Recycling of Granulated Blast Furnace Slag as Fine Aggregate in Masonry Mortars

Over the last few decades, Indian iron and steel industries have stockpiled millions of tonnes of ferrous slags which can be explored as construction materials. The use of ferrous slags as aggregates may close the gap in demand and supply of natural aggregates. The present study focusses on exploring a processed form of granulated blast furnace slag as fine aggregate in the mortars and the concrete. In the past, the direct replacement of sand by granulated slag has shown adverse effect on the workability and strength of mortars and concrete mainly due to poor physical and chemical properties. In the present study, the processed form of granulated blast furnace slag (PGBS) has been explored as alternative to natural sand. The study presents a comprehensive physical and chemical characterization of PGBS and a comparative study of properties of PGBS and natural sand. The strength evolution in PGBS-based mortars and the natural sand-based mortars are also presented. The mortars with PGBS show similar strength evolution patterns when compared with the natural sand-based mortars.