Pull-out tests of handcrafted studs embedded in concrete with red mud synthetic coarse aggregate

This paper presented the experimental results of the strength capacity of studs embedded centrally in concrete with red mud synthetic coarse aggregates, with the variation of the handcrafted headed stud thickness (3.17, 4.76, 6.35, and 7.9 mm) and no shank bond influence with concrete. The results regarding the compressive strength of concrete showed considerable strength gain with synthetic coarse aggregate, ranging from 27.00 to 43.50 MPa, while in concrete with natural coarse aggregate, the variation was 27.00 to 36.50 MPa. Also, it was observed that the cracking in the concrete matrix of the synthetic coarse aggregate occurred in the aggregate instead of the transition zone, as occurred with the natural coarse aggregate concrete. However, the solid morphological formation of synthetic coarse aggregate provided excellent chemical adhesion to the headed stud, providing a hardening failure behavior after reaching the yield strength value of the steel bar with higher displacements. This can enable the optimized consumption of materials in the dosage of low-strength structural concrete and the anchoring application of studs with smaller-headed thicknesses, up to 8% of head diameter, generating economy and sustainability.