Estimation of Recycled Concrete Aggregate’s Water Permeability Coefficient as Earth Construction Material with the Application of an Analytical Method

Abstract

Creating models based on empirical data and their statistical measurements have been used for a long time in the economic sciences. Increasingly, these methods are used in the technical sciences, such as construction and geotechnical engineering. This allows for reducing the costs of geotechnical research at the design stage. This article presents the research carried out on Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) material with is reclaimed crushed concrete rubble. Permeability tests were carried out using the constant head method. Tests were conducted on blends of RCA with the following particle size ranges: 0.02–16 mm, 0.05–16 mm, 0.1–16 mm, and 0.2–16 mm. The gradients used during the tests were between 0.2 to 0.83, which corresponds to gradients encountered in earth construction and are below the critical gradient. Directly from the tests, the flux velocity for the range of tested gradients were calculated based on filtered water volume measurements. The values of the permeability coefficient (k) were then recalculated. Finally, statistical methods were used to determine which physical parameters of the tested material affect the permeability coefficient. The physical parameters selected from the statistical analysis were used to create a model describing the phenomenon. The model can be used to determine the permeability coefficient for a mixed RCA material. The article ends with conclusions and proposals concerning the use of models and the limits of their applicability.