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.

Alkali Aggregate Reaction in Alkali Slag Cement Mortars

By means of 'Mortar Bar Method',the ratio of cement to aggregate was kept as a constant 1∶2.25,the water cement ratio of the mixture was 0.40,and six prism specimens were prepared for each batch of mixing proportions with dimensions of 10×10×60mm 3 at 38±2℃ and RH≥95%, the influences of content and particle size of active aggregate, sort and content of alkali component and type of slag on the expansion ratios of alkali activated slag cement(ASC) mortars due to alkali aggregate reaction(AAR) were studied. According to atomic absorption spectrometry,the amount of free alkali was measured in ASC mortars at 90d.The results show above factors affect AAR remarkably,but no dangerous AAR will occur in ASC system when the amount of active aggregate is below 15% and the mass fraction of alkali is not more than 5% (Na 2O).Alkali participated in reaction as an independent component, and some hydrates containing alkali cations were produced, free alkalis in ASC system can be reduced enormously.Moreover,slag is an effective inhibitor, the possibility of generating dangerous AAR in ASC system is much lower at same conditions than that in ordinary Portland cement system.

Exploration of Waterproofness of Concrete and Alkali-Aggregate Using Hydrophobic Impregnation and Coating

Part of the tunnel spoil can not be used for concrete due to alkali aggregate reaction(AAR).Water is an indis-pensable condition for AAR,so separating the alkali-aggregate from water is of great benefit to controlling the AAR.This paper investigates the modification of concrete and aggregate by hydrophobic impregnation and organic coating and then evaluates their waterproof and me chanical properties by dynamic contact angle(DCA),ultrasonic wave velocity,scanning electron microscope(SEM),nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),and so on.For waterproofness,hydrophobic impregnation and organic coating can both improve the waterproof-ness of concrete and aggregate.The organic coating is suitable for aggregate because it wrap aggregate well.And aggregate coated by PVA can improve the interfacial transition zone(ITZ).For mechanical properties,both mate-rials will weaken the strength of the interface.Furthermore,concrete made by aggregate with organic coating shows plastic deformation and has a good correlation with the film thickness,a plastic estimation model based on flm thickness is proposed.This paper evaluates the waterproof of concrete and aggregate and finds plastic con-crete with good aggregate waterproofness which provides a new idea for the application of alkali aggregate in see-page control facilities of water conservancy projects.

Recycling of industrial waste and performance of steel slag green concrete

Workability and mechanical properties of steel slag green concrete with different types of steel slag and different dosages of admixtures were investigated. The effectiveness of steel slag powder on suppressing alkali aggregate reaction(AAR) expansion was assessed using the method of ASTM C441 and accelerated test method. Experimental results show that mechanical properties can be improved further due to the synergistic effect and mutual activation when compound mineral admixtures with steel slag powder and blast-furnace slag powder are mixed into concrete. In addition,about 50% decrease in expansion rate of mortar bars with mineral admixtures can be achieved in AAR tests. Mineral admixtures with steel slag powder as partial replacement for Portland cement in concrete is an effective means for controlling expansion due to AAR.