Student Research

Finite Element Modeling of the Behavior of Recycled and Normal Concrete Columns Under Combined Axial and Lateral Loadings

Recycled concrete has been increasingly recognized as a potential alternative to normal concrete, contributing to more sustainable and environmentally friendly construction practices. Instead of a normal concrete mix, recycled materials, such as recycled concrete aggregates (RCA), crushed glass, and wood ash, are proposed as replacements for conventional aggregates, sand, and cement, respectively. Despite extensive research on the behavior of recycled concrete members, the seismic response of fully recycled concrete columns remains insufficiently explored. This study aims to compare the behavior of recycled concrete columns with that of normal concrete columns under earthquake loading. For this purpose, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform was used to model square columns of normal and recycled concrete subjected to combined axial and lateral loading. After validating the numerical simulation results against experimental data, the developed models were used to conduct a parametric study. The results showed that finite element modeling can accurately predict the behavior of both normal and recycled concrete columns. In addition, the hysteretic response of recycled concrete columns was found to be very similar to that of normal concrete columns. The results also showed that increasing the longitudinal reinforcement ratio and the concrete gross area had a positive influence on the hysteretic response of both types of columns. In contrast, increasing the axial load ratio and the column height had a negative impact on the hysteretic behavior of both normal and recycled concrete columns. However, the lateral reinforcement ratio showed only a limited influence. Overall, the findings suggest that recycled concrete columns can achieve a seismic performance comparable to conventional concrete columns at the replacement levels considered. Nevertheless, further research is needed to determine whether higher replacement percentages of RCA, crushed glass, and wood ash can maintain similar structural performance.

Keywords

Recycled Concrete, Normal Concrete, Recycled Concrete Aggregates, Crushed Glass, Wood Ash, Hysteretic Response.

Project Details