Design and performance of masonry mortars made with recycled concrete aggregates

The present paper discusses the technical feasibility ofusing the fine fraction of recycled aggregate fromconcrete rubble to manufacture cement mortar andpossible conditions.An initial study of the chemical and physical-mechanicalcharacteristics of fines recycled from selected concreteshowed that their high absorptivity and high sulfatecontent compared to natural limestone sands were thelimiting factors to their in masonry mortars.As in the caseof structural concrete, a blend of recycled and naturalaggregate would appear to be suitable for masonrymortars.A study of the mix proportions and characteristics ofmortars made with recycled concrete aggregate showedthat up to 25% recycled aggregate can be used incement-based masonry mortars with no significant declinein performance and no new admixtures or higher cementcontent requires.