Experimental Study and Modeling of Concrete Containing AOD Steel Slag for Pavements

Abstract

Due to increased industrialization, large amount of industrial by-products are produced every year in all parts of the world. Disposal of these often toxic wastes is the major problem faced and can potentially be solved by their use in the construction industry. The main aim of this study was to utilize the argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) steel slag (a waste product from the stainless steel industry) in the concrete mix for construction of rigid pavements. The present study evaluated various properties of concrete mixes containing 0–25% of AOD steel slag as a partial replacement of ordinary portland cement and further curing the mixes for 28, 90, 180 and 365 days. Thus, the study investigated the compressive and flexural strengths, abrasion resistance, resistance to acid attack and resistance to sulfate attack of concrete mixes. Further, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and toxicity characteristic leaching potential (TCLP) analyses were also conducted to study the micro-structural properties and leaching characteristics of steel slag mixed concrete. Compressive and flexural strength showed the positive results as the curing period of the specimens increased. Durability properties were less affected by the addition of AOD steel slag. TCLP analysis revealed that the toxicity of steel slag concrete was found within the permissible limits as compared to the raw steel slag. Further, to approximate the underlying relationship existing between the input–output data, a Legendre functional link neural network has been implemented for the prediction of compressive and flexural strengths.