Numerical FE2 study of chloride ingress in unsaturated recycled aggregates concrete

The analysis of the impact of Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) on chloride ingress is of prime importance for the development of Recycled Aggregates Concrete. A coupled chemo-hydraulic multiscale model, using the Finite Element squared (FE${}^2$) method, has been developed, validated and calibrated. The constitutive equations using intrinsic parameters derived from laboratory experiments on concrete samples have been established. The findings indicate that the durability of Recycled Aggregates Concrete (RAC) could be comparable to that of Natural Aggregates Concrete (NAC) depending on the mixture quality and environmental conditions. The main difference in durability comes from the rate of diffusion with regards to the mortar paste adherent content.