Behavior of reinforced concrete beams filled with demolished concrete lumps

In the past decades, recycling use of demolished concrete was almost limited to the types of recycled coarse aggregate with a size of about 5-40 mm and recycled fine aggregate with a size of about 0-5 mm for concrete structures, and reuse of demolished concrete lumps (DCLs) with a size much larger than that of recycled aggregate, e.g., 50-300 mm, has been limited to roadbed, backfilling materials, or discarded to landfills. Treatment processes of DCLs are much simpler than those of recycled aggregate, leading to less cost and more energy-saving. In the future, the amount of demolished concrete is estimated to be much higher, so reuse of DCLs for concrete structures will become necessary. The objectives of this paper are to document the process of making reinforced concrete beams with DCLs, and to discuss the flexural and shear behaviors of those reinforced DCL beams through an experimental program, which includes three beams filled with DCLs and one conventional beam for investigating the flexural strengths and deformations, and 12 beams filled with DCLs and two conventional beams for investigating the shear strengths and deformations. The authors hope that the proposed concept offers another sustainable solution to the concrete industry.