Development of sustainable mortar and concrete made of limestone blended cement - influence of particle size

Abstract

Mortars and concretes with 20% substitution of cement by limestone were studied. Four different limestone powders having different particle diameters and surface areas were examined: one size smaller with high surface area, two sizes of larger with low surface area and one size similar to the original cement particles. It was shown that the compressive strength of the mortar and concrete made with limestone of different particle sizes were affected significantly by the surface area and size of the particles. Blended mortar and concrete made of medium limestone particle size had shown the highest density and hence the greatest compressive strength, while blended mortar and concrete with the fine limestone particles, which are commonly used in the construction industry, exhibited the lowest density and hence the smallest compressive strength. By controlling the size of the limestone particles and surface area, concrete and mortars with higher compressive strength can be achieved compared to those reported in the literature with similar clinker substitution content. Therefore the current work results have not only important scientific implications but also practical ones.