“…From the perspective of sustainable development, the recycling of waste concrete is an effective way to solve the above mentioned problems [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Extensive research has been carried out concerning the mechanical properties of recycled concrete (RC) [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. However, as a certain amount of old mortar is attached in recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), RCA exhibits intrinsic defects, such as high porosity, high water absorption ratio and low mechanical resistance [ 14 ].…”