The use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) aggregates in concrete is a recent development for enhancing the toughness of rigid pavements, however, at the expense of deteriorating other properties― the literature indicates that the use of RAP could lead to a strength reduction in the range of 20-79%. The presence of asphalt film around the RAP has been attributed to hindering the bonding between aggregates and the cement-mortar matrix. The use of highly reactive mineral admixtures also could not enhance the performance of RAP-concrete and this is believed to be due to the asphalt-cohesion failure mechanism. However, no study has fundamentally understood the failure mechanism(s) associated with RAP-inclusive concrete. The parameters affecting the strength development have also not been delineated to date. The proposed study is a novel attempt to fundamentally understand the failure mechanism associated with RAP-inclusive concrete with an aim to explore all the dominating parameters affecting its performance. To achieve this broad objective, initially, the physical, mechanical, and chemical affinity of asphalt of varying characteristics with aggregates of different mineralogy and also with cement-mortar of varying compositions will be understood through surface free energy concept and later through tensile adhesive strength measurements. Thereafter, the effect of asphalt characteristics on the hydration kinetics of concrete will be studied and co-related with the mechanical and durability characteristics of concrete pavements. The understanding from these approaches will then be used to develop strategies to enhance the performance of rigid pavements through the integration of RAP without significantly affecting the mechanical behaviour.