Effect of partial replacement of cement by ground granulated blast furnace slag and sand by iron ore tailings on properties of concrete

Abstract

Iron ore tailing (IOT) is a waste generated from iron ore industry. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) is obtained by quenching molten iron slag (a by-product of iron and steel making) from a blast furnace in water or steam to produce a glassy, granular product that is then dried and ground into a fine powder. Millions of tonnes of IOT are produced every year in India and disposal of the same is a huge problem as it leads to environmental pollution. Furthermore, sand is today fast depleting. In this experimental work the effect of replacing sand partially by IOT and cement partially by GGBFS on the cube compressive strength of concrete is studied. It is found that there is no sacrifice on the compressive strength of concrete for all percentages of sand replacement from 0 to 60 by IOT at 10 % replacement of cement by GGBFS and maximum compressive strength is obtained when the replacement percentage of sand by IOT is 50.