This study analyses a procedure to manufacture mortars with different percentages of ceramic waste as partial replacement for aggregates. The study also examines the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the new mortars, analysing substitution ratios that range from 10% to 50%. Prior to this, all the materials used in the production of the mortar were characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and fluorescence (XRF). The objective was to determine the similarity between different types of ceramic waste, as well as the differences in the minerology and chemical composition with the aggregate.
The results of the study show that it is possible to obtain mortars with lower densities compared to the same product with no recycled content. The product’s characteristics make it ideal for the manufacture of prefabricated components for structural floors for rehabilitation works. Finally, the pieces are used in a real rehabilitation case study, highlightining the structural advantages.
Los resultados muestran que es posible obtener morteros con menor densidad frente a las muestras sin contenido reciclado. Sus características los hacen idóneos para la creación de piezas prefabricadas de entrevigado para rehabilitación de forjados. Finalmente. Las piezas se usaron en un caso de estudio real, destacando las ventajas estructurales que conlleva su uso.
Today in Spain, as in other European Union countries, waste valorisation is considered a priority, which has given rise to initiatives to minimize the impact of the waste that is most prevalent and hardest to recycle. According to the National Statistical Institute, in Mediterranean countries such as Spain the construction sector generated 32.7 million tonnes of waste material in 2011, which represents 51.17% of the nationwide total (
In addition, around 80% of ceramic CDW comes from building demolition, whereas 5–10% is material rejected because of defects or imperfections (
The common goal of reducing CDW has led researchers to undertake numerous studies on the potential for recycling building waste. In Spain, the National Waste Plan (PEMAR) (2016–2022) (
However, adding recycled aggregates to the manufacture of resistant products, such as structural concrete, comes with a reduction in their resistance properties, by limiting their compressive strength to 150 kg/cm2. For this reason, the Spanish Regulation for Structural Concrete (EHE 2008) (
Research has tended to focus more on mortar, in which investigators have been able to manufacture products with good mechanical and physical properties for reuse in non-resistant structures, such as mortar for masonry. When so used, recycled materials were added as replacement for sand (
Other studies have analysed mortar with recycled ceramic aggregate from production waste, in particular bathroom ceramic, producing mortars with excellent properties at a replacement rate of 25% of coarse aggregate (
Most other articles in this field centre on the physical, mechanical and chemical properties of samples containing recycled material. However, few studies describe the practical application of recycled materials for construction purposes. Some refer to the use of mortars with recycled ceramic material for non-resistant products and elements such as concrete bricks and blocks (
The research in this paper aims to take ceramic waste, discarded as defective, as offcuts or surplus to requirements, and add it to the manufacturing process for new mortars to substitute natural aggregate. The objective is to achieve the maximum possible percentage of waste content that allows to obtain a mortar with adequate physical and mechanical properties for developing a beam-filling piece for wooden structural floors. The aims is for these infill blocks to be used in rehabilitation processes, in order to recover the traditional structural and construction systems applied to historic buildings. This will also contribute to construction sector sustainability, with the use of waste materials, and to the recovery of traditional construction systems.
This study is divided into different stages:
Phase 1: Identification and characterization of the materials used. The raw materials and products from industrial ceramic waste to be recycled, and which contain no cracks or firing defects, are characterized.
Phase 2: Crushing of ceramic waste and selection of the appropriate grading size following sieving.
Phase 3: Development of test pieces at different percentages (10, 20, 30, 40, 50%), for substituting aggregates with recycled ceramics.
Phase 4: Characterization of the mortar produced, determining its physical-mechanical properties and identifying the mineralogical phases in the mortars. This characterisation will yield the best mortar for the manufacture of infill blocks.
Phase 5: Development and testing of infill made of the most suitable mortar. Verification of compliance for use in building works.
The following materials were used in the manufacture of the mortar (
Materials before processing: Portland cement, natural aggregate, ceramic waste.
Bl/A-L 42.5R Portland cement, to Spanish RC-16 Cement Receipt Instruction (RC-16) standards (
A commercial sand with a maximum grain size of 8mm (TMA 8 mm) was used as natural aggregate.
Ceramic aggregate from leftover unglazed ceramic flooring measuring 14 × 28 cm, which was crushed to a size of 10–12.5 mm before use. After milling, the aggregate was sieved and classified into the following particle sizes, in compliance with the UNE-EN 933-1 standard (
No additives were used in the mix.
To determine the main elements in the materials, a mineralogical analysis was conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD), using PANALYTICAL-Axios equipment (with rhodium excited at 4kW); an X-ray diffractometer with a BRUKER-D8 Advance A25 (DI81I-90) was also used, as well as a Cu anode excited at 40 kV and 30 mA. In this way, the crystalline phases of the different materials were obtained (cement, natural aggregate and ceramic aggregate), and the natural aggregates were compared to the ceramic content. In order to study the similarity between the different elements of ceramic production two types of ceramic waste were compared: unglazed ceramic tiles and simple hollow ceramic brick.
Quantitative data obtained with X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy (
Quantification of the main elements in the material samples.
Chemical Constituent | Portland cement (wt%) | Sand aggregate (wt%) | Ceramic aggregate (wt%) | Ceramic brick (wt%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
SiO2 | 18.75 | 77.5 | 54.17 | 62.13 |
Al2O3 | 2.93 | 6.41 | 17.20 | 13.35 |
Fe2O3 | 0.13 | 2.22 | 6.91 | 5.14 |
MnO | 0.00 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.05 |
MgO | 0.34 | 0.50 | 5.24 | 2.28 |
CaO | 64.99 | 3.73 | 6.70 | 8.18 |
Na2O | 0.04 | 1.22 | 0.35 | 0.51 |
K2O | 0.32 | 1.71 | 4.78 | 3.64 |
Tio2 | 0.07 | 0.26 | 0.76 | 0.75 |
P2O5 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.15 | 0.13 |
SO3 | 2.65 | 0.03 | 1.14 | 1.78 |
Other elements | 9.02 | 4.13 | 3.11 | 2.14 |
TOTAL | 99.26 | 97.81 | 100.58 | 100.07 |
Results from the XRD are presented in
Crystalline phases and Rietveld parameters.
Mineral composition | Portland cement (Sample 1) | Sand (Sample 2) | Crushed ceramic (Sample 3) | Ceramic brick (Sample 4) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Albite (feldspar) | 11.30 | 16.70 | 17.20 | |
Anatase | 0.60 | 1.00 | ||
Amphibole | 1.10 | |||
Anhydrite | 0.40 | |||
Biotite (mica) | 1.30 | |||
C2s (dicacticsilicate) | 20.70 | |||
C3a (tricaccal | ||||
aluminate) | 1.00 | |||
C3s (tricactericsilicate) | 49.70 | |||
Calcite | 24.50 | 6.00 | 6.80 | 4.80 |
Kaolinite | 2.20 | |||
Corundum | 0.20 | |||
Quartz | 67.00 | 16.60 | 35.70 | |
Dolomite | 1.80 | |||
Enstantite (pyroxene) | 11.50 | 3.40 | ||
Fayalite | 7.70 | 0.80 | ||
Hematite | 4.00 | 3.70 | ||
Microline (Feldspar) | 3.00 | 15.10 | 20.20 | |
Muscovite | 17.30 | 9.60 | ||
Orthoclase (Feldspar) | 6.40 | |||
Phyllosilicates | 2.10 | |||
Plaster | 1.40 | 3.60 | 3.60 |
Ceramic waste mortars were produced at different ratios: 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% (PC10, PC20, PC30, PC40, PC50). A reference mortar made from commercial aggregate and with no additional waste content (PC) was also manufactured for use as a sample to compare the results obtained in each case.
The procedure for mortar production includes the following stages:
Determination of commercial aggregate granularity by sieving in accordance with UNE-EN 933 standard (
Selection of ceramic waste granules through sieving (
Determination of the necessary quantities of the ceramic waste particle fraction in relation to substitution ratios for each sample, replacing commercial aggregate with ceramic waste. In this way, an identical grading size (commercial and recycled) was adopted for all samples, regardless of the proportions recycled. In the overlay of the two grading curves (commercial and recycled aggregate), it can be observed how similar they are to one another (
Ceramic waste moistening. The recycled aggregate will be enveloped by a wet layer during the phase when it is added to the mix. This layer is formed by immersion of the aggregate before mixing with the rest of the mortar components.
Mixing commercial aggregate and ceramic waste with cement, replacing different percentages of commercial aggregate with the same amount of ceramic material.
Adding water in proportions ranging from 0.90 to 1.05 with regard to the cement weight ratio. These proportions vary depending on the percentage of recycled ceramic added to the mortar.
In
Mortar mixing proportions.
Mix | Materials (kg/m3) | Ratios | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Natural aggregate (NA) | Ceramic waste (CW) | Cement (C) | Water (W) | C/(CW+NA) | W/C | |
PC | 1529.69 | 0.00 | 254.95 | 229.45 | 1/6 | 0,90 |
PC10 | 1415.25 | 157.25 | 262.08 | 235.87 | 1/6 | 0.90 |
PC20 | 1215.47 | 303.87 | 253.22 | 227.90 | 1/6 | 0.90 |
PC30 | 1008.42 | 442.47 | 240.10 | 228.10 | 1/6 | 0.95 |
PC40 | 860.52 | 573.68 | 239.03 | 239.03 | 1/6 | 1.00 |
PC50 | 689.61 | 689.61 | 229.87 | 241.36 | 1/6 | 1.05 |
Ceramic aggregate size grading curves (PC, P30, P40, P50)
For each mixture, 18 prismatic test pieces of 40x40x160 mm3 were produced and later evaluated (
Methods for characterizing the mortar
Characteristic | Standard test method | |
---|---|---|
Mortar for masonry | Determination of particle size distribution (by sieve analysis) | UNE EN 933-1 ( |
Determination of consistency of fresh mortar (by flowable) | UNE EN 1015-3 ( |
|
Determination of bulk density of fresh mortar | UNE EN 1015-6 ( |
|
Determination of dry bulk density of hardened mortar | UNE EN1015-10 ( |
|
Determination of flexural and compressive strength of hardened mortar | UNE EN 1015-11 ( |
|
Determination of water absorption coefficient (capillary action of hardened mortar) | UNE EN 1015-18 ( |
|
Concrete tests. Determination of the modulus of elasticity in compression | UNE EN 12390-13 ( |
Manufacture of mortar specimens with 40% ceramic waste.
In order to characterise the mortars, the following tests were conducted, according to regulatory procedures (
Consistency of fresh mortar
The fresh density tests (
Relation of the average bulk density of fresh mortar to ceramic content.
Relation of the average bulk density of dry mortar to ceramic content.
Capillarity water absorption (
Effect of the content of ceramic waste on physical properties. Water absorption
Computed tomographies were conducted on all the test piece series to determine their morphology and to gather information on their porosity (
2D pictures from the CT scan (a. PC, b. PC-10, c. PC-20, d. PC-30, e. PC-40, f. PC-50)
Bump pictures to obtain pore networks from the samples collected (a. PC, b. PC-10, c. PC-20, d. PC-30, e. PC-40, f. PC-50)
The quantitative study of the porosity reveals a progressive rise in this parameter when the percentage of ceramic aggregate increases. This trend holds for mortars with up to a 50% substitution ratio (
Porosity according to total CT statistical analysis
Flexural Strength
Compressive Strength
It can be observed that flexural strength increases up to a recycled ceramic ratio of 30% (PC-30) compared to the reference mortar. However, in test pieces with a higher proportion of recycled ceramic, flexural strength decreases due to the increase in the amount of water used in the mixing process, as well as to the aggregate distribution in the mixtures, which is less homogeneous and has increased porosity.
Compression strength considerably increases in the mixtures with a proportion of 20 and 30% (PC-20, PC-30), in relation to the reference test piece (PC) (
The results for mechanical resistance provide data that is very useful when selecting the best mortar for manufacturing prefabricated pieces in horizontal structures, the mortar with 30% recycled ceramic being the most appropriate for this purpose.
Mechanical resistance development during the curing process provides information on how the ceramic content influences the setting process and the endurance of the mortars. In the case of mortars with a maximum 30% recycled ceramic, compressive strength at 7 days amounts to around 60–70% of the resistance values obtained at 28 days. Therefore, ceramic as a substitute for aggregate does not affect the development of resistant qualities over time for mortars with these percentages. Above this amount of recycled additives, progress evolves in a different way especially in mixtures with 50% ceramic (
The modulus of elasticity is determined by flexural rupture testing based on the stress-strain graphics (
Modulus of elasticity of mixtures (28 days)
Cross-section of test specimens (a. PC, b. PC-10, c. PC-20, d. PC-30, e. PC-40, f. PC-50)
The experimental study conducted has allowed us to characterise mortars with different proportions of recycled ceramics, with the conclusion that the addition of ceramic at a ratio of 30% produces a lighter material with better physical and mechanical properties than traditional mortar. Subsequently, an infill, or joist-to-joist fill, was produced using this mortar, for use mainly in the rehabilitation of traditional structural floors with brick jack arch slabs and wood beams (
Section and picture of jack arch slab.
The infill, or joist-to-joist fill, has the following technical characteristics (
Top and bottom view of the filler block.
The piece can easily bridge the gap between joists ranging from 19 to 38 cm (a) with a tolerance of ±5%.
The width of the piece is established at 25 cm (b) with a tolerance of ±5%
The cant height of the piece can range from 8cm, for pieces with a smaller gap between joists, to 16cm, for higher inter-joist frameworks (e).
The key thickness is a minimum of 3 cm (f) with a tolerance of ± 1%.
The total height of the piece depends on the dimensions of the wood beams upon which it rests, between 10.5 and 18.5 (g).
The dimension of the piece’s connections to the wood strips nailed to the existing beams is 2 cm (d).
In order to carry out an experimental analysis of the infill blocks, three series of six test samples each made of mortars PC-10, PC-20 and PC-30 were prepared. They were then mechanically tested for flexural strength according to the procedure described in the UNE 67-042-88 standard (
a. Pieces fabricated in lab. b. Flexural strength testing on one of the pieces, according to UNE 67-042-88 standard.
The results from this test are compiled in
Characterisation of the infill blocks.
SERIES | Dimensions (mm) | RECYCLED CERAMIC (g) | WATER | SAND | CEMENT | W/C RATIO | WEIGHT (g) | FLEXURAL STRENGTH LOAD (kN) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
a | b | g | d | e | f | freal | (g) | (g) | (g) | |||||
PC 1 10% | 350 | 250 | 138 | 20 | 110 | 28 | 26 | 2650 | 2150 | 13500 | 2430 | 0.90 | 1580 | 1.56 |
PC 2 10% | 350 | 250 | 138 | 20 | 110 | 28 | 27 | 2650 | 2150 | 13500 | 2430 | 0.90 | 1710 | 1.57 |
PC 3 10% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 30 | 29 | 2650 | 2150 | 13500 | 2430 | 0.90 | 1960 | 1.79 |
PC 4 10% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 30 | 29 | 2650 | 2150 | 13500 | 2430 | 0.90 | 1830 | 1.71 |
PC 5 10% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 30 | 28 | 2650 | 2150 | 13500 | 2430 | 0.90 | 1950 | 1.68 |
PC 6 10% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 30 | 29 | 2650 | 2150 | 13500 | 2430 | 0.90 | 1880 | 1.77 |
PC1 20% | 350 | 250 | 135 | 20 | 110 | 25 | 24 | 3830 | 2300 | 12000 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1730 | 1.29 |
PC 2 20% | 350 | 250 | 136 | 20 | 110 | 26 | 26 | 3830 | 2300 | 12000 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1830 | 1.45 |
PC 3 20% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 30 | 29 | 3830 | 2300 | 12000 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1960 | 2.03 |
PC 3 20% | 350 | 250 | 135 | 20 | 110 | 29 | 28 | 3830 | 2300 | 12000 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1910 | 1.94 |
PC 4 20% | 350 | 250 | 136 | 20 | 110 | 29 | 28 | 3830 | 2300 | 12000 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1930 | 1.85 |
PC 6 20% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 28 | 27 | 3830 | 2300 | 12000 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1965 | 1.74 |
PC 1 30% | 350 | 250 | 143 | 20 | 110 | 33 | 32 | 5330 | 2300 | 10500 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1860 | 2.26 |
PC 2 30% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 31 | 30 | 5330 | 2300 | 10500 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1890 | 1.97 |
PC 3 30% | 350 | 250 | 135 | 20 | 110 | 29 | 27 | 5330 | 2300 | 10500 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1930 | 1.81 |
PC 4 30% | 350 | 250 | 136 | 20 | 110 | 29 | 28 | 5330 | 2300 | 10500 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1880 | 1.88 |
PC 5 30% | 350 | 250 | 140 | 20 | 110 | 27 | 26 | 5330 | 2300 | 10500 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1910 | 1.74 |
PC 6 30% | 350 | 250 | 143 | 20 | 110 | 28 | 27 | 5330 | 2300 | 10500 | 2430 | 0.95 | 1950 | 1.78 |
The insertion of this piece into a structural floor was carried out as detailed below. It is important to emphasise that the piece must be supported on wood strips nailed to the existing wood beams or to the new ones (
Cross-section of the piece supported on timber beams. 1. Timber beams. 2. Strip of Wood. 3. I infill blocks with recycled ceramic mortar. 4. Compression layer. 5. Coating layer of ceramics. (optional).
To verify the construction and structural viability of the element developed, it was proposed to include the piece in the plans for the rehabilitation of a real building, the Casa del Pumarejo. This is a house with an internal patio of great historical, artistic and patrimonial value located in the old city centre of Seville (
Images of the principal arcaded courtyard in Pumarejo’s Building.
The building is constructed around two arcaded patios that reflect the status of the original occupants: one patio has wooden columns that symbolize the noble space of the house that contains the most interesting decorative elements, and a second patio that is simpler in design, acting as a serving area. These patios influence the spatial organization of all other areas of the building (
Floor plant of Pumarejo’s Building.
Cross section of Pumarejo’s Building.
The structural system of the building is based on load-bearing walls of solid clay brick measuring two-and-a-half feet (about 60 cm) laid as headers and stretchers. The horizontal structure has a finish that consists of wooden infill beam slabs (
(a) Original constructive solution in Pumarejo’s Building; (b) Image of the arcaded courtyard with brick jack arch slabs and wood beams
The highlighted zone in red in
Two solutions are proposed for the rehabilitation of the slabs that will enable the original wooden beams to be conserved, as well as their dimensions and construction typology. The first option is to construct the brick partition vaults on site (
Rehabilitation hypothesis: (a) With beam-filling pieces made of ceramic tiles; (b) With prefabricated beam-filling pieces with 30% of ceramic aggregate.
In both cases, an upper reinforcement is put in place by means of a light reinforced concrete slab (mixed wood-concrete decking). This solution not only maintains the original aesthetic of the slabs on the lower face, it also improves the mechanical behaviour of the beams, achieving greater inertia and resistance, and simultaneously improving its anti-inflammatory characteristics and boosting thermal and/or acoustic insulation, among others. In addition, the use of light concrete considerably reduces the beam weight, a crucial factor in rehabilitation interventions.
The structural assessment of the rehabilitation hypotheses takes into account the procedure in DAV-SE-M (
The reuse of the original wooden beams (13 x 20 cm) was also considered in the calculation, by determining the mechanical behaviour of the beam for two lighting placements, at 3 and 5 m. The results for this calculation are presented in
Calculation results of structural behavior of the considered hypothesis (1: With beam-filling pieces made of ceramic tiles; 2: With prefabricated beam-filling pieces with 30% of ceramic aggregate)
STRUCTURAL CALCULATION. ELS / ELU TESTS | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PERMANENT AND SERVICE LOADS | ||||||||||
Elements (kN/m2) | REHAB. HYPOTHESIS 1 | REHAB. HYPOTHESIS 2 | ||||||||
Ceramic tile floor, th = 2cm | 0.40 | 0.40 | ||||||||
Cement mortar, th = 2cm | 0.30 | 0.30 | ||||||||
Compression layer and lightweight concrete filling, HLE-25/B/10/IIa, density 1.200 kg/m3 | 1.87 | 0.98 | ||||||||
Sawn timber beams (13 × 20cm), separated 53 cm, density 370 kg/cm3 | 0.18 | 0.20 | ||||||||
Beam-filling pieces: ceramic tiles, density 1.800 kg/m3 | 0.45 | - | ||||||||
Prefabricated beam-filling pieces with ceramic aggregates | - | 0.85 | ||||||||
TOTAL | 3.20 | 2.74 | ||||||||
Partition walls | 1.20 | 1.20 | ||||||||
Residential zone A1 | 2.00 | 2.00 | ||||||||
1 | 3.00 | 13 × 20 | 5.00 | 22.5>1.6 | 4.3>0.2 | 24.2>22.8 | 1.13<7.5 | Minimum demands are met | 40.00 | 8 |
2 | 22.5>1.6 | 4.3>0.2 | 24.2>0.2 | 1.13<7.5 | 40.00 | 8 | ||||
1 | 5.00 | 10.00 | 22.5>5.2 | 4.3>0.4 | 48.4>45.3 | 9.94<12.5 | 20.00 | 25 | ||
2 | 7.00 | 22.5>4.7 | 4.3>0.4 | 41.5>40.3 | 9.20<12.5 | 15.00 | 33 |
In the case of lights at 3 m, the solution using a prefabricated piece complies with minimum mechanical resistance requirements with a compression layer of less than 5 cm. In fact, this thickness is the same for both the solutions proposed as it is the minimum legally permitted value. As a result, both solutions need the same number of connectors per beam (8 distributed at intervals of 40 cm), for the effective linkage of the wooden material and the concrete.
On the other hand, there is a significant difference in weight between the hypothesised recycled hollow vault compared to the solution consisting of clay floor tiles (2.74 kN/m2 and 3.20 kN/m2, respectively); this improves structural performance with lights at 5 m, reducing the compression layer for the proposed recycled hollow vault to a thickness of 3 cm. However, in this case the number of connectors needed is greater when using the prefabricated piece (33 every 15 cm, compared to 25 each 20 cm).
The study carried out can be concluded as following:
Ceramic material from construction waste or surplus production has proved to be a viable substitute for commercial aggregate in the production of mortars. Its composition, with a high percentage of quartz, means that the mineralogical phases are similar to the ones formed in cement mortar with no added ceramic.
To guarantee the workability of the mortar with ceramic waste that is equal or above substitution ratios of 30%, it would be necessary to increase water content, with a water/cement ratio as high as 1.05 or, as an alternative, use additives to improve this characteristic in order to comply with current regulations.
The densities of hardened mortars were successfully reduced by up to 8% in mixtures with 50% added ceramic, compared to the reference mortar with no additives. This benefits the manufacture of prefabricated pieces, using these mortars as base material.
Mortars with a recycled ceramic content of 20 and 30% have proved to be optimal when tested for water absorption. A reduction of approximately 50% in water absorption was achieved in the test pieces. No significant improvements in the mixtures with high ceramic ratios were obtained due to the heterogeneity of these mortars.
Although porosity increases considerably as the percentage of ceramic content rises, the pores are uniformly distributed in mixtures with a ratio equal to or less than 30% and the samples did not show substantial voids. All this explains the results obtained in the water absorption tests.
Tests showed a significant increase in compression and flexural strength values in mixtures up to 30% (23.58 MPa), thereafter declining but with levels that were always above the reference mortar with no ceramic added.
This study has demonstrated that mortar with 30% added recycled ceramic from construction waste is the most appropriate for use in the production of prefabricated pieces, thanks to its outstanding results in physical and mechanical properties.
A prefabricated piece has been developed to allow the recovery of a type of structural floor made of infill blocks of jack arch slabs and wood beams typical of the 17th to 19th centuries. The solution presented enables the maximum utilization of existing beams, contributing to the sustainability of these rehabilitated horizontal structures. Moreover, the piece developed meets the legal standards of current legislation so it can be legitimately used in construction works.
The new infill made of mortars with ceramic waste in a proportion of 30% allows for a reduction of 0.61 kN/m2 compared to the traditional solution usually applied in the rehabilitation of these types of structural floors, and considering a compression layer of 6 cm thick in both cases.
The application of the new pieces proposed in an authentic rehabilitation project yields structural improvements that are superior to those offered by traditional solutions since the solution is lighter. The new pieces involve substantial reuse of waste clay, a quicker construction process and minimization of waste generated on site.
This research has been supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain (reference number BIA2013-43061-R). The author Mª Jesús Morales-Conde acknowledges the financial support of the V Research Plan of the University of Seville. Pedreño-Rojas, MA (author) wishes to acknowledge the financial support provided by the FPU Program of Spain’s Ministry of Education (FPU15/02939). The authors acknowledge the collaboration in this work of the architects Carmen Calama, Carlos Campos and Carlos Girón.