A multi-scale study of the physical properties of recycled aggregate pervious concrete containing waste glass particles

ABSTRACT

With the rapid expansion of industrial and civil construction, the demands for concrete and its production has increased significantly, resulting in massive wastage. An effective strategy to recycle solid waste involves its aggregation for producing concrete. In this study, through two layers of mortar and concrete, the changing rule and influence mechanism of waste-glass particles on the mechanical properties and permeability of recycled aggregate pervious concrete (RAPC) were analysed. The results indicated the efficacy of using waste-glass particles instead of natural river sand in promoting hydration and enhancing the calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) content, thereby improving the compactness and pore structure of concrete. Specifically, the strength of RAPC increased with an increase in waste-glass particle content, whereas the permeability exhibited a reverse trend. When the replacement rate of waste-glass particles is 100%, the compressive strength of RAPC peaks at 24.19 MPa, which is approximately 66.48% greater than that of pervious concrete manufactured using natural river sand, and its permeability coefficient is 0.63 mm s⁻¹, which meets the requirements set for pervious concrete. Faced with limited availability of natural mineral resources, the substitution of fine aggregates with waste-glass particles is conducive to sustainable development.

KEYWORDS:

• Waste-glass particle
• recycled aggregate pervious concrete (RAPC)
• strength performance
• permeability
• microstructure

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power. The authors also would like to acknowledge the support of The National Natural Science Foundation of China (52109154,51979169); Science and Technology Research Project of Henan Province (222102320439); Fund of Innovative Education Program for Graduate Students at North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, China (NCWUYC-2023020).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).