An Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Nano GGBFS in Concrete with Statistical Validation

Abstract

Concrete, the most extensively utilized construction material, maintains its high demand owing to the swift urbanization and population expansion worldwide. However, cement manufacturing consumes considerable energy and emits substantial CO2 into the atmosphere. To ensure the construction industry’s sustainability, it is imperative to use eco-friendly and cost-effective products. As an additional cementitious ingredient in concrete, nano-based GGBFS (NGGBFS) is therefore employed to provide sustainable environmental impacts. The main purpose of this study is to assess the compressive strength, tensile strength, and Young’s modulus of NGGBFS, considering various replacement percentages (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, and 12%) compared to conventional cement. The maximum compressive strength (72.68 MPa) and tensile strength (6.12 MPa) were obtained at 365 days for GB4 concrete. The Taguchi optimisation technique was employed to determine the interaction between mineral admixture and curing days on the mechanical properties of concrete; it reveals that GB4 mineral admixture and 365 days of curing days have good interaction between the factors taken for the study. The ANOVA quadratic regression model provided the optimisation process response. According to principal component analysis, the compression strength and Young’s modulus significantly influence the components because their loadings are so close (0.722 and 0.68). As a result, optimal combinations with equivalent strengths can be successfully created by substituting 8% nano-based GGBFS (GB4) in cement, offering an alternative path toward sustainable development.