Size Effect in Shear Failure of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Recycled Aggregate

This study evaluates the size effect of shear strength in reinforced concrete (RC) beams with various replacement ratios of recycled coarse aggregate. A total of 15 simply supported specimens with recycled aggregates were cast and tested in shear. The test variables were designed to be the width and effective depth of the beam and the replacement ratio of recycled coarse aggregate. The width of the specimens was varied from 200 mm to 400 mm, and the effective depth was changed from 300 mm to 600 mm. To estimate the size effect of shear strength in recycled aggregate concrete beams, the specimens had no shear reinforcement. The experimental results showed that the shear strength of the specimens made of recycled aggregate decreased with a higher effective depth irrespective of the replacement ratio, whereas the beam width exhibited no size effect. Furthermore, the strength reduction and crack patterns of the specimens with recycled aggregates were similar to those of the specimens with natural aggregates.