Abstract
This paper investigates the possibility of utilizing steel slags produced in the steelmaking industry as an alternative to burnt clay brick aggregate (BA) in concrete. Within this context, physical, mechanical (i.e., compressive and splitting tensile strength), length change, and durability (porosity) tests were conducted on concrete made with nine different percentage replacements (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80%, and 100% by volume of BA) of BA by induction of furnace steel slag aggregate (SSA). In addition, the chemical composition of aggregate through X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis and microstructural analysis through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of aggregates and concrete were performed. The experimental results show that the physical and mechanical properties of concrete made with SSA were significantly higher than that of concrete made with BA. The compressive and tensile strength increased by 73% when SSA fully replaced BA. The expansion of concrete made with SSA was a bit higher than the concrete made with BA. Furthermore, a significant lower porosity was observed for concrete made with SSA than BA, which decreased by 40% for 100% SSA concrete than 100% BA concrete. The relation between compressive and tensile strength with the porosity of concrete mixes are in agreement with the relationships presented in the literature. This study demonstrates that SSA can be used as a full replacement of BA, which is economical, conserves the natural aggregate, and is sustainable building material since burning brick produces a lot of CO2.
Highlights
In the utilization of industrial residues as construction raw materials, the concrete industry can play an important role in sustainable development, leading to considerable environmental benefits.Generally, aggregates occupy about 60–85% of the total volume of hardened concrete [1].Aggregates are important constituents in the concrete composite that help to improve the various properties of concrete, including reducing the shrinkage and providing workability, volume stability, strength, and durability to the concrete [2]
The specific aggregates are very important for concrete since they influence the physical, mechanical, gravity of the steel slag aggregate (SSA) was higher than the brick aggregate (BA), which is believed to have been caused by its higher Feand
The results indicate that the modulus of elasticity increases over time, which could be linked to the development of strength, porosity, and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) around the aggregates
Summary
In the utilization of industrial residues as construction raw materials, the concrete industry can play an important role in sustainable development, leading to considerable environmental benefits.Generally, aggregates (coarse and fine) occupy about 60–85% of the total volume of hardened concrete [1].Aggregates are important constituents in the concrete composite that help to improve the various properties of concrete, including reducing the shrinkage and providing workability, volume stability, strength, and durability to the concrete [2]. In the utilization of industrial residues as construction raw materials, the concrete industry can play an important role in sustainable development, leading to considerable environmental benefits. Aggregates (coarse and fine) occupy about 60–85% of the total volume of hardened concrete [1]. Aggregates are important constituents in the concrete composite that help to improve the various properties of concrete, including reducing the shrinkage and providing workability, volume stability, strength, and durability to the concrete [2]. In the numerous countries of South Asia, the concrete industry mostly depends on burnt clay brick aggregate (BA) due to the shortage of natural stones [3]. Though crushed stone aggregates are used in the concrete industry due Materials 2020, 13, 2865; doi:10.3390/ma13122865 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials
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