Open Access Articles Peer Reviewed

Mechanical Performance and Durability of Concrete Incorporating Crushed Clay Brick Aggregate as a Partial Replacement for Natural Coarse Aggregate

Authors 5
Published: 2026-11-03 Issue: Vol. 26 , No. 4 Pages: 1-7 Cite this article DOI: 10.56748/ejse.261060

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a major and increasing environmental problem that is little used in concrete manufacturing, especially crushed clay brick. In this study, the mechanical and durability performance of concrete made of crushed clay brick aggregate (CBA) as a partial volumetric replacement of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) at the replacement level of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% has been evaluated. The proportioning of all the mixtures was designed for a nominal 28-day cube strength of 30MPa, the brick aggregate was soaked for 24 hours and dried to a saturated surface-dry (SSD) condition before mixing to account for the effect of water absorption by the aggregate. The fresh and hardened properties were evaluated by slump test, 7 days and 28 days compressive strength, splitting tensile strength at 7 days and at 28 days, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) at 28 days and water absorption at 28 days. As the amount of CBA increased, the workability, strength, and UPV decreased consistently while the water absorption increased. In addition, slump dropped from 78 mm at 0% replacement to 26 mm at 100%, and 28-day compressive strength decreased from 35.6 MPa to 17.7 MPa (a 50.3% reduction), while splitting tensile strength dropped from 2.85 MPa to 1.96 MPa (a 31.2% reduction), suggesting that tensile capacity was relatively less affected by the incorporation of CBA. The UPV decreased from 4.87 km/s to 3.21 km/s and water absorption increased from 4.19% to 7.44% with the same range, and the inverse relationship between compressive strength and water absorption has been identified. Better balances between mechanical adequacy and sustainability gains were obtained for 25% CBA replacement while 50% and higher replacement levels showed significant loss of performance, limiting their use to non-structural applications.

Keywords

  • Crushed Clay Brick Aggregate
  • Compressive Strength
  • Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity
  • Water Absorption
  • Sustainable Concrete
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