Long-Term Performance of Recycled Concrete Aggregate for Subsurface Drainage
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 31, Issue 4
Abstract
Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is one of many sustainable construction materials, and its use in drainage systems by replacing virgin aggregate is beneficial from both economic and environmental perspectives. However, the use of RCA as pipe backfill material may cause a long-term performance issue such as clogging due to fine accumulation and calcite precipitation on filter fabric. Therefore, this study investigated long-term performance of RCA regarding flow rate and calcite precipitation. Long-term permeability testing was conducted to measure the reduction of flow rate with time, and the effect of filter fabric’s opening size on the flow was also evaluated. Additionally, an accelerated calcite precipitation (ACP) procedure was devised and used to estimate lifetime calcite precipitation of RCA. Two key findings are: (1) excessive RCA fine accumulation can cause significant reduction in RCA’s drainage performance; and (2) the clogging due to calcite precipitation of RCA may not be as significant as the existing and/or accumulated RCA fine.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a grant from R&D Program of the Korea Railroad Research Institute, Republic of Korea. The authors thank Mr. Zachary Behring from the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) District 4 for his laboratory work. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the FDOT or the U.S. DOT.
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 31 • Issue 4 • August 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 25, 2016
Accepted: Oct 17, 2016
Published online: Feb 13, 2017
Discussion open until: Jul 13, 2017
Published in print: Aug 1, 2017
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