In this paper, the effects of different calcination temperatures, flux types, and their corresponding additions on the thermal activation effect of the Ladle furnace slag (LFS) were investigated. A comparative analysis of the properties of the LFS-based geopolymer before and after thermal activation was carried out from a macroscopic perspective. The results showed that the 12CaO·7Al2O3(C12A7) in the LFS is more amorphous after thermal activation, leading to a prolongation in the setting time. When the calcination temperature reached 800 °C, the γ-C2S showed signs of transformation to β-C2S. This, in turn, undoubtedly enhanced the hydration properties of the LFS, as demonstrated by the compressive strength of the samples. In this regard, the compressive strengths of G-H-800, G-H-S5, and G-H-C10 after 28 days were 18.25 MPa, 18.47 MPa, and 24.38 MPa, respectively. They were found to be higher than those of the untreated sample G-Unheated at 8.0 MPa. In addition, the evaluation of the chemical resistance properties showed that the thermally-activated LFS-based geopolymer had good corrosion resistance in both NaCl and NaOH solutions, especially at high concentrations. The compressive strength loss rates of G-Unheated were 33.70% and 29.92% at NaCl and NaOH solution concentrations up to 2 mol/L, respectively. The lowest compressive strength loss rates of 9.21% and 17.83% could be achieved by LFS-based geopolymer after thermal activation under the same conditions. Nevertheless, the results of the high temperature resistance test showed that the compressive strength of the samples all increased at a temperature of 200 °C. However, when the temperature rose to 400 °C, the compressive strength of the samples decreased, except for G-Unheated, which showed a 2% increase in compressive strength. As the temperature was increased further, the compressive strengths of all samples were diminished.
Read full abstract