Experimental Study of Mechanical Properties and Theoretical Models for Recycled Fine and Coarse Aggregate Concrete with Steel Fibers

Abstract

With diminishing natural aggregate resources and increasing environmental protection efforts, the use of recycled fine aggregate is a more sustainable approach, although challenges persist in achieving comparable mechanical properties. Exploration into the incorporation of steel fibers with recycled aggregate has led to the development of steel-fiber-reinforced recycled aggregate concrete. This study investigates the shrinkage performance and compressive constitutive relationship of steel fiber recycled concrete with different steel fibers and recycled aggregate dosages. Initially, based on different replacement rates of recycled coarse aggregate and different volume contents of steel fiber, experimental results demonstrate that as the replacement rate of recycled coarse aggregate increases, shrinkage also increases, while the addition of steel fiber can mitigate this effect. An empirical shrinkage model for steel fiber recycled concrete under natural curing conditions is also proposed. Subsequently, based on the uniaxial compression test, findings indicate that with an increasing replacement rate of recycled fine aggregate, the peak stress and elastic modulus of concrete decrease, accompanied by an increase in peak strain, and the addition of steel fiber limits concrete crack development and enhances its brittleness while the peak stress and strain of recycled fine aggregate concrete are enhanced. However, the steel fiber volume percentage has a negligible effect on the elastic modulus. A constitutive relationship for concrete considering the effects of recycled fine aggregate and steel fiber is also proposed. This finding provides foundational support for the influence patterns of steel fiber dosage and recycled aggregate ratio on the mechanical properties of steel fiber recycled concrete.