Strength and cost analysis of concrete made from three different recycled coarse aggregates

Concrete remains the only choice for most structures among numerous construction materials, and after water, it is the most widely used material. Recycling waste materials is one of the greatest challenges to construction sustainability. The rapid developments in the construction sectors and industrialization have forced to the demolition of many existing bricks and concrete structures, thus producing numerous amounts of demolished concrete waste worldwide. The construction waste and generation of demolished concrete is growing continuously worldwide. Several researchers investigated the performance of recycled concrete aggregate instead of natural aggregate and found positive results regarding strength and durability. It is also obvious that above 75% of construction waste has some residue value and can be reused in construction, which can be very beneficial to preventing the pollution of the environment as well. However, research on the sustainability of using demolished concrete waste can be supportive of protecting the world's ecosystem, preserving natural assets, and improving the ecological conditions of all existing creatures on earth. This article represents the research on three combinations of concrete mixtures prepared with partially replaced three coarse aggregates: recycled brick aggregate, recycled concrete stone aggregate and recycled concrete brick aggregate. The primary analysis was accompanied based on the concrete compressive strength with various percentages of substitutive materials. Then a cost analysis is also carried out in this research, and eventually, a combination of the highest strength at minimum cost is pointed out. Another goal of this research is to identify how these supplementary materials of coarse aggregate can be used more, considering advantages as well as drawbacks keeping in mind that concrete is the most broadly used man-made material.