Elevated Temperature Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag Stabilisation of Desilicated Foundry Sand

Abstract

This study presents the use of Basic Oxygen Furnace slag (BOFS) as a stabilizer for disilicated waste foundry (DWF) sand and therefore provides an opportunity for high-volume use of waste material for low-cost, low-volume building and construction material. DWF was stabilized with BOFS to 40 %. The effect of composite moisture content, BOFS content, curing time and curing temperature was studied. A 50:50 DWF: BOFS composite cured at 80 °C for 96 h had the highest unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of 7.83 MPa, a 15.5 % water absorption after a 24 h soak with a corresponding 20.5 % reduction in UCS. The green specimen (70:30) was then used to stabilize expansive soil. The formation of hydration products was responsible for the strength gain in the stabilized DWF specimens. It was concluded that BOFS was successful in stabilizing DFS. The stabilised DWF for ASTM C34-13, C129-14a and South African standards (SANS227: 2007).