Ultimate bond strength assessment of uncorroded and corroded reinforced recycled aggregate concretes

This experimental study assesses the bond performance of recycled aggregate concretes (RAC) with embedded uncorroded and corroded steel bars. The RAC were produced using 20%, 50% and 100% of coarse recycled aggregates obtained from the crushing of waste 40 MPa compressive strength concrete. Three degrees of corrosion were reached on the steel bars. The uncorroded RAC specimens presented a comparable bond strength to that of conventional concrete (CC). Low corroded RAC specimens presented better bond performance and later superficial cracking when compared to those of CC. At a higher corrosion degree, all concretes presented a similar bond capacity. The ultimate bond strength estimation models used for CC were adequate for its prediction on RAC.