Construction and Building Materials 35 (2012) 785–791

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Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Recycled glass as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in self

compacting concrete
Esraa Emam Ali a, Sherif H. Al-Tersawy b,⇑
a
Housing and Building National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
b
Higher Technological Institute, 10th-of Ramadan City, Egypt

h i g h l i g h t s

" Recycled glass waste can be used as a partial replacement of fine aggregate.
" Eighteen concrete mixes % of fine agg. replacement were 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%.
" Slump flow of (SCC) increased with the increase of recycled glass content.
" Mechanical properties decreased with the increase in recycled glass content.
" Recycled glass aggregate can successfully be used for producing (SCC).

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Glass has been indispensable to man’s life due to its properties, including pliability to take any shape with
Received 3 June 2011 ease, bright surface, resistance to abrasion, reasonable safety and durability. Waste glass creates serious
Received in revised form 12 April 2012 environmental problems, mainly due to the inconsistency of waste glass streams. With increasing envi-
Accepted 29 April 2012
ronmental pressure to reduce solid waste and to recycle as much as possible, the concrete industry has
Available online 2 June 2012
adopted a number of methods to achieve this goal. Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) may lead to evolution
of a more quality controlled concrete, assuring a better workability and avoiding human errors with
Keywords:
regard to mixing and workability issues. On the other hand, it resolves the problem of noise and vibration
Self compacting concrete
Recycled glass aggregates
during installation. The object of this research work is to study the effect of using recycled glass waste, as
Compressive strength a partial replacement of fine aggregate, on the fresh and hardened properties of Self-Compacting Concrete
Tensile strength (SCC). A total of 18 concrete mixes were produced with different cement contents (350, 400 and
Flexural strength 450 kg/m3) at W/C ratio of 0.4. Recycled glass was used to replace fine aggregate in proportions of 0%,
10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%. The experimental results showed that the slump flow increased with the
increase of recycled glass content. On the other hand, the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength,
flexural strength and static modulus of elasticity of recycled glass (SCC) mixtures were decreased with
the increase in the recycled glass content. The results showed that recycled glass aggregate can success-
fully be used for producing self-compacting concrete.
Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction examples of successful recycling of waste glass. It can be used as a

Glass is one of the oldest man-made materials. It is produced in
many forms, including packaging or container glass, flat glass, bulb
glass, and cathode ray tube glass, all of which have a limited life in
the forms in which they are produced. Hence, glass need to be re-
used/recycled in order to avoid environmental problems that can
be created, if they will be stockpiled or sent to landfills. Theoreti-
cally, glass is a 100% recyclable material; it can be indefinitely recy-
cled without any loss of quality, Sobolev et al. [1]. There are many
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +20 1225626715.
E-mail address: al_tersawy@hotmail.com (S.H. Al-Tersawy).
cullet in glass production, as a raw material for the production of
abrasives, as an aggregate substitute or pozzolanic additive in con-
crete, as raw material(s) to produce glass pellets or beads used in
reflective paint for highways, as fractionators for lighting matches
and firing ammunition, also in sand-blasting, in road beds, pave-
ment and parking lots to produce fiberglass, Chen et al. [2]. The
construction industry has realized great gains in the recycling of
industrial by-products and waste, including waste glass. Recycling
of this waste by converting it to aggregate, not only saves landfill
space but also reduces the demand for extraction of natural raw
material for construction activity Rakshvir and Barai [3]. Because
these substitutes require extensive studies concerning their effect
on the properties of concrete, a number of research studies have

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.04.117
786 E.E. Ali, S.H. Al-Tersawy / Construction and Building Materials 35 (2012) 785–791

been performed. Park et al. [4] reported that the compressive, ten- Table 1
sile, and flexural strengths of concrete containing waste glass as Mechanical properties of cement.

fine aggregate demonstrated a decreasing tendency with increase Properties Measured values
in the mixing ratio of the waste glass. Shayan and Xu [5] found that Soundness (Le Chatelier) (mm) 1.2
30% glass powder could be incorporated as aggregate or cement Initial setting time (min) 120
replacement in concrete without any long term detrimental effects. Finial setting time (min) 165
Topçu and Canbaz [6] found that compressive, flexural, and indi- Compressive strength (MPa) 2 days 21.8
28 days 50.5
rect tensile strengths have tendency to decrease with the increase
of waste glass content as coarse aggregate in concrete mixtures.
Corinaldesi et al. [7] also reported that no alkali–silica reaction
had been detected with particle sizes up to 100 lm, thus reflecting 2.1.3. Recycled waste glass
The crushed waste glass used in this work as fine aggregate is illustrated in
the feasibility of waste glass reuse as fine aggregate in mortars and Fig. 1. It was collected from glass factory wastes in Egypt (10th-of Ramadan City).
concrete. Chen et al. [8] observed a significant improvement in the The physical and chemical properties of the waste glass are presented in Tables 2
compressive strength of waste E-glass concrete mixes at late ages, and 3, respectively. The sieve analysis of the recycled glass is given in Table 4.
but the workability decreased as the glass content increased.
Shayan and Xu [9] recommended using glass powder and glass
aggregate together in 40-MPa concrete mixtures without any ad- 2.1.4. Silica fume
Silica fume is a byproduct resulting from the reduction of high purity quartz
verse effect. Metwally [10] also reported that the use of finely with coal in electrical core furnaces in the production of silicon. The fume, which
milled waste glass in concrete mixes has an adverse effect on has high content of amorphous silicon dioxide and consists of very fine spherical
workability, but considerably improved the mechanical properties particles, is collected from the gases escaping from the furnaces. Table 5 presents
of concrete at later ages. Topçu et al. [11] recommended the usage the physical properties and chemical analysis of the used silica fume.
of over 20% fly ash and 2% Li2CO3 replacements to reduce the
expansion of waste glass-mortars occurring due to ASR.
2.1.5. Mixing water
Emam and Sherif [12] reported that the use of self-compacting Drinking water was used for mixing.
concrete has gained a wider acceptance in recent years. It not only
reduces noise due to a vibration free environment, but also in-
creases the quality of concrete as a result of minimizing of human 2.1.6. Super plasticizer
participation in workability works. The term Self-Compacting Con- Super plasticizer is a powerful water reducing agent in concrete mixture. The
superplasticizer used is Sika Viscocrete 10, is a product of Sika Company. It has
crete (SCC) refers to a new type of high performance concrete
the following properties: density = 1.08 kg/l, base = modified polycarboxylates,
mixture which flows under its own weight while maintaining suf- and dosage = 0.3–2% by weight of cement.
ficient resistance to segregation. Segregation resistance plays an
important role for SCC because weak segregation resistance would
cause poor deformability, blockage around congested reinforce- 2.2. Mixes features
ment and non-homogeneous properties of the hardened concrete.
A total of 18 concrete mixtures were produced. All the mixtures were essen-
The filling ability and stability of self-compacting concrete in the
tially self-compacting concrete, characterized by the same key features:
fresh state can be defined by four key characteristics: flow ability, W/C = 0.4, silica fume (SF) employment ratio (10%) addition to cement, and coarse
viscosity (assessed by rate of flow), passing ability and segregation aggregate to sand ratio = 1:1.
resistance. The concrete mixture will be classified as a self-com- The investigated mixtures were divided into three groups, Table 6. The em-
pacting one, if all the mentioned characteristics are present. Such ployed cement contents were 350, 400, and 450 kg/m3, corresponding to the first,
second, and third group, respectively. Each group comprised six mixtures corre-
properties are achieved by adding chemical additives to the con- sponding to six replacement ratios of sand by waste glass (WG). These ratios were:
crete, such as superplastificators, most frequently combined with 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%. The first mix of each group with 0% waste glass
the new type of additives for modification of viscosity and/or (WG) replacement ratio was regarded as a control mix.
through application of a certain amount of fine mineral additive-
powder. Properties of self-compacting concrete depend on type
2.3. Casting and curing of test specimens
and amount of additives which are used. There are numerous re-
search papers that dealt with that subject. All the concrete mixes were mixed in the laboratory of The Housing and Build-
The objective of this research work is to examine the influence ing National Research Center (HBRC). Tests were conducted on fresh concrete to
of waste glass when used as a direct replacement for natural fine determine the slump flow, L. Box ratio, and V-funnel values. For each concrete
aggregate in concrete, and thereby to assess the fundamental engi- mix, six (150  150  150 mm) cubes were cast for the determination of compres-
sive strength at 7 and 28 days. Six (150 mm  300 mm) cylinders were cast for the
neering properties of recycled glass self compacting concrete.
determination of indirect tensile strength and modulus of elasticity at 28 days.
Three beams of dimensions (100  100  500 mm) were cast for the determination
of flexural strength at 28 days.
2. Experimental program
After casting, all the cast specimens were covered by plastic sheets and water
saturated burlap and left in the laboratory at 20 ± 3 °C for 24 h. the specimens were
2.1. Materials
then demoulded and transferred to a saturated water curing tank at 25 °C until
reaching the age of testing.
2.1.1. Cement
The cement used in this investigation was delivered from ‘‘El-Suez Cement
Company’’, Type CEM I 42.5N. Testing of cement was carried out per the Egyptian
Standard Specifications ESS 2421/2005 [13]. The mechanical properties of the used Table 2
cement as determined by laboratory tests showed its suitability for concrete works. Properties of crushed dolomite, waste glass and sand.
The mechanical properties of the cement used in this investigation are given in
Test Crushed dolomite Waste glass Sand
Table 1.
Specific weight 2.6 2.2 2.62
Bulk density (t/m3) 1.62 1.34 1.75
2.1.2. Aggregate Clay and fine dust content (%) 2.2 0.42 1.4
Local dolomite and sand from natural sources were used in the experimental Abrasion (Los Anglos) 14.62 – –
work. The used crushed dolomite has a nominal maximum size of 10 mm. Testing Water absorption 1.23 0.57 –
of natural coarse aggregate and sand were carried according to the Egyptian Stan- Impact value (%) 11.6 – –
dard Specifications ESS 1109/2002 [14]. The results are presented in Table 2.
 E.E. Ali, S.H. Al-Tersawy / Construction and Building Materials 35 (2012) 785–791 787

800 ± 50 mm, Fig. 2 [15]. L-box test consists of the L shaped box, of a rectangular
cross section, with a horizontal and vertical parts separated by the movable parti-
tion (exit) in front of which vertical rebars are arranged, Fig. 3. The vertical com-
partment is filled with concrete, then the partition is removed to allow the flow
of concrete at the end of the horizontal part and of the remaining concrete in the
vertical part are measured (H2/H1). That is an indicator of the capacity of concrete
to pass through the rebars, and it should be as close to one as possible (the lowest
permissible value is 0.8) [15].
V-funnel test, the funnel is filled with concrete, and the flow time, that is be-
tween opening the orifice and the first daylight appearing when looking vertically
down through the funnel recorded and then filled the funnel after 5 min and re-
corded the time (Fig. 4).

2.4.2. Determination of the hardened properties

In this research work, the following tests on hardened concrete were carried
out:

(a) Compressive strength: The compressive strength test was carried out accord-
ing to the Egyptian Standard Specifications ESS 1658/2006 [16]. To evaluate
concrete compressive strength at test ages of 7 and 28 days, cubes speci-
mens 150  150  150 mm were tested.
Fig. 1. Recycled glass waste.
(b) Splitting tensile strength: The splitting tensile strength test was carried out
according to the Egyptian Standard Specifications ESS 1658/2006 [16].
The splitting tensile strength of standard hardened concrete cylinders,
Table 3 150 mm diameter and 300 mm long, was obtained to evaluate concrete
Chemical composition of waste glass. compressive strength at the age of 28 days.
(c) Flexural strength: The flexural strength test was carried out according to the
Chemical SiO2 Al2O3 + Fe2O3 CaO SO3 Na2O + K2O MgO
Egyptian Standard Specifications ESS 1658/2006 [16]. The flexural strength
composition
of standard hardened concrete beams 100  100  500 mm was tested to
% 67.72 3.40 6.90 0.17 10.75 6 evaluate concrete flexural strength at the age of 28 days.
(d) Static modulus of elasticity: The static modulus of elasticity test was carried
out according to the ASTM C469 [17]. The static modulus of elasticity of
standard hardened concrete cylinders, (150 mm diameter and 300 mm
long), was determined at the age of 28 days.
Table 4
Gradation of recycled glass.
3. Result and discussion
Sieve % of passing
5 100 3.1. Fresh concrete properties
2.36 99
1.18 64
0.6 35 The fresh properties of the 18 concrete mixes are summarized
0.3 20 in Table 7, it can be seen that the initial slump flow of recycled
0.15 10 glass SCC mixes was similar to control mixes although the dosage
0.075 1.4 of superplastizer was decreased (see Table 6). This attributed to the
weaker cohesion between the glass aggregates and the cement
paste due to their smooth surfaces. This result is similar to that
Table 5 Kou and Poon [18] who reported that the slump of normal concrete
Properties of silica fume.
was the same as that of concrete with recycled glass waste.
Properties Item Value It can be seen from Table 7, the higher slump flow at higher glass
Physical properties Color Light gray replacements ratios could be also due to higher compactness of
Specific weight 2.1 concrete granular skeleton. Because the glass grains are finer than
Bulk density (kg/m3) 350 the sand, it can fill better the porosity of the coarse aggregates,
Specific area 16.7
and has a low water absorption and smooth surface. All the mixes
Chemical properties SiO2 97 have slump flow over 650 mm and exhibit no segregation except
total 0.5
mixes (M5 and M6) as shown in Fig. 5 at cement content 350 kg/
Fe2O3 0.5
Al2O3 0.2 m3 at percentage of replacements (40% and 50%) respectively, and
CaO 0.2 this may be attributed to the lower paste volume (viscosity)
MgO 0.5 achieved in these mixes. The importance of viscosity is generated
K2O 0.5 from the fact that, increasing the viscosity maintains good suspen-
Na2O 0.2
SO3 0.15
sion of coarse aggregate during deformation of the mixture. This
Cl 0.01 can reduce inter-particle collision and coagulation of coarse aggre-
H2O 0.5 gate particles. Hence, improve the ability of the grout mixture to
properly fill the formwork and offset blocking. Also, increasing
the viscosity enhances the bond between the mortar and coarse
aggregate and thus, minimizes the risk of segregation.
2.4. Methods of investigation
As shown in Table 7, the flow ratios varied from 0.83 to 0.89, the
2.4.1. Determination of the fresh properties results indicates that the recycled glass SCC mixes prepared in this
In this experimental work, the following fresh concrete tests were carried out: study achieved adequate passing ability and maintained sufficient
(i) Slump-flow test for flowability and viscosity, (ii) L-box test for testing passing resistance to segregation around congested reinforcement areas,
ability, and (iii) V-funnel test for testing the filling ability of SCC provided that there this agree with Kou and Poon [18] who reported that the flow ra-
is no possibility blocking and/or segregation to take place.
Slump-flow test procedure is a combination of Abrams’ cone settling test. After
tios varied from 0.84 to 0.87 for RG-SCC mixes.
lifting a filled and previously moistened metal cone, the final diameter of the circle V-funnel test measures the time required for concrete to flow
formed by the spreading concrete is measured. The permissible diameter is 600– down through a funnel so as to evaluate cementing paste viscosity
788 E.E. Ali, S.H. Al-Tersawy / Construction and Building Materials 35 (2012) 785–791

Table 6
Mix constituents for concrete mixtures.

Group Designation W/C C (kg/m3) SF (%) SP (%) CDA (kg/m3) FA (kg/m3)

Sand WG
Group 1 M1-350-0% 1.5 936 –
M2-350-10% 1.3 842.4 79.2
M3-350-20% 1.2 748.8 158.4
M4-350-30% 0.4 350 10 1.2 936 655.2 237.6
M5-350-40% 1.1 561.6 316.8
M6-350-50% 1.1 468 396
Group 2 M7-400-0% 1.8 890 –
M8-400-10% 1.7 801 75.3
M9-400-20% 0.4 400 10 1.7 890 712 150.6
M10-400-30% 1.7 623 225.9
M11-400-40% 1.5 534 301.2
M12-400-50% 1.5 445 376.5
Group 3 M13-450-0% 1.8 846 –
M14-450-10% 1.7 761.4 71.6
M15-450-20% 0.4 450 10 1.7 846 676.8 148.2
M16-450-30% 1.7 592.2 214.7
M17-450-40% 1.5 507.6 286.3
M18-450-50% 1.5 423 357.9

W/C = Water to cement ratio, C = cement content, SP = superplastizier percentage of cement content, SF = silica fume, CDA = crushed dolomite aggregate, FA = fine aggregate
(sand), NFA = natural fine aggregate, and WG = waste glass aggregate.

Fig. 2. Slump flow apparatus.

Fig. 4. V-funnel apparatus.

prolonged with increasing glass sand and this agree with Wang
[19], who stated that because the recycled glass SCC mixes unit
weight is less than that of SCC after replacing part of the sand with
waste glass, thus decreasing the unit weight. Hence, the compact-
ing effect cannot be attained by its dead weight. As a result, the V-
funnel test time was 6–10 s longer than that of the control group.
However, the results still meet the flowability standard time.

3.2. Hardened concrete properties

The test results of the compressive strength of the control and

Fig. 3. L-box apparatus.
in concrete and resistance to material segregation. As shown in
Table 7, the results followed to a great extent the trends observed
in the slump flow test. At initial mixing the passing time becomes
recycled glass SCC mixes at 7 and 28 days are summarized in Table
8. Each given value is the average of three measurements. It is evi-
dent from Table 8 that the use of recycled glass waste as a sand
replacement decreases the compressive strength of the SCC mixes
compared with the control mixtures. As shown in Fig. 6, the reduc-
tion in 28 days compressive strength of recycled glass SCC mixes
were [6%, 10.4%, 12.7%, 17.5%, 23.2%], [4.5%, 14.4%, 17.2%, 22.2%,
23.6%] and [3.7%, 10.5%, 13.5%, 17.5%, 21%] at cement contents of
 E.E. Ali, S.H. Al-Tersawy / Construction and Building Materials 35 (2012) 785–791 789

Table 7
Fresh properties of concrete mixtures.

Group Designation Slump flow (mm) L-box (%) V-funnel

After mixing After 5 min
Group 1 M1-350-0% 640 0.86 7 9
M2-350-10% 670 0.83 8 9
M3-350-20% 710 0.84 6 8
M4-350-30% 730 0.85 6 7
a
M5-350-40% 860 0.87 5 9
a
M6-350-50% 880 0.89 4 10
Group 2 M7-400-0% 660 0.84 8 10
M8-400-10% 670 0.86 8 11
M9-400-20% 690 0.86 9 11
M10-400-30% 710 0.87 6 8
M11-400-40% 730 0.87 8 10
M12-400-50% 740 0.88 7 10
Group 3 M13-450-0% 670 0.85 6 8
M14-450-10% 690 0.87 7 10
M15-450-20% 710 0.87 7 9
M16-450-30% 750 0.85 8 11
M17-450-40% 760 0.84 9 11
M18-450-50% 780 0.87 8 10
a
Segregation appeared at the edge of flow.

100
Compressive strength 90 C.C=350
80 C.C=400
(N/mm2)
70 C.C=450
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
% of Replacement of recycled glass

Fig. 6. Relationship between compressive strength and% of replacement of recycled

glass for W/C = 0.4 at 28 days.

Fig. 5. Typical segregation on slump flow.

3
350, 400, and 450 kg/m , respectively. Where the high smoothness
of recycled glass waste leading to cracks was determined to lead to
incomplete adhesion between the recycled glass waste and cement
paste inter-phase. Due to the poor geometry of waste glass a
homogeneous distribution of aggregates could not be achieved,
accordingly an increase in the amount of glass waste used in

Table 8
Hardened properties of concrete mixtures.

Group Designation Compressive strength (N/mm2) Splitting strength (N/mm2) Flexural strength (N/mm2) Young’s modulus (N/mm2)
7 days 28 days
Group 1 M1-350-0% 35.3 46.3 4.7 5.5 26047.3
M2-350-10% 33.1 43.5 4.2 5.2 25247.4
M3-350-20% 31.5 41.5 4.2 4.9 24660.2
M4-350-30% 30.7 40.4 4.1 4.8 24331.2
M5-350-40% 29.2 38.2 3.9 4.5 23659.4
M6-350-50% 26.9 35.6 3.2 4.2 22840.1
Group 2 M7-400-0% 47.6 62.2 6.8 7.4 27761.2
M8-400-10% 46.1 59.4 6.2 7.2 27129.2
M9-400-20% 42.3 53.2 5.8 6.6 25674.3
M10-400-30% 39.2 51.6 5.7 6.5 25285.3
M11-400-40% 36.9 48.4 5.2 5.7 24488.7
M12-400-50% 36.1 47.5 4.9 5.6 24259.9
Group 3 M13-450-0% 51.5 67.7 7.1 8.2 28962.6
M14-450-10% 47.6 65.2 6.8 7.6 28422.8
M15-450-20% 46.1 61.6 6.5 7.5 27626.9
M16-450-30% 46.1 58.5 6.4 7.2 26922.8
M17-450-40% 32.3 55.8 6.2 6.3 26294.2
M18-450-50% 37.6 53.6 5.5 5.8 25770.6
790 E.E. Ali, S.H. Al-Tersawy / Construction and Building Materials 35 (2012) 785–791

4% in compressive strength, compared with its control mixtures.

Splitting tensile strength

10
9 C.C=350 This is in agreement with the results obtained in this research
8 C.C=400 work. Also, it can be noticed from Fig. 6 that as the cement content
7 C.C=450
increase from 350 to 450 kg/m3, the rate of loss in compressive
(N/mm2)

6
5 strength is lowered compared with the control mixes at the differ-
4 ent percentage of recycled glass replacements. This may attributed
3 to the effect of pozzolanic reactions which evolve as the cement
2
1 content increases with the addition of silica fume and the high per-
0 centage of fines produced as the percentage of recycled glass waste
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 increases. A similar observation was reported by Metwally [10]
% of Replacement of recycled glass who concluded that high degrees of strength enhancement were
obtained when the pozzolanic effect became significant at the late
Fig. 7. Relationship between splitting tensile strength and% of replacement of
recycled glass for W/C = 0.4 at 28 days.
age of 28 days.
The obtained splitting tensile strengths after 28 days are pre-
sented in Table 8. Each value is the average of three measurements.
Fig. 7 shows that the splitting tensile strength tends to decrease
Flexural strength (N/mm 2)

10
with the increases of the percentage of recycled waste glass
9 C.C=350
8 C.C=400 replacement in the concrete mixture, compared with the control
C.C=450 mixes. According to the test results the 28 days splitting tensile
7
6 strength values are observed to decrease by [10.6%, 10.6%, 12.7%,
5
17%, 23.4%], [8.8%, 14.7%, 16.2%, 23.5%, 27.9%] and [4.2%, 8.5%,
4
3 9.9%, 12.7%, 22.5%] at cement contents of 350, 400 and 450 kg/m3
2 for replacement ratios of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%, respectively.
1 Evidently, these results agree with Park et al. [4], who reports that
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 for 60% recycled glass replacement, the splitting tensile strength of
recycled glass concrete decrease by 5% at 28 days.
% of Replacement of recycled glass
The results of flexural strength after 28 days are presented in
Fig. 8. Relationship between flexural strength and% of replacement of recycled Table 8, each value is the average of three measurements. As
glass for W/C = 0.4 at 28 days. shown in Fig. 8, the flexural strength tends to decrease as the per-
centage of recycled waste glass replacement increases in the con-
crete mixture compared with the control mixes. According to the
35000 test results, the 28 days flexural strength values are observed to
Modulus of Elasticity

C.C=350 C.C=400 C.C=450

30000 decrease by [8.8%, 14.7%, 16.2%, 23.5%, 27.9%] and [4.2%, 8.5%,
25000 9.9%, 12.7%, 22.5%] at cement contents of 350, 400, and 450 kg/
m3 for replacement ratios of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%, respec-
(N/mm2)

20000
tively. These results agree with those obtained by Topçu and Can-
15000 baz [6] who reports that the flexural strength of recycled glass
10000 concrete decreases by 8% at 28 days.
5000 The results of static modulus of elasticity after 28 days are pre-
0 sented in Table 8. Each presented value is the average of three mea-
0 10 20 30 40 50 surements. As shown in Fig. 9 the static modulus of elasticity tends
% of Replacement of recycled glass to decrease with the increase of the percentage of recycled glass
waste replacement in the concrete mixture compared with the con-
Fig. 9. Relationship between modulus of elasticity and percentage of replacement trol mixes. According to the test results the 28 days static modulus
for different cement contents.
of elasticity values were observed to decreased by [3%, 5.3%, 6.6%,
9.2%, 12.3%], [2.2%, 7.5%, 8.9%, 11.8%, 12.6%] and [1.8%, 4.6%, 7%,
concrete decreased the compressive strength. Park et al. [4] found 9.2%, 11%] at cement contents of 350, 400, and 450 kg/m3 for
that addition of 30% of waste glass to concrete caused a decrease of replacement ratios of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%, respectively.

Fig. 10. (a and b) SEM micrograph of concrete sample (without recycled glass).
 E.E. Ali, S.H. Al-Tersawy / Construction and Building Materials 35 (2012) 785–791
Fig. 11. (a and b) SEM micrograph of concrete sample (with recycled glass).
These results agree with those given by Kou and Poon [18] who
states that the static modulus of elasticity decreases with the in-
crease of the recycled glass content.
3.3. Micro-structural analysis
Fig. 10a and b show the SEM micrograph of the concrete sample
without glass waste after loading up to failure. It is noticed from
Fig. 10 a how the cement paste is still bonded to the aggregate even
after fracture, it could be seen the very strong bond between the
aggregate and the cement paste; disappearance of transition zone;
whereas no cracks appear in the cement matrix Fig. 10b.
Fig. 11a and b shows the SEM micrograph of concrete sample
containing glass waste after loading up to failure. Fig. 11a illus-
trates poor contact between the cement matrix and both the coarse
aggregate and the recycled glass being a partial replacement of fine
aggregate. Although some pieces of cement matrix appeared in
contact to coarse aggregate particles, there is a negligible adhesion
of cement matrix to the recycled glass aggregate. Also it is noticed
from Fig. 11b that a poor homogeneity in the concrete matrix due
to the smooth surface texture of the recycled glass waste. Also it is
evident from the SEM micrograph that the percentage of voids and
cracks start to increase in the concrete matrix as the percentage of
recycled glass waste increases.
4. Conclusions
1. The slump flow, flow ratio, and V-funnel of recycled glass SCC
mixes increases with the increase of recycled glass content.
The flow ratios varied from 0.83 to 0.89.
2. The compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural
strength, and static modulus of elasticity of recycled glass SCC
mixes decrease with the increase of recycled glass content.
3. From the SEM micrograph, it is evident that there is poor con-
tact between the cement matrix and the recycled glass being
a partial replacement of fine aggregate. This is attributed to
791
the decrease in bond strength between the cement paste and
the recycled glass as a result of relatively high smoothness of
waste glass, leading to cracks, hence, weak adhesion between
the waste glass and cement paste.
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