March  2010  

Value added sustainable use of recycled and secondary aggregates in concrete

Ravindra K. Dhir and Kevin A. Paine

The paper is based on research projects (including several demonstration projects) undertaken by the authors, at the University of Dundee, UK, since 1996, in collaboration with Government Departments, Local Authorities and various sectors of the construction industry, to the tune of several million British sterling pounds, and actively involving hundreds of stakeholders (major, medium and small enterprises).1 This research is helping to create a gradual acceptance of recycled and secondary aggregates (RSA) for their sustainable use in concrete and concrete products, in the UK construction industry ( and most likely in other countries as well).2 The emergence of the 'appropriate use of materials' and 'performance-based standards/specifications' concepts are considered central to the development of RSA as a valuable and sustainable resource. An international 'Network RSA in Construction' is being presently established. .



















Investigations on a distressed reinforced concrete building and its rehabilitation

B. Dhruva Tara, Ravande Kishore and D. S. Prakash Rao

Reinforced concrete structures are prone to deterioration unless designed, constructed and maintained properly. Some of the ground floor columns of a 33-year old three storey reinforced concrete building had developed severe cracks and spalling. The cracks were noticed first about a year back, and spread at an alarming rate. An inspection visit to the building revealed that the verandah columns had cracked because of seepage of water from the flowerpots placed between them. Non-destructive tests using Schmidt rebound hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity were performed on the structure to assess the quality of concrete, and develop a suitable repair method. Ambient vibration tests were performed before and after repairs to assess the effectiveness of repairs. Details of the tests, repair method and structural performance are described in this paper.