Effect of tailing powder content on dynamic behavior of iron tailing porous concrete: An experimental study

Abstract

Iron tailing porous concrete (ITPC) is a new type of green-engineered composite that uses iron ore tailing (IOT) powder to partially replace cement in conventional foamed concrete. This study investigates the dynamic properties of ITPC with a range of IOT content (15 % to 35 %) under high-strain rate loads, as well as the hydration products and microstructures of ITPC. Additionally, foamed concrete specimens without IOT powder are prepared and tested as references. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that the addition of IOT powder causes the presence of iron oxide (Fe2O3) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) in the ITPC, resulting in a decrease in calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel and ettringite (AFt). A split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) facility is used to perform impact tests at expected strain rates from 120 to 250 s−1. The experimental results demonstrate that the properties of ITPC obtained in dynamic loading tests exhibit significant IOT content dependence and strain rate effects. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis reveals that excessive IOT content results in the formation of numerous micro-cracks and loose pore structures within the ITPC specimens. ITPC with IOT content ranging from 25 % to 30 % achieves the optimal performance with high impact resistance and effective utilization of iron tailing waste. Specifically, at the expected strain rates of 120, 200, and 250 s−1, increasing the IOT content from 15 % to 35 % resulted in reductions of compressive strength by 37.52 %, 51.34 %, and 51.22 %, respectively. The corresponding dynamic increase factors of ITPC achieved the maximum values of 1.25 (25 % IOT content), 2.16 (30 % IOT content) and 3.12 (30 % IOT content), respectively.