The long-term accelerated expansion of various ladle-furnace basic slags and their soil-stabilization applications

Abstract

Ladle furnace basic slag (LFS) is a by-product of the steelmaking industry that can be used in civil works, especially for soil stabilization. This sustainable application is based on the reactivity of certain compounds at ambient temperatures such as calcium aluminates, free calcium oxide and free magnesium oxide. These compounds show hydraulic reactivity and subsequent interaction between each other and with the clayey fraction, resulting in improvements to the geotechnical properties of the soil such as its bearing capacity and free swelling.This study looks at the long-term aging reactions of LFS and the properties of various soil–LFS mixes, to gain further knowledge of the behaviour of this by-product as a construction and building material and the inherent risk of volumetric instability associated with its use. The final conclusion is that LFS can be applied in soil stabilization as efficiently as conventional soil stabilizers.