Permeability Resistance of Concrete Incorporating Recycled Ceramic Tile as Fine Aggregate

Several researches have proposed that incorporation of ceramic wastes into concrete production will be of immense benefits to both ceramic and concrete industries. However, while mechanical properties of ceramic waste concretes have been extensively investigated, there are very limited data on their durability performance. This ongoing study addresses this critical gap by focusing on the durability aspects, specifically the permeability, of concrete enhanced with recycled ceramic tiles (RCT) as a fine aggregate. The assessment of permeability encompasses two key facets: resistance to water absorption and resistance to chloride ion penetration. Water absorption tests were carried out on concrete specimens with varying percentage replacement of sand with RCT (0%, 33.3%, 66.6% and 100%) while chloride ion penetration tests were conducted using silver nitrate colouration technique on similar specimens immersed in 3% NaCl solution for 14, 28 and 56 days. Results of preliminary tests on RCT shows that it is a suitable fine aggregate material for concrete production and a lighter material than sand. Moreover, while samples with RCT out-performed control samples in terms of resistance to water absorption, resistance to chloride ion penetration was directly proportional to percentage replacement of sand with RCT. This improved performance has been attributed to the refined microstructure of RCT concrete at cement paste-aggregate interface due to the pozzolanic property of RCT