Seismic performance of frame structures with recycled aggregate concrete

This paper deals with an experimental study on the seismic performance of frame structures with recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). Based on the seismic tests of four 1:2-scaled frame specimens under low-frequency cyclic lateral load with constant vertical actions, the failure pattern, the hysteresis curves, the skeleton curves, the energy dissipation capacity, and the stiffness degradation laws of frame structures with recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) are investigated. The effects of different RCA replacement percentages (i.e., 0, 30%, 50% and 100%) on the seismic performance of the reinforced recycled aggregate concrete frames are emphasized and analyzed in detail. It is concluded that the general seismic behaviour of a frame structure with recycled aggregate concrete declines with an increase of the RCA replacement percentage. Nevertheless, a frame structure with a higher content of RCA still behaves well enough to resist an earthquake attack.