Title:
Some Engineering Properties of Slag Concrete as Influenced by Mix Proportioning and Curing
Author(s):
R. N. Swamy and Ammar Bouikni
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
87
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
210-220
Keywords:
blast-furnace slag; compressive strength; concretes; curing; expansion; flexural strength; microcracking; mix proportioning; modulus of elasticity; shrinkage; Materials Research
DOI:
10.14359/2148
Date:
5/1/1990
Abstract:
There are currently no well-tried mix proportioning methods available for slag concrete. This paper presents a simple method to obtain a 50 Mpa 28-day strength concrete having 50 and 65 percent by weight cement replacement with slag having a relatively low specific surface. The method enables slag concrete with strengths comparable to ordinary portland cement concrete from 3 days onward to be produced. The compressive and flexural strengths and the elastic modulus of these two concretes as affected by curing conditions are then presented. Prolonged dry curing is shown to affect adversely tensile strength and elastic modulus and create internal microcracking, as identified by pulse-velocity measurements. High swelling strains at high slag-replacement levels showed the need for longer wet curing for such concretes. The results emphasized that even 7-day wet curing was inadequate for high levels of slag replacement, and that continued exposure to a drying environment can have adverse effects on the long-term durability of inadequately cured slag concrete.