of this also has an effect on the quality of concrete flags and paving blocks. Based on the results obtained by testing the resistance to frost of concrete it was assumed that it is possible to get the products comply with European standards. The results show that replacing up to a 32.5% of natural aggregate with crushed brick aggregate produces concrete blocks, and up to 65% of it produces concrete paving flags which meet the requirements of European standards.

► Using crushed brick in the production of concrete elements for the pedestrian zone.
► Properties of concrete with 25–100% recycled brick as aggregate.
► Mass loss for all type of blocks and flags after freeze/thaw test was ⩽1.0 kg/m2.
► The quality of elements depend of replacement level of natural aggregate.
► Getting the best class of paving flags with 25% crushed brick according to EN 1339.