Consultancy on optimal utilisation of recycled concrete aggregate in rigid pavement concrete
Collaborator(s):
Changi Airport Group & National University of Singapore
Project Completion:
Jan 2011
Objective(s):
- To comply with the technical requirements as specified in the standards and code of practices
- To minimize environmental impact by achieving minimal carbon footprint
- To maximize cost effectiveness, i.e. the use of optimal recycled concrete design mix shall be cost-viable
To support the government’s directive towards sustainable development, Samwoh, Changi Airport Group and National University of Singapore have jointly embarked on an ambitious and forward-thinking pilot project to rehabilitate the aircraft stand rigid pavement in Singapore Changi Airport with concrete made of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), deriving from the demolition of existing aircraft stand rigid pavement.
The laboratory test results demonstrated that it is viable to formulate an optimal concrete mix design, containing high RCA content, with comparable performance as the conventional concrete for the construction of aircraft stand rigid pavement. Apart from the technical compliances, the life cycle assessments of concrete with and without RCA unveiled that the latter is, indeed, more environmental friendly than the former whereas the evaluation on cost effectiveness also suggested that there is some savings with the use of RCA concrete.
Successively, a field trial was conducted to assess the performance of aircraft stand rigid pavement constructed using concrete with 40% RCA. This initiative has opened up a new chapter in our journey towards sustainable development.