In this study, full iron tailings concrete (FITC) was created using iron tailings from a tailings pond in Qian’an, China. Iron tailings account for 86.8% of the total mass of solid raw materials in the FITC. To enable large-scale use of FITC, a comprehensive investigation of the structural behaviour of full-iron tailing-reinforced concrete (FITRC) specimens is warranted. Therefore, eight rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns with conventional reinforced concrete (CRC) as a control were tested to investigate the effects of section dimensions, initial eccentricities, and concrete strengths, on the structural behaviour of FITRC columns under large eccentric short-term loading. The experimental and analytical results indicated that the sectional strain of the FITRC columns satisfied the plane-section assumption under short-term loading, and the lateral deflection curve agreed well with the half-sinusoidal curve. In addition, the FITRC columns exhibited a slightly lower cracking load and lower ultimate load capacity than the CRC columns, and the crack widths were larger than those of the CRC columns. The reduction in the load capacity observed in the FITRC was within the permissible range stated in the design code, thereby satisfying the code requirements. The deformation coefficients of the FITRC and CRC columns were identical, and the cracking and ultimate loads calculated according to the current code and theories were in good agreement with the measured results.

Bolivia has abundant pebbles, while the supply of crushed stone is limited and unstable. Thus, the resource utilization of local pebble as a coarse aggregate and the guarantee of concrete durability are the key scientific issues in the Sucre Highway Project. In this paper, a comparative analysis was conducted of the performance of crushed stone concrete and pebble concrete. Additionally, the impact of fly ash on the water permeability resistance of concrete was investigated. The results indicate that the apparent density, bulk density, and void ratio of pebbles are lower than those of crushed stone, and the aggregate gradation of pebbles is dispersed. The type of aggregate is the primary factor influencing the splitting tensile strength of concrete, with the main failure modes of pebble concrete being slurry cracking, aggregate crushing, and interface debonding. While aggregate and fly ash have a minor effect on compressive strength, they significantly impact flexural tensile strength; however, all concretes meet the requirements for extra-heavy, very heavy, and heavy traffic load levels. In terms of impermeability, fly ash effectively mitigates the negative impact of aggregate type on the impermeability of concrete. These findings support the application of pebble concrete in the highway project.