High Performance Concrete with Copper slag for Marine Environment

Abstract

Marine concrete structures are subjected to very severe exposure conditions and their durability is directly related to the quality of concrete used. For these applications, concrete must possess low to very low permeability characteristics and its durability can be assured with the use of proper mix compositions. Since high-strength concrete is with low permeability such a concrete grade is needed to achieve high-performance in marine environment. This paper is focused on developing a corrosion resistant concrete using copper slag, fly ash and silica fume with Portland cement for use in marine environments. Fly ash which is the byproduct of thermal power plant have been used as replacement for cement and sand. A compressive strength of 70 MPa and flexural strength of 6 MPa was achieved with copper slag and fly ash. The sorptivity ranged between 0.1 – 0.25 mm/min0.5. The experimental trials were designed using Central composite design and multiple optimisation was also carried out for higher strength and lower sorptivity.