Volume changes of cement composite based on steel slag during thermal load

Abstract

The use of natural sources of aggregate for production of cement composites with different physical and mechanical properties is common. From the viewpoint of saving natural sources of aggregate in the production of concretes, there is an effort to find alternative substitutes of natural sources. The use of secondary materials in the production of concretes in terms of sustainability represents a progressive way to meet the ever-increasing demand for environmentally friendly building materials with sufficient properties for high usage. One of the possibilities for this is steel slag. The article is devoted to the preparation and testing of cement composites based on steel slag as a 100 % substitute of natural aggregates. The produced test specimens (beams of 40 × 40 × 160 mm) are 28 days old and they are tested for volume changes and changes in their physical and mechanical properties with a thermal load of 200, 400, 600 and 800 °C. 3D scanning by means of the Handy Scan 700 device was used to determine the volume changes of these test specimens after thermal load, which, thanks to the latest TRUaccuracy technology, has a high precision scanning ability within the range of 0.030–0.050 mm, regardless of the work environment.