Influence of Carbonation on Fatigue of Concrete with High Volume of Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag

The effect of carbonation on fatigue performance of ground granulated blast-furnace slag concrete was investigated. Based on the static compression tests of carbonated GGBS-concrete, the correlation between carbonation depth and compressive strength was analyzed and an equation between carbonation depth and compressive strength was put forward. Meanwhile, fatigue S-N curves of various carbonation depths were fitted, and the infl uence of carbonation on fatigue life and strength was studied. Carbonation has a dual effect on the fatigue behavior of GGBS-concrete. A fatigue equation based on the depth of carbonation was established. Also, the probabilistic distribution of fatigue life of carbonated concrete at a given stress level was modeled by the two-parameter Weibull distribution.

Effect of Steel Slag and Granulated Blast-furnace Slag on the Mechanical Strength and Pore Structure of Cement Composites

Reuse of solid industrial wastes is an effective approach to develop low-carbon construction materials. This paper examines how two materials, steel slag（ST） and granulated blast-furnace slag（SL） impact the mechanical performance and pore structure of cement-based systems. Analysis was done on the variations of the porosity, pore size, and pore volume distribution with the curing age and replacement content, and the fractal dimensions of pore surfaces. The results suggested that systems with both supplementary materials had lower early strengths than pure cement, but could generally surpass pure cement paste after 90 d; higher SL content was particularly helpful for boosting the late strengths. The addition of ST increased the porosities and mean pore sizes at each age, and both increased with ST content; SL was helpful for decreasing the system＇s late porosity（especially harmless pores below 20 nm）; The lowest porosity and mean pore size were obtained with 20% SL. Both systems had notably fractal characteristics on pore surfaces, with ST systems showing the highest dimensions at 10% ST, and SL systems at 20% SL. Compressive strength displayed a significant linear increase with fractal dimension.

Effect of ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBFS) and silica fume(SF) on chloride migration through concrete subjected to repeated loading

The effect of ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBFS) and silica fume(SF) on the chloride migration through concrete subjected to repeated loading was examined.Portland cement was replaced by 20%,30%,40% GGBFS and 5%,10% SF,respectively.Five times repeated loadings were applied to specimens,the maximum loadings were 40% and 80% of the axial cylinder compressive strength(f′c),respectively.Chloride migration through concretes was evaluated using the rapid chloride migration test and the chloride concentration in the anode chamber was measured.The results indicate that the transport number of chloride through concrete containing 20% and 30% GGBFS replacements and 5% and 10% SF replacements is lower than that of the control concrete,but 40% GGBFS replacement increases the transport number of chloride.Five loadings at 40% f′cor 80% f′c increase the transport number of chloride for all mixes investigated in this study.5% SF replacement has a very close effect on the chloride permeability of concrete with 20% GGBFS when concrete is subjected to 40% f′cor 80% f′c.

The Mechanism of Ground Granulated Blastfurnace Slag Preventing Alkali Aggregate Reaction

Three different methods were applied to study the alkali content of gelpores in cement. In the closed system, the concentration of K＋, Na＋ and OH - have not reduced with the increase of age. In the open system, the diffusion and transferring of K＋ and Na＋ towards free space leads to the de-crease of total alkali content. In the micro-analysis system, the contents of K＋ and Na＋ in the first hy- drated layer of ground granulated blastfurnace slag （GBFS） are very low, while the contents of calcium and magnesium are relatively high. This phenomenon shows that the mechanism of GBFS preventing alkali aggregate reaction （AAR） is： when GBFS is dissolved by alkali medium, SiO2 and Al2O3 are dissolved into the cement matrix, then around GBFS particles form reaction rings rich in Ca2＋ and Mg^2＋, and the C-S-H gel of positive charges formed in the area repulses K＋ and Na＋, which are forced to transfer to the mortar＇s matrix, pore or mortar sample surface. The transferred K ^＋ and Na^＋ form alkali gel products with other dissolved ions, then become evenly distributed in the mortar sample and react with Ca（OH）2 in pore solutions to form （Na,K）x-2z·zCa·（SiO2）y·（OH）x gel products; and thus changes the AAR gel products＇ structure. The gel products will not expand, and so they can delay expansion destruction.

Preparation of Granulated Adsorption Material of Water-quenched Slag/rectorite Composite for Removal of Cu(Ⅱ)Ions from Copper Smelter Wastewater

The preparation of granulated adsorption material of water-quenched slag/rectorite composite and the treatment of Cu （ Ⅱ ）-containing copper smelter wastewater with the adsorption material were studied. The experimental results showed that under the conditions with the mass ratio of water-quenched slag to rectorite of 1：1, 10% additive of industrial starch （IS）, and 50% water, and a calcination temperature of 400 ℃, the granulated adsorption material prepared had a density of 1.06 kg/m^3, a porosity of 62.29%, water absorption rate of 58.82%, and compressive strength of 2.22 MPa. The efficiency of wastewater treatment was the best, whereas the rate of spallation loss was low. Under the conditions of natural pH, with the addition of the granulated adsorption material of 0.05 g/mL, a reaction time of 40 minutes, and temperature of 25 ℃, the efficiency of the granulated adsorption material for the removal of Cu （ Ⅱ ） ions from the copper smelter wastewater attained 98.2%, and the quality indexes of the wastewater after treatment conformed with the first level of integrated wastewater discharge standard （GB8978-1996）. The reclamation of the used granulated adsorption material was carried out by de-sorption of the Cu （ Ⅱ） ions from the surface with 1 mol/L sodium chloride solution. The de-sorption rate was 96.4%, and the adsorption material can be reused many times to treat copper smelter wastewater.

Physico-chemical Characteristics of Wet-milled Ultrafine-granulated Phosphorus Slag as a Supplementary Cementitious Material

The phosphorus slag（PS） can be used as a supplementary cementitious material due to its potential hydrating activity. However, its usage has been limited by its adverse effects, including prolonged setting and lowered early-stage strength. In this study, we achieved ultrafine granulation of PS using wetmilling（reducing d50 to as low as 2.02 μm） in order to increase its activity, and examined the physico-chemical properties of the resulting materials, including particle-size distribution, slurry pH, zeta potential, and activity index, as well as how their replacement level and granularity affect the setting time and mechanical performance of PS-cement mixture systems. The results suggested that as the granularity increases, there are significant boosts in the uniformity of particle sizes, slurry pH, and activity index, and the effects on cement paste, including setting times, and early-and late-stage strengths, are significantly mitigated. When d（50）=2.02 μm, the slurry becomes strongly alkaline（pH=12.16） compared to the initial d（50）=20.75 μm（pH=9.49）, and the activity is increased by 73%; when used at 40% replacement, the PS-cement mixture system can reach a 28 d compressive strength of 93.2 MPa, 36% higher than that of the pure cement control group.

A Binder of Phosphogypsum-Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag-Ordinary Portland Cement

A new hydraulic cementitious binder was developed by mainly utilizing industrial byproducts phosphogypsum（PG）and ground granulated blast furnace slag（GGBFS）with small addition of ordinary portland cement（OPC）.The hydration process and microstructure were studied by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and scanning electronic microscopy（SEM）.OPC hydrated first at early age to form primarily C-S-H gel,ettringite and calcium hydroxide（CH）.GGBFS activated by CH and sulfate ions hydrated continuously at later age,producing more and more hydration products,C-S-H gel and ettringite.Thus the paste developed a denser microstructure and its strength increased.The 28 d compressive strength of the mixture of 50%PG,46% GGBFS and 4%OPC exceeded 45 MPa.The setting time was faster and 3 d and 7 d strength were higher when the proportion of OPC increased.But the 28 d strength decreased when OPC exceeded 4%due to large amount of ettringite formed at late hydration age which damaged the microstructure.

Abrasion Resistance of Cement Paste with Granulated Blast Furnace Slag and Its Relations to Microhardness and Microstructure

The abrasion resistance of cement pastes with 30 wt%,40 wt%and 50 wt%granulated blast furnace slag(GBFS),and its relations to microhardness and microstructure like hydration products and pore structure were studied.Results indicated that GBFS decreased the abrasion resistance of paste,and among the pastes with GBFS,the paste with 40 wt%GBFS showed the highest abrasion resistance.The microhardness of GBFS was lower than that of the cement,and the microhardness of the hydration products in paste with GBFS was also lower than that of the hydration products in paste without GBFS,so that the abrasion resistance of paste decreased when GBFS was incorporated.The reason for the decrease of microhardness of pastes with GBFS was that the contents of Ca(OH)_(2)in pastes with GBFS was significantly lower than that in the paste without GBFS,while large amounts of calcium aluminate hydrates and hydrotalcite-like phases(HT)in pastes with GBFS were generated.Furthermore,among the pastes with GBFS,the paste with 40 wt%GBFS showed the lowest porosity which was the main reason for its highest abrasion resistance.

Volume and Surface Nucleation of Crystals in Glass Based on Blast-Furnace Slag

Using differential thermal analysis, X-ray phase analysis, electron microscopy, and optical microscopy, the nucleation of crystals in glass obtained by blending metallurgical slag with silicon dioxide has been studied. The type of crystallization (homogeneous or heterogeneous, volume or surface) is revealed for each of nine compositions of synthesized glass. It is shown that the first crystalline phase in a volume crystallizing glass is perovskite (CaO·TiO2);in this phase a nucleation of the main phase occurs: melilite (solid solution of gehlenite 2CaO·Al2O3·SiO2 in akermanite 2CaO·MgO·2SiO2). The fundamental characteristics of homogeneous (for a catalizing phase, perovskite) and heterogeneous (for a catalyzed phase, melilite) of crystallization are determined: the steady state nucleation rate Ist, time of unsteady state nucleation τ, crystal growth rate U, and activation energy of frictional flow. The temperature dependences of Ist, τ, and U are obtained. The kinetics of the crystallization of glass is studied and the rates of the surface crystal growth are determined in the glass of nine compositions. The influence of grinding the particles of the original glass on the sequence of deposition of the crystalline phases was studied. Practical recommendations are presented for the use of blast-furnace slag as a raw material for the synthesis of glass and their further utilization.

Modeling Tensile Strength of Concrete on Partial Replacement of Ce­ment and Sand with Quarry Dust Ground Granulated Blast Furnace and Slag Silica Fumes

Tensile strength of concrete were examined on its partial replacement of cement and sand using ground granulated blast furnace and quarry dust.The study examines its behaviour at different dimensions.This is to monitor the variation effect of these parameters on the growth rates of tensile to the optimum curing age.These include non linear conditions of tensile state,non-elastic and its brittle behaviour at all times as it express zero conditions in tension.This means that it has the ability to with stand pull force.It also reflects its weak ability to handle shear stress thus tends to cause deformation in material as it has poor elasticity.The reflection of its brittle influence the rate of tensile behaviour from concrete ductility.These are known to be a material on modern mechanics of concrete.These are also considered as quasi brittle material.This behaviour was reflected as the system considered evaluating the growth rate of tensile strength that replaced cement and sand with these locally sourced addictives.The developed model monitor other reflected influential parameters such as variation of concrete porosity due it compaction in placements,tensile behaviour reflects these effect that subject it to mechanical properties of concrete.The study expressed the reaction of these parameters in the simulation,the evaluation of these affected the details variation of tensile growth rate at different water cement ratios and curing age.The tensile behaviour that was monitored are based on these factors in the study.The derived model were validated with the a researcher results[24],and both parameters developed best fits correlation.The study is imperative because the system expressed the behaviour of tensile strength from concrete at different dimensions.Experts can applied these concept to monitor tensile behaviour considering these parameters in its growth rates.

Dredged marine soil stabilization using magnesia cement augmented with biochar/slag

Dredged marine soils(DMS)have poor engineering properties,which limit their usage in construction projects.This research examines the application of reactive magnesia(rMgO)containing supplementary cementitious materials(SCMs)to stabilize DMS under ambient and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))curing conditions.Several proprietary experimental tests were conducted to investigate the stabilized DMS.Furthermore,the carbonation-induced mineralogical,thermal,and microstructural properties change of the samples were explored.The findings show that the compressive strength of the stabilized DMS fulfilled the 7-d requirement(0.7-2.1 MPa)for pavement and building foundations.Replacing rMgO with SCMs such as biochar or ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBS)altered the engineering properties and particle packing of the stabilized soils,thus influencing their performances.Biochar increased the porosity of the samples,facilitating higher CO_(2) uptake and improved ductility,while GGBS decreased porosity and increased the dry density of the samples,resulting in higher strength.The addition of SCMs also enhanced the water retention capacity and modified the pH of the samples.Microstructural analysis revealed that the hydrated magnesium carbonates precipitated in the carbonated samples provided better cementation effects than brucite formed during rMgO hydration.Moreover,incorporating SCMs reduced the overall global warming potential and energy demand of the rMgO-based systems.The biochar mixes demonstrated lower toxicity and energy consumption.Ultimately,the rMgO and biochar blend can serve as an environmentally friendly additive for soft soil stabilization and permanent fixation of significant amounts of CO_(2) in soils through mineral carbonation,potentially reducing environmental pollution while meeting urbanization needs.

Dry Mix Slag—High-Calcium Fly Ash Binder. Part Two: Durability

This work investigates durability of cement-free mortars with a binder comprised of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) activated by high-calcium fly ash (HCFA) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3): the soundness, sulfate resistance, alkali-silica reactivity and efflorescence factors are considered. Results of tests show that such mortars are resistant to alkali-silica expansion. Mortars are also sulfate-resistant when the amount of HCFA in the complex binder is within a limit of 10 wt%. The fineness of fly ash determines its’ ability to activate GGBFS hydration, and influence soundness of the binder, early strength development, sulfate resistance and efflorescence behavior. The present article is a continuation of authors’ work, previously published in MSA, Vol. 14, 240-254.

The heat recovery simulation in the system of dry granulation of the steel slag

In present,the wet-based pattern is mainly adopted to deal with the steel slag by steel plant at home and abroad,the wet-based technology has some defects;Wasting of water,pollution of the environment,and the slag has not been fully recycled.This paper presents a new method,which is aimed to realize dry granulation,waste heat recovery and comprehensive utilizing the steel slag.According to the ideas of wind quenching granulation,the heating slag from the converter furnace,was bring to the granulation heat exchange system,through the process of breaking in a container,the granulation heat exchange system has the functions of feeding continuously and heat exchange.The heat air,through the diversion tubes,could be recycled in removing the dust.The granulation slag could be bring to a confined roller,granulating and cooling secondarily.The roller export was connected to a magnetic separator.The separated iron could be recycled,and the remaining slag could also be reused as building materials,in process of stabilization and secondary magnetic separation.The heated air could be guided into the boiler to generate the steam,which can be used to generate electricity,or use as cleaned energy,realizing the target to recycle the waste heat in steel slag.The highlights of the new method are dry granulation and waste heat recovery.This paper states the process of heat exchange between the air and the steel slag in the system of granulation heat exchange in the new technical process.In theory,it has been proved reasonable with the the system of granulation heat exchange,and also the work conditions has been optimized.

The Preparation of Porous Activated Slag Granules/TiO_(2)Photocatalyst and Its De-NO_(x)Performance

The porous structure and honeycombed structure of granulated blast furnace slag formed by alkali activation(AGBFS)can be used as a promising photocatalysts substrate for the photocatalytic removal of atmospheric or water pollutants.In this study,photocatalytic activated slag granules were synthesized by loading TiO_(2)on AGBFS with immersion method.The physicochemical properties and NO_(x)removal performance of activated slag granules/TiO_(2)photocatalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM)and photocatalytic performance test.The effects of slag particle sizes and nano-TiO_(2)loading concentrations on photocatalytic efficiencies of NO_(x)removal were also investigated.It was found that the De-NO_(x)performance of activated slag granules/TiO_(2)photocatalyst increased with the increasing of slag particle size in low TiO_(2)loading concentration situation,while increasing the TiO_(2)loading concentration would result in the opposite De-NO_(x)performance as slag size increased.Nevertheless,for the same size activated slag,the photocatalytic efficiency of activated slag granules/TiO_(2)photocatalyst gradually improved with the increase of loading concentration of TiO_(2).

Dry Mix Slag—High-Calcium Fly Ash Binder. Part One: Hydration and Mechanical Properties

High-calcium fly ash (HCFA)—a residue of high-temperature coal combustion at thermal power plants, in combination with sodium carbonate presents an effective hardening activator of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). Substitution of 10% - 30% of GGBFS by HCFA and premixing of 1% - 3% Na2CO3 to this dry binary binder was discovered to give mortar compression strength of 10 - 30 to 30 - 45 MPa at 7 and 28 days when moist cured at ambient temperature. High-calcium fly ash produced from low-temperature combustion of fuel, like in circulating fluidized bed technology, reacts with water readily and is itself a good hardening activator for GGBFS, so introduction of Na2CO3 into such mix has no noticeable effect on the mortar strength. However, low-temperature HCFA has higher water demand, and the strength of mortar is compromised by this factor. As of today, our research is still ongoing, and we expect to publish more data on different aspects of durability of proposed GGBFS-HCFA binder later.

Tests on Alkali-Activated Slag Foamed Concrete with Various Water-Binder Ratios and Substitution Levels of Fly Ash

To provide basic data for the reasonable mixing design of the alkali-activated (AA) foamed concrete as a thermal insulation material for a floor heating system, 9 concrete mixes with a targeted dry density less than 400 kg/m3 were tested. Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) as a source material was activated by the following two types of alkali activators: 10% Ca(OH)2 and 4% Mg(NO3)2, and 2.5% Ca(OH)2 and 6.5% Na2SiO3. The main test parameters were water-to-binder (W/B) ratio and the substitution level (RFA) of fly ash (FA) for GGBS. Test results revealed that the dry density of AA GGBS foamed concrete was independent of the W/B ratio an RFA, whereas the compressive strength increased with the decrease in W/B ratio and with the increase in RFA up to 15%, beyond which it decreased. With the increase in the W/B ratio, the amount of macro capillaries and artificial air pores increased, which resulted in the decrease of compressive strength. The magnitude of the environmental loads of the AA GGBS foamed concrete is independent of the W/B ratio and RFA. The largest reduction percentage was found in the photochemical oxidation potential, being more than 99%. The reduction percentage was 87% - 93% for the global warming potential, 81% - 84% for abiotic depletion, 79% - 84% for acidification potential, 77% - 85% for eutrophication potential, and 73% - 83% for human toxicity potential. Ultimately, this study proved that the developed AA GGBS foamed concrete has a considerable promise as a sustainable construction material for nonstructural element.

Clayey soil stabilization using alkali-activated volcanic ash and slag

Lime and Portland cement are the most widely used binders in soil stabilization projects.However,due to the high carbon emission in cement production,research on soil stabilization by the use of more environmentally-friendly binders with lower carbon footprint has attracted much attention in recent years.This research investigated the potential of using alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBS)and volcanic ash(VA)as green binders in clayey soil stabilization projects,which has not been studied before.The effects of different combinations of VA with GGBS,various liquid/solid ratios,different curing conditions,and different curing periods(i.e.7 d,28 d and 90 d)were investigated.Compressive strength and durability of specimens against wet-dry and freeze-thaw cycles were then studied through the use of mechanical and microstructural tests.The results demonstrated that the coexistence of GGBS and VA in geopolymerization process was more effective due to the synergic formation of N-A-S-H and C-(A)-S-H gels.Moreover,although VA needs heat curing to become activated and develop strength,its partial replacement with GGBS made the binder suitable for application at ambient temperature and resulted in a remarkably superior resistance against wet-dry and freeze-thaw cycles.The carbon embodied of the mixtures was also evaluated,and the results confirmed the low carbon footprints of the alkali-activated mixtures.Finally,it was concluded that the alkali-activated GGBS/VA could be promisingly used in clayey soil stabilization projects instead of conventional binders.

Setting and Strength Characteristics of Alkali-activated Carbonatite Cementitious Materials with Ground Slag Replacement

The effect of the ground granulated blast-furnace slag （ GGBFS ） addition, the modulus n （ mole rutio of SiO2 to Na2O ） and the concentrution of sodium silicate solution on the compressive strength of the material, i e alkuli-activated carbonatite cemeutitious material （ AACCM for short ） was investiguted. In addition, it is found that barium chloride has a sutisfiwtory retarding effect on the setting of AACCM in which more than 20% （ by mass ） ground carbonatite was replaced by GGBFS. As a result, a cementitious material, in which ground carbonatite rock served as dominative starting material, with 3-day and 28-day compressive strength greuter them 30 MPa and 60 MPa and with continuous strength gain beyond 90 days was obtained.

Effects of Steel Slag Powder on Workability and Durability of Concrete

The workability and durability of a type of sustainable concrete made with steel slag powder were investigated. The hydrated products of cement paste with ground granulated blast furnace slag（GGBFS） alone or with a combined admixture of GGBFS-steel slag powder were investigated by X-ray diffraction（XRD）. Furthermore, the mechanism of chemically activated steel slag powder was also studied. The experimental results showed that when steel slag powder was added to concrete, the slumps through the same time were lower. The initial and fi nal setting times were slightly retarded. The dry shrinkages were lower, and the abrasion resistance was better. The chemically activated steel slag powder could improve compressive strengths, resistance to chloride permeation and water permeation, as well as carbonization resistance. XRD patterns indicated that the activators enhanced the formation of calcium silicate hydrate（C-S-H） gel and ettringite（AFt）. This research contributes to sustainable disposal of wastes and has the potential to provide several important environmental benefi ts.

Properties and Mechanism on Flexural Fatigue of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete Containing Slag

Properties and mechanism were investigated on flexural fatigue of concrete containing polypropylene fibers and ground granulated blast furnace slag（GGBFS）.Four polypropylene fibers’volume fractions and five slag proportions were considered.An experiment was conducted to obtain the fatigue lives at three stress levels in 20 Hz frequency and at a constant stress level of 0.59 in four frequency respectively.Mechanism and evaluation were investigated based on the experimental data.Fatigue life span models were established.The results show that the addition of polypropylene fibers improves the flexural fatigue cumulative strength and fatigue life span.It is proposed that the slag particles and hydrated products improve Interfacial Transition Zone（ITZ）structure and benefit flexural fatigue performance.A composite reinforce effect is found with the incorporation of slag and polypropylene fibers.The optimum mixture contents 55%slag with 0.6%polypropylene fiber for the cumulative fatigue stress.Fatigue properties are decreased as the stress level increasing,the higher frequency reduces the fatigue strength more than lower frequency at a constant stress level.