The influence of slag content on the mechanical properties of high-strength concrete

Abstract

In light of the current situation where excessive amounts of excavated earth from subway tunnel construction are being stacked with low utilization and value, this study used residue as a mineral admixture to investigate the effects of different proportions of residue content (0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10.0%) on the workability and mechanical properties of C50 concrete. The results indicate that: (1) The initial slump and slump loss of C50 concrete decrease gradually as the residue content increases. (2) The compressive strength of C50 concrete with varying residue contents is lower than the control group at early stages (3d, 7d), while it is higher than the control group at 28d. There exists an optimal content of residue for improving C50 concrete compressive strength, and it is found that the highest compressive strength at 28d is achieved when the residue content is 7.5% of the cement content. (3) The microscopic structure of C50 concrete with different residue contents at 28d shows that as the residue content increases, the microscopic structure of C50 concrete gradually becomes more compact and the porosity decreases.

Keywords

• consistency
• compressive strength
• microstructure
• residue
• slump