Effect of using recycled waste glass coarse aggregates on the hydrodynamic abrasion resistance of concrete

This experimental study is aimed at evaluating the hydrodynamic abrasion resistance of concrete produced with recycled waste glass as coarse aggregates. The underwater (ASTM C1138) method is used to test concretes containing 0%, 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 100% glass aggregates as replacement for natural coarse aggregates. To benchmark performance, the abrasion resistance of glass-aggregate concretes is compared with that of a high-strength concrete mixture typically used in coastal defences where abrasion resistance is critical. Further comparison is made with a general application concrete mixture containing crushed limestone coarse aggregates. At 95% confidence, results of the Kruskal-Wallis test show that the use of recycled waste glass as coarse aggregates in concrete at contents of up to 25% does not significantly affect its abrasion resistance. When compared with the typical high-strength mixture with proven field performance, the results of the Kruskal-Wallis test at 95% confidence indicated that abrasion resistance at glass aggregate replacement levels of up to 25% was not significantly different. Concrete produced with 100% recycled waste glass coarse aggregates had comparable abrasion resistance with that produced with 100% crushed limestone coarse aggregates. Additionally, there was a stronger and significant dependence of the abrasion resistance of glass-aggregate concretes on tensile splitting strength in comparison to both compressive strength and modulus of elasticity.