Frictional behaviour of segmental retaining wall units infilled with recycled concrete aggregate

The use of segmental retaining wall units as the facing column for mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls has increased noticeably all over the world. Hollow and solid, both types of modular block units are used in dry-stacked facing columns. Nowadays, Hollow concrete units are being implicated frequently because of its cost-effectiveness and other technical advantages. The cavities of hollow concrete units are filled with natural (fresh) aggregates for better shear resistance. The use of fresh aggregates as in-fillers in retaining wall constructions is expensive and unsustainable (annihilation of natural resources). This study mainly focuses on frictional behavior of newly designed and manufactured precast “I” blocks infilled with fresh and recycled aggregates. A series of tests were performed using a specially designed & fabricated direct shear apparatus to assess the frictional behavior of infilled blocks under different normal loading conditions. The tests were executed based on the exiting ASTM and National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) test protocols. Test results were outlined in the form of shear stress-displacement relationship to compare the effect of recycled aggregate against the fresh aggregate. Shear capacity envelopes were also plotted using Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria to find out the angle of friction for each case. Test results revealed that the angle of friction of the blocks infilled with the recycled aggregate is almost equal to those with the fresh aggregate.