Evaluation of Sulfate Resistance of Calcined Dolomite Activated Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28, Issue 2
Abstract
Aggressive environments significantly influence the durability and serviceability of hardened cement and concrete. This paper presents an evaluation of the resistance of ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) activated with calcined dolomite, as a novel alkali activator, to 5% sodium sulfate attack and 5% magnesium sulfate attack. Two calcined dolomites, D800 and D1000, were prepared in the laboratory at 800°C and 1,000°C, respectively. The results demonstrated the good potential of using calcined dolomite activated slag in resisting sulfate attack. Immersion in (aqueous) led to an increase in strength in both the D800 (D800S) and the portland cement CEM I 52.5 N (PCS) activated slag with a more pronounced effect in the former and a decrease in the D1000 (D1000S) activated slag. Conversely, calcined dolomite activated slag had less strength loss than PCS after attack. The products of sulfate attack and the deterioration processes are also analyzed by a range of tests, including pH, weight change, corroded depth, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). After attack, the main product on D800S and D1000S was gypsum with a larger amount in the latter. Gypsum, thaumasite, and M-S-H were the main products of D800S and D1000S after attack. The better resistance of D800S to sulfate attack was attributed to the absence of portlandite in the hydrated paste. Conversely, the presence of portlandite in D1000S led to the inhomogeneous sulfate ions inward progression; hence, the severe deterioration of the sample was observed.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the China Scholarship Council, the Key Project of the Natural Science Foundation of China (41230636), and the National Basic Research Program of China (2011CB710605). The second author also wants to thank the Cambridge Trust and the China Scholarship Council for the financial support.
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28 • Issue 2 • February 2016
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© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 14, 2014
Accepted: Jun 15, 2015
Published online: Aug 27, 2015
Discussion open until: Jan 27, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2016
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