Fundamental properties and radioactivity shielding performance of concrete recycled cathode ray tube waste glasses and electric arc furnace slag as aggregates

Abstract

In this study, cathode ray tube (CRT) waste glasses and electric arc furnace slag (EAFS) were replaced with fine and coarse aggregates to evaluate gamma-ray shielding performance, mechanical performance, and microstructures based on replacement ratios. The results show that as the replacement ratio of a CRT waste glass increased, the volume of pores with diameters ranging from 5 to 200 nm increased. Moreover, the slope of the linear attenuation coefficient of the CRT/EFAS specimen increased with a decrease in the half-value layer, and the greater the energy of the gamma ray, the lower the shielding efficiency of the CRT/EFAS concrete. The compressive strength and flexural strength decreased when the CRT and EFAS were replaced as the aggregate, but the mechanical performance of the CRT/EFAS concrete could be obtained by substituting the mineral admixtures.