By recycling used glass containers, we are able to recover and reuse their valuable properties, which is a way to preserve the relevant natural resources and lessen environmental burdens. For example, recycled waste glass (in the form of powder) can be used in the production of concrete. This article analyses the effect of waste glass addition on the properties of C12/15, which is used, for example, as concrete bedding material to support road drainage gutters and kerbs. Ground waste glass was used as a filler in the mix, i.e., without decreasing the amount of cement. Brown glass collected as municipal solid waste was used in this research. The research comprised an experiment prepared on the basis of the central composite design. The independent variables included water/cement ratio and the amount of glass powder, expressed as the glass to cement ratio by weight. The adopted research program mainly included the definition of the concrete compressive strength, water absorption and freeze–thaw resistance after 25 and 100 cycles of freezing and thawing. For selected systems, the characteristics of air voids in hardened concrete were also defined. The beneficial effect of ground waste glass added as a filler to the concrete mixture on the strength and durability of concrete was confirmed by the obtained test results.

This article presents the results of fatigue testing and assessment of the mechanical and physical properties of the concrete pavement of the A6 motorway, which was put in service in 1938. After 82 years of operation under heavy traffic loading conditions, the pavement was fully recycled by crushing of the existing concrete and reuse of the reclaimed material in the new courses of pavement placed as part of the motorway renewal project. The main objective of this research was to determine the properties of the tested concrete, including compressive strength, water absorption and freeze-thaw resistance after 150 cycles of alternate freezing and thawing. The resistance of the concrete to the action of de-icing products was also checked. The article also presents the results of petrographic analysis of the aggregates. Additionally, concrete sampled from the pavement was evaluated for freeze-thaw resistance in relation to the determined porosity characteristics. The tested concrete, which was subjected to over 80 years of traffic loading on the A6 motorway, was found to meet the highest requirements as currently applied for the extra heavy-duty pavements. With a compressive strength value in excess of 50 MPa, the tested concrete can be rated at least CC40, according to EN 13877-2:2013-08. The samples were found to satisfy the freeze-thaw resistance requirements of an F150 rating. The air void analysis showed that the analyzed concrete contained 1.6% of micropores, i.e., air voids smaller than 300 μm (A₃₀₀). The spacing factor, in turn, was below 0.200 mm (L = 0.185 mm). The example of the A6 motorway renewal project served to demonstrate that reclaimed concrete aggregate, obtained by crushing the entire pavement, can be used for production of the new pavement courses.

The article presents a new functional method of designing self-compacting concrete (SCC). The assumptions of the functional method of designing self-compacting concrete were based on the double coating assumption (i.e., it was assumed that the grains of coarse aggregate were coated with a layer of cement mortar, whereas the grains of sand with cement paste). The proposed method is composed of four stages, each of which is responsible for the selection of a different component of the concrete mix. The proposed designing procedure takes into consideration such a selection of the mineral skeleton in terms of the volumetric saturation of the mineral skeleton, which prevents the blocking of aggregate grains, and the designed liquid phase demonstrated high structural viscosity and low yield stress. The performed experimental studies, the simulation of the elaborated mathematical model fully allowed for the verification of the theoretical assumptions that are the basis for the development of the method of designing self-compacting concrete.

The aim of this work was to reduce the carbon footprint of cement concrete by using multi-component cement with a high content of blast furnace slag. The analysis consisted of comparing the properties of the concrete mix and the hardened concrete made of the CEM I 42.5 R-NA cement commonly used in Poland and the CEM III cement with a large amount of blast furnace slag. The tests used cement in a constant amount of 380 kg/m³, granite aggregate of 2/8, 8/16, 16/22 mm and sand of 0/2 mm. As part of this project, detailed tests of the concrete mix and hardened concrete were carried out in terms of compressive, bending, fracture and frost resistance after 150 cycles of freezing and thawing, and the pore structure in hardened concrete was assessed according to PN-EN 480-11. The endurance tests were performed after 7, 28 and 90 days. On the basis of the obtained results, it was found that the highest compressive strengths above 70.2 MPa were obtained for concrete with CEM III, 64.5 MPa for concrete with CEM I. Additionally, for concrete with multi-component cement, smaller drops in compressive strength were obtained and a more favorable pore distribution in hardened concrete was obtained. Concrete intended for road surfaces can be made of both CEM I and CEM III cement, as they meet the requirements of the technical specifications for roads with heavy traffic of heavy vehicles.

The paper presents the results of laboratory tests and the complete results of the implementation of the Sprint fast-setting concrete technology used during the reinstallation of the concrete pavement of the DK50 road (the Młodzieszyn bypass). The problem of concrete pavement repair is related to economic and social costs and, above all, to long repair time. After an extensive analysis of various technologies, the authors created a dedicated solution, which, based on commonly existing materials, allows for a very quick repair of the existing pavement. The obtained properties of the fast-setting concrete allow the maintenance of rheological parameters for 2 h from its production and to install the mixture of the consistency of class S3/S4, while the obtained compressive strength exceeds 25 MPa within 6 h of installation. The concrete parameters obtained after 24 h show a strength exceeding 40 MPa, and after 28 days—exceeding 60 MPa. The tensile strength at shattering exceeds 5 MPa, while the tensile strength at flexural strength exceeds 7 MPa. In addition, all parameters of the fast-setting concrete meet the highest requirements currently set for newly built concrete pavement loaded by very heavy traffic. The most important parameter is the possibility to shorten the repair time of concrete pavement to one day, significantly reducing the social costs associated with closing a single lane or the entire road. An important element of the presented technology is the possibility of producing the mixture at a stationary concrete batching plant, and in the future—with the use of bags for patching potholes in road pavement.

The aim of the paper was to analyse the possibility to use waste material which is created during the production of mineral-asphalt mixes as a side effect of the process of drying and dedusting diabase aggregate in high temperature. Experimental studies included the analysis of the influence of the addition of diabase dust on the improvement of the properties of cement concrete destined for the construction of local roads. The mineral additive in the form of diabase dust, which constitutes natural waste, was inserted into the concrete mix as a mineral additive substituting a part of the aggregate with the constant amount of cement and water, and additionally as the substitute for cement. The performed studies resulted in the conclusion that adding diabase dust significantly increased the tightness and density of concrete, which impacts the increase of compressive strength by 7, 21 and 28% in reference to model concrete. The insertion of the waste diabase dust into the concrete mix significantly improved the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete after 150 cycles of testing and reduced the water absorption by 6, 15 and 21%. Using diabase dust as a substitute in the following amount: 50, 100 and 150 kg/m3 did not cause significant changes in the scope of density and water absorption, whereas the reduction of the compressive strength was from 8, 23 and 33% in reference to the model concrete. The application of dust as the substitute for cement resulted in the reduction of the costs of concrete by 6, 12 and 18% and resulted in the possibility to fully apply waste material, which confirms the justness of undertaking implementation research. Concrete with the use of waste rock dusts may be qualified as concrete that is environmentally friendly and compliant with the sustainable development of modern construction materials.