An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete

Mahedi Hasan Shuvo; Md Johirul Islam Khan; Md Abdullah Al Mamun; Shamima Nasrin; Md Shofiul Islam

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12

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An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete

Mahedi Hasan Shuvo^*

, Md Johirul Islam Khan

, Md Abdullah Al Mamun, Shamima Nasrin, Md Shofiul Islam

Published in American Journal of Construction and Building Materials (Volume 10, Issue 2)

Received: 30 September 2026 Accepted: 13 October 2026 Published: 28 October 2026

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Abstract

The volume of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated worldwide continues to rise sharply, which undermines efforts to meet long-term sustainability targets. Converting demolished concrete into aggregate offers a practical route to limit landfill disposal and preserve natural raw materials. In Bangladesh, crushed brick chips are the conventional coarse aggregate for concrete, whereas demolished substructure elements such as pile caps usually contain stone chips and can therefore supply stone-based recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) of high strength. In this work, natural coarse aggregate (NCA) was substituted with stone-based RCA at levels of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, and the resulting recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) was examined. The aim was to identify an acceptable RCA substitution level that does not impair concrete performance. Six batches of cylindrical specimens (100 mm × 200 mm) were prepared with a mix proportion of 1: 1.1: 3.1, designed following the British Standard method, and a constant w/c ratio of 0.50. Tests on the coarse aggregates indicated that the collected RCA was of better quality than the brick-based NCA, with a higher SSD unit weight (1493 kg/m³ versus 1338 kg/m³) and a much lower water absorption (10.32% versus 23.16%). Consequently, compressive strength rose progressively with RCA content up to 80% substitution, where it exceeded that of the control mix by 47%. At full (100%) substitution, the gain over the control dropped to 33.8%. This decline is linked to the larger quantity of old mortar attached to the aggregate surface, which produces a weaker interfacial transition zone (ITZ).

Published in	American Journal of Construction and Building Materials (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12
Page(s)	54-61
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Recycled Coarse Aggregate, Natural Coarse Concrete, Stone Chips, Brick Chips, Concrete

References

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[2]	Xiao J Z (2008). Recycled Concrete (in Chinese). Beijing: Chinese Building Construction Publishing Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-012-4786-9
[3]	Xu, Y. D., Jin, R. Y., Hu, L., Li, B., Chen, W. et al. (2020). Studying the mix design and investigating the photocatalytic performance of previous concrete containing TiO₂-soaked recycled aggregates. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, 119281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119281
[4]	Andrzej Ajdukiewicz, Alina Kliszczewicz, (2002), “Influence of recycled aggregates on mechanical properties of HS/HPC”, Elsevier, Cement & Concrete Composites 24 (2002) 269–279.
[5]	Seung Bum Park, DaeSeukSeo, and Jun Lee (2004), “Studies on the sound absorption characteristics of porous concrete based on the content of recycled aggregate and target void ratio”, Science@Direct, Cement and Concrete Research 35 (2005) 1846–1854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.12.009
[6]	M. Etxeberria, E. Vázquez, A. Marí, M. Barra, (2007), “Influence of amount of recycled coarse aggregates and production process on properties of recycled aggregate concrete”, Elsevier, Cement and Concrete Research 37 (2007) 735–742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2007.02.002
[7]	M. Bołtryk, Dorota Małaszkiewicz, and Edyta Pawluczuk (2005), “Basic Technical Properties of Recycled Aggregate Concrete,” viewed.
[8]	Limbachiya M, Meddah MS, Ouchagour Y. Performance of Portland/silica fume cement concrete produced with recycled concrete aggregate. ACI Mater J 2012; 109(1): 91–100.
[9]	S. Karunaratne (2013) (Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology), Arshiya Kariapper (University of Moratuwa), Use of Recycled Aggregates in Structural Concrete Conference Paper - June 2013 (Fredonia group of world construction aggregates, 2011).
[10]	Zhou, C.; Chen, Z. (2017): Mechanical properties of recycled concrete made with different types of coarse aggregate. Constr. Build. Mater. 134, 497–506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.12.163
[11]	Mohammed, T. U.; Hasnat, A.; Awal, M. A.; Bosunia, S. Z. (2014): Recycling of brick aggregate concrete as coarse aggregate. J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 27(7), B4014005. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001043
[12]	Lei Guo, Zi Guan, Lixia Guo, Weiping Shen, Zhilong Xue, Pingping Chen, and Mingru Li (2020); Effects of Recycled Aggregate Content on Pervious Concrete Performance; https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2020.013415
[13]	M. Safiuddin, M. A. Salam, U. J. Alengaram & Z. Jumaat (April 2011); Properties of High-Workability Concrete with Recycled Concrete Aggregate; https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-14392011005000039
[14]	A. R. Khan, M. S. Khan, S. Fareed, J. Xiao (2019); Structural Behaviour and Strength Prediction of Recycled Aggregate; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-019-04195-w
[15]	R. Kumutha, and Vijai, K. (2010), “Strength of Concrete Incorporating Aggregates Recycled from Demolished Waste,” ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, vol. 5, No. 5, pp. 64-71.

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APA Style

Shuvo, M. H., Khan, M. J. I., Mamun, M. A. A., Nasrin, S., Islam, M. S. (2026). An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete. American Journal of Construction and Building Materials, 10(2), 54-61. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12

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ACS Style

Shuvo, M. H.; Khan, M. J. I.; Mamun, M. A. A.; Nasrin, S.; Islam, M. S. An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete. Am. J. Constr. Build. Mater. 2026, 10(2), 54-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12

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AMA Style

Shuvo MH, Khan MJI, Mamun MAA, Nasrin S, Islam MS. An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete. Am J Constr Build Mater. 2026;10(2):54-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12,
  author = {Mahedi Hasan Shuvo and Md Johirul Islam Khan and Md Abdullah Al Mamun and Shamima Nasrin and Md Shofiul Islam},
  title = {An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete},
  journal = {American Journal of Construction and Building Materials},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {54-61},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcbm.20261002.12},
  abstract = {The volume of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated worldwide continues to rise sharply, which undermines efforts to meet long-term sustainability targets. Converting demolished concrete into aggregate offers a practical route to limit landfill disposal and preserve natural raw materials. In Bangladesh, crushed brick chips are the conventional coarse aggregate for concrete, whereas demolished substructure elements such as pile caps usually contain stone chips and can therefore supply stone-based recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) of high strength. In this work, natural coarse aggregate (NCA) was substituted with stone-based RCA at levels of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, and the resulting recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) was examined. The aim was to identify an acceptable RCA substitution level that does not impair concrete performance. Six batches of cylindrical specimens (100 mm × 200 mm) were prepared with a mix proportion of 1: 1.1: 3.1, designed following the British Standard method, and a constant w/c ratio of 0.50. Tests on the coarse aggregates indicated that the collected RCA was of better quality than the brick-based NCA, with a higher SSD unit weight (1493 kg/m3 versus 1338 kg/m3) and a much lower water absorption (10.32% versus 23.16%). Consequently, compressive strength rose progressively with RCA content up to 80% substitution, where it exceeded that of the control mix by 47%. At full (100%) substitution, the gain over the control dropped to 33.8%. This decline is linked to the larger quantity of old mortar attached to the aggregate surface, which produces a weaker interfacial transition zone (ITZ).},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete
AU  - Mahedi Hasan Shuvo
AU  - Md Johirul Islam Khan
AU  - Md Abdullah Al Mamun
AU  - Shamima Nasrin
AU  - Md Shofiul Islam
Y1  - 2026/10/28
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12
T2  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JF  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JO  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
SP  - 54
EP  - 61
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0057
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12
AB  - The volume of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated worldwide continues to rise sharply, which undermines efforts to meet long-term sustainability targets. Converting demolished concrete into aggregate offers a practical route to limit landfill disposal and preserve natural raw materials. In Bangladesh, crushed brick chips are the conventional coarse aggregate for concrete, whereas demolished substructure elements such as pile caps usually contain stone chips and can therefore supply stone-based recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) of high strength. In this work, natural coarse aggregate (NCA) was substituted with stone-based RCA at levels of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, and the resulting recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) was examined. The aim was to identify an acceptable RCA substitution level that does not impair concrete performance. Six batches of cylindrical specimens (100 mm × 200 mm) were prepared with a mix proportion of 1: 1.1: 3.1, designed following the British Standard method, and a constant w/c ratio of 0.50. Tests on the coarse aggregates indicated that the collected RCA was of better quality than the brick-based NCA, with a higher SSD unit weight (1493 kg/m3 versus 1338 kg/m3) and a much lower water absorption (10.32% versus 23.16%). Consequently, compressive strength rose progressively with RCA content up to 80% substitution, where it exceeded that of the control mix by 47%. At full (100%) substitution, the gain over the control dropped to 33.8%. This decline is linked to the larger quantity of old mortar attached to the aggregate surface, which produces a weaker interfacial transition zone (ITZ).
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Mahedi Hasan Shuvo

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Fareast International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3228-5384
Md Johirul Islam Khan

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Fareast International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0003-4737-312X
Md Abdullah Al Mamun

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Fareast International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Shamima Nasrin

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Fareast International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Md Shofiul Islam

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Fareast International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

http://orcid.org/0009-0006-7101-7258

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APA Style

Shuvo, M. H., Khan, M. J. I., Mamun, M. A. A., Nasrin, S., Islam, M. S. (2026). An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete. American Journal of Construction and Building Materials, 10(2), 54-61. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12

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ACS Style

Shuvo, M. H.; Khan, M. J. I.; Mamun, M. A. A.; Nasrin, S.; Islam, M. S. An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete. Am. J. Constr. Build. Mater. 2026, 10(2), 54-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12

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AMA Style

Shuvo MH, Khan MJI, Mamun MAA, Nasrin S, Islam MS. An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete. Am J Constr Build Mater. 2026;10(2):54-61. doi: 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12,
  author = {Mahedi Hasan Shuvo and Md Johirul Islam Khan and Md Abdullah Al Mamun and Shamima Nasrin and Md Shofiul Islam},
  title = {An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete},
  journal = {American Journal of Construction and Building Materials},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {54-61},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajcbm.20261002.12},
  abstract = {The volume of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated worldwide continues to rise sharply, which undermines efforts to meet long-term sustainability targets. Converting demolished concrete into aggregate offers a practical route to limit landfill disposal and preserve natural raw materials. In Bangladesh, crushed brick chips are the conventional coarse aggregate for concrete, whereas demolished substructure elements such as pile caps usually contain stone chips and can therefore supply stone-based recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) of high strength. In this work, natural coarse aggregate (NCA) was substituted with stone-based RCA at levels of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, and the resulting recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) was examined. The aim was to identify an acceptable RCA substitution level that does not impair concrete performance. Six batches of cylindrical specimens (100 mm × 200 mm) were prepared with a mix proportion of 1: 1.1: 3.1, designed following the British Standard method, and a constant w/c ratio of 0.50. Tests on the coarse aggregates indicated that the collected RCA was of better quality than the brick-based NCA, with a higher SSD unit weight (1493 kg/m3 versus 1338 kg/m3) and a much lower water absorption (10.32% versus 23.16%). Consequently, compressive strength rose progressively with RCA content up to 80% substitution, where it exceeded that of the control mix by 47%. At full (100%) substitution, the gain over the control dropped to 33.8%. This decline is linked to the larger quantity of old mortar attached to the aggregate surface, which produces a weaker interfacial transition zone (ITZ).},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Experimental Study on the Compressive Strength of Recycled Stone Aggregate Concrete
AU  - Mahedi Hasan Shuvo
AU  - Md Johirul Islam Khan
AU  - Md Abdullah Al Mamun
AU  - Shamima Nasrin
AU  - Md Shofiul Islam
Y1  - 2026/10/28
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12
T2  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JF  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
JO  - American Journal of Construction and Building Materials
SP  - 54
EP  - 61
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0057
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcbm.20261002.12
AB  - The volume of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated worldwide continues to rise sharply, which undermines efforts to meet long-term sustainability targets. Converting demolished concrete into aggregate offers a practical route to limit landfill disposal and preserve natural raw materials. In Bangladesh, crushed brick chips are the conventional coarse aggregate for concrete, whereas demolished substructure elements such as pile caps usually contain stone chips and can therefore supply stone-based recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) of high strength. In this work, natural coarse aggregate (NCA) was substituted with stone-based RCA at levels of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, and the resulting recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) was examined. The aim was to identify an acceptable RCA substitution level that does not impair concrete performance. Six batches of cylindrical specimens (100 mm × 200 mm) were prepared with a mix proportion of 1: 1.1: 3.1, designed following the British Standard method, and a constant w/c ratio of 0.50. Tests on the coarse aggregates indicated that the collected RCA was of better quality than the brick-based NCA, with a higher SSD unit weight (1493 kg/m3 versus 1338 kg/m3) and a much lower water absorption (10.32% versus 23.16%). Consequently, compressive strength rose progressively with RCA content up to 80% substitution, where it exceeded that of the control mix by 47%. At full (100%) substitution, the gain over the control dropped to 33.8%. This decline is linked to the larger quantity of old mortar attached to the aggregate surface, which produces a weaker interfacial transition zone (ITZ).
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

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