Date of Award

12-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Civil Engineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Poursaee, Amir

Committee Member

Putman, Bradley

Committee Member

Rangaraju, Prasada

Abstract

Using crushed bricks as aggregates in concrete is of particular interest to preserve natural aggregate sources as well as to reduce waste, as it has been estimated that 10% to 30% of all waste in landfills in the united States comes from construction and demolition wastes. By recycling some of these wastes, the sustainability of a project can be improved. However, it is important concrete incorporating these wastes is as durable or more durable then conventional concrete, or will it have a shorter service life. Durability of concrete is its ability to resist deterioration from its external environment such as physical attack, including abrasion, external loading, freezing and thawing cycles, or in the form of chemical attack, such as reinforcement corrosion. The objective of this experimental work was to study the durability of reinforced concrete made with crushed brick as partial coarse aggregate replacement. For this purpose, a comparative study was performed on the physical, mechanical, and durability properties of concrete made with crushed brick as aggregates and with natural aggregates. Results up to now show that the concrete made with natural aggregates exhibit better durability performance when compared to that made with crushed brick as aggregate. However, the poorer performance of concrete made with crushed brick is not significant and it seems it can be improved by modifying the concrete mixture. Nevertheless, this needs further investigation.

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