Evaluation of recycled construction aggregates in terms of strength and durability properties for use in road engineering

Andrzej Duszyński

doi:10.7409/rabdim.025.037

Published: 2025-12-22

Vol. 24 No. 4 (2025)

Evaluation of recycled construction aggregates in terms of strength and durability properties for use in road engineering

Andrzej Duszyński

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.7409/rabdim.025.037

Abstract

Recycled construction aggregates represent a wide range of aggregates used in road engineering and are characterised by relatively high variability in the properties tested even within the same type of raw material used for its production. The properties laid down in specific regulations concerning applications do not reflect the specific characteristics of recycled aggregates. Being aggregates that are inherently multi-component or formed by mixing different raw materials and crushable, they require expanded testing and evaluation methods for their classification for road engineering applications. The important strength- and durability-related properties of these aggregates are grading stability, stability of load-bearing capacity, and reinforcement ratio. The basic element of this paper will be the results of aggregate tests and their analysis in terms of the evaluation of properties resulting from the specificity of aggregates as well as the classification of requirements and performance characteristics used in Polish technical documents. The maximum change in grading makes it possible to pre-classify recycled construction aggregates for specific layers in road pavement construction. On the other hand, the stability of load-bearing capacity expressed through the guaranteed bearing capacity index or reinforcement ratio makes it possible to correctly identify changes in load-bearing capacity in an aggregate in terms of minerals, composition, or chemistry.

Keywords:

bearing capacity index, maximum change in grading, recycled aggregates, reinforcement ratio, stability of load-bearing capacity

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Duszyński, A. (2025). Evaluation of recycled construction aggregates in terms of strength and durability properties for use in road engineering. Roads and Bridges – Drogi I Mosty, 24(4), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.7409/rabdim.025.037

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Evaluation of recycled construction aggregates in terms of strength and durability properties for use in road engineering

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