Abstract
Induction furnace steel slag is a secondary product obtained when molten steel is separated from the impurities in the steel-producing furnaces. Though numerous studies have been published on the mechanical strength of concrete/mortar made with steel slag as fine aggregate, relatively few studies focus on the shrinkage, durability (i.e., porosity, water absorption, and resistance to chloride penetration) at ambient temperature, and especially the mechanical and durability performances after exposure to elevated temperatures. Within this context, the present study investigates mechanical strength, shrinkage, and durability of mortar made with different contents of steel slag powder (SSP) at two different water-to-cement (w/c) ratios before and after exposure to elevated temperatures (120, 250, 400 and 600 °C). Mortars made with SSP showed significantly higher mechanical strength and better durability than mortar made with 100% natural sand (control mortar). Compressive, tensile, and flexural strength increased by 45%, 72% and 56%, respectively, when SSP entirely replaced natural sand. Porosity, water absorption, and chloride penetration decreased by 42%, 61% and 52%, respectively, for 100% SSP mortar. Furthermore, the shrinkage of the mortar decreased with increasing percentages of SSP. Conversely, residual compressive strength after heat exposure was lower for 100% SSP mortar than for the control mortar. Therefore, this study presents a first step towards the successful utilization of SSP in cementitious mortar.
Highlights
With the reprocessing of industrial waste and secondary industrial products as raw construction materials, the concrete industry can contribute to sustainable development, bringing considerable environmental benefits
Though numerous studies have been published on the mechanical strength of concrete/mortar made with steel slag as fine aggregate, relatively few studies focus on the shrinkage, durability at ambient temperature, and especially the mechanical and durability performances after exposure to elevated temperatures
The present study investigates mechanical strength, shrinkage, and durability of mortar made with different contents of steel slag powder (SSP) at two different water-to-cement (w/c) ratios before and after exposure to elevated temperatures (120, 250, 400 and 600 ◦C)
Summary
With the reprocessing of industrial waste and secondary industrial products as raw construction materials (such as induction furnace steel slag), the concrete industry can contribute to sustainable development, bringing considerable environmental benefits This aspect can be very important, considering that concrete is the most used construction ma terial globally, with more than 4 billion tons of cement produced per year. Due to the global rise of construction ac tivity, the demand for concrete is continuously increasing, in developing economies In some cases, this can lead to problems in the supply chain: for example, in the Netherlands, the supply of natural fine aggregates is becoming limited [3]. If part of this waste would be used to replace NS in (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
