Effect of copper slag on the resistance characteristics of SCC exposed to the acidic environment

Abstract

To investigate the acidic behavior of self-compacting concrete (SCC) incorporating Copper Slag (CS), a series of seven mixtures with different percentages of CS as cement replacement was produced. The specimens were replaced by 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% CS of total binder. Two types of acids as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid are used to simulate the acidic environments. In the present paper, the fresh properties, compressive strengths, mass losses, and volume variations of SCCs containing CS as a partial replacement of binder in acidic environments have been investigated. The results showed that the incorporating of CS increased the workability and fresh properties of SCC. As it is expected, acid attack decreased the mechanical properties, but incorporating CS up to 15% improved the resistance characteristics. Besides, the ratio between strength and cost (economy index) was predicted for all specimens. Finally, the results show that incorporating of CS as supplementary cementitious material in SCC improved the acidic resistance.