STUDYING THE EFFECT OF IRAQI STEEL SLAG ADDITION ON THE PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CEMENT MORTAR

Abstract

The need to produce high performance concrete led the researches to try to exploit the potentialities of natural or artificial materials in order to modify the performance of cement and concrete by adding steel slag to cement .Slag has been used as addition materials to cement in ratio (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%) of cement weight, since its main oxides are similar to those of cement. In this investigation, the effect of steel slag in physical and mechanical properties of mortar was studied including finesses, consistency, initial and final setting time as well as compressive strength of mortar in 7, 28 days and absorption in (28,7)days. Results demonstrated that the addition 40% slag of total weight of cement to mortar showed increase in compressive strength and superior performance at 40% slag adding to total weight of cement. Where the compressive strength after (90) days becomes (52MPa) and the reduction in water absorption in all case except at 80% of slag addition case becomes approximate equal to reference mortar.