Characteristics of Mortars and Masonry Using Granulated Blast Furnace Slag as Fine Aggregate
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34, Issue 5
Abstract
There is a scarcity of natural river sand due to the ban on mining of sand from riverbeds, attributed to environmental and ecological issues. Therefore, there are attempts to use nonorganic solid wastes and industrial by-products as sand substitutes. The paper reports experimental studies on the suitability of processed granulated blast furnace slag (PGBS) as fine aggregate in the mortars used in masonry construction. The physical and chemical characteristics of the PGBS and the properties of mortars made with PGBS, such as workability, compressive strength, water retentivity, drying shrinkage, and elastic properties, were examined. The masonry properties such as compressive strength, flexure bond strength, and stress-strain characteristics were investigated using PGBS- and sand-based mortars. The investigations show that PGBS can be a potential substitute to river sand in the masonry application. The addition of PGBS was beneficial in terms of mortar and masonry characteristics. In the case of lean mortars, the addition of PGBS showed 30% to 45% spike in compressive strength. Thermogravimetry was used to quantify hydration products formed in PGBS-based and river sand–based mortars. The experimental outcomes indicate that (1) the physical and chemical properties of PGBS were similar to those of river sand except that the PGBS may show mild pozzolanic activity and higher water absorption; and (2) the masonry compressive strength increased by , and the flexure bond strength nearly doubled when PGBS-based mortars were used.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data and models generated or used in the study appear in the article.
References
ASTM. 2005a. Standard test method for determining the potential alkali-silica reactivity of combinations of cementitious materials and aggregate (accelerated mortar-bar method). ASTM C1567-04. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2005b. Standard test methods for sampling and testing fly ash or natural pozzolans for use in portland-cement concrete. ASTM C311-05. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2014. Standard test method for measuring the drying shrinkage of masonry mortar. ASTM C1148-92a. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2016. Standard test method for flow of hydraulic cement mortar. ASTM C1437-15. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
ASTM. 2018. Standard test method for soundness of aggregates by use of sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate. ASTM C88/C88M-18. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Bilir, T. 2012. “Effects of non-ground slag and bottom ash as fine aggregate on concrete permeability properties.” Constr. Build. Mater. 26 (1): 730–734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.06.080.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 1981. Preparation and use of masonry mortar. IS: 2386. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 1987. Code of practice for structural use of unreinforced masonry. IS: 1905. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2002. Specification for coarse and fine aggregate from natural sources for concrete. IS: 383. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2004. Method of test for pozzolanic materials. IS: 1727. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2013a. Methods of test for aggregates in concrete. IS: 2386 (Part 5). New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2013b. Ordinary portland cement, 43 grade-specification. IS: 8112-2013. New Delhi, India: BIS.
Cortes, D. D., H. K. Kim, A. M. Palomino, and J. C. Santamarina. 2008. “Rheological and mechanical properties of mortars prepared with natural and manufactured sands.” Cem. Concr. Res. 38 (10): 1142–1147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2008.03.020.
De Nicolo, B., L. Pani, and E. Pozzo. 1994. “Strain of concrete at peak compressive stress for a wide range of compressive strengths.” Mater. Struct. 27 (4): 206–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02473034.
Gonçalves, J. P., L. M. Tavares, R. D. Toledo Filho, E. M. R. Fairbairn, and E. R. Cunha. 2007. “Comparison of natural and manufactured fine aggregates in cement mortars.” Cem. Concr. Res. 37 (6): 924–932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2007.03.009.
Gourav, K., and B. V. V. Reddy. 2018. “Bond development in burnt clay and fly ash-lime-gypsum brick masonry.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 30 (9): 04018202. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002412.
Gupta, A. 2003. “Studies of characteristics of cement-soil mortars and soil-cement block masonry.” M.Sc. (Engineering) thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.
Hendry, W. A. 1997. Structural masonry. London: Macmillan.
Japanese Standards Association. 2003. Slag aggregate for concrete Part 1, Blast furnace slag aggregate. JIS A 1105-1. Tokyo: Japanese Standards Association.
Kohees, M., J. Sanjayan, and P. Rajeev. 2019. “Stress-strain relationship of cement mortar under triaxial compression.” Constr. Build. Mater. 220: 456–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.05.146.
Lawrence, S. J., and H. T. Cao. 1987. “An experimental study of the interface between brick and mortar.” In Proc., 4th North American Masonry Conf., 1–14. Boulder, CO: Masonry Society.
Logeshwari, J. 2017. “Characterization of different slags for bulk geotechnical applications.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.
Ministry of Mines. 2018. Indian minerals yearbook 2018 (Part-II : Metals and alloys). 57th ed. New Delhi, India: Indian Bureau of Mines.
Miyamoto, T., K. Torii, K. Akahane, and S. Hayashiguchi. 2015. Production and use of blast furnace slag aggregate for concrete. Tokyo: Nippon Steel Corporation.
Netinger Grubeša, I., I. Barišic, A. Fucic, and S. S. Bansode. 2016. Characteristics and uses of steel slag in building construction. Duxford, UK: Woodhead Publishing.
Owsiak, Z. 2007. “Testing alkali-reactivity of selected concrete aggregates.” J. Civ. Eng. Manage. 13 (3): 201–207. https://doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2007.9636438.
PCA (Portland Cement Association). 2011. Evaluation of alkali silica reactivity (ASR) mortar bar testing (ASTM C1260 and C1567) at 14 days and 28 days. Guide specification for concrete. Skokie, IL: PCA.
Reddy, B. V. V., and A. Gupta. 2006. “Strength and elastic properties of stabilized mud block masonry using cement-soil mortars.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 18 (3): 472–476. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(2006)18:3(472).
Sarangapani, G., B. V. Venkatarama Reddy, and K. S. Jagadish. 2005. “Brick-mortar bond and masonry compressive strength.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 17 (2): 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(2005)17:2(229).
Schubert, P., and G. Hoffmann. 1994. “Compressive strength of mortar in masonry significance, influences, test methods, requirements.” In Proc., 10th Int. Brick Masonry Conf., 1335–1344. Mississauga, ON, Canada: Masonry Council of Canada.
Senani, M., N. Ferhoune, and A. Guettala. 2015. “Substitution of the natural sand by crystallized slag of blast furnace in the composition of concrete.” Alexandria Eng. J. 57 (2): 851–857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2016.05.006.
Silva, R. V., J. De Brito, and R. K. Dhir. 2016. “Performance of cementitious renderings and masonry mortars containing recycled aggregates from construction and demolition wastes.” Constr. Build. Mater. 105: 400–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.12.171.
Singh, S. B., and P. Munjal. 2017. “Bond strength and compressive stress-strain characteristics of brick masonry.” J. Build. Eng. 9 (Jun): 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2016.11.006.
Srivastava, A., and S. K. Singh. 2020. “Utilization of alternative sand for preparation of sustainable mortar: A review.” J. Cleaner Prod. 253: 119706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119706.
Ullas, S. N. 2014. “Studies on utilisation of iron ore tailings as fine aggregate in mortars and concrete.” Ph.D. thesis, Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.
Ullas, S. N., and B. V. Venkatarama Reddy. 2009. “Iron ore tailings as sand substitute in masonry mortar.” In Proc., Int. Seminar on Waste to Wealth, 151–155. New Delhi, India: Building Materials Technology Promotion Council, Government of India.
Vedalakshmi, R., A. S. Raj, S. Srinivasan, and K. G. Babu. 2003. “Quantification of hydrated cement products of blended cements in low and medium strength concrete using TG and DTA technique.” Thermochim. Acta 407 (1–2): 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0040-6031(03)00286-7.
Venkatarama Reddy, B. V., and A. Gupta. 2005. “Characteristics of cement-soil mortars.” Mater. Struct. 38: 639–650. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02481595.
Venkatarama Reddy, B. V., and A. Gupta. 2008. “Influence of sand grading on the characteristics of mortars and soil-cement block masonry.” Constr. Build. Mater. 22 (8): 1614–1623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2007.06.014.
Venkatarama Reddy, B. V., and M. S. Latha. 2018. “Mortar shrinkage and flexure bond strength of stabilized soil brick masonry.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 30 (5): 05018002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002280.
Venkatarama Reddy, B. V., and C. V. Uday Vyas. 2008. “Influence of shear bond strength on compressive strength and stress-strain characteristics of masonry.” Mater. Struct. 41: 1697–1712. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-008-9358-x.
Venu Madhava Rao, K., B. V. Venkatarama Reddy, and K. S. Jagadish. 1996. “Flexural bond strength of masonry using various blocks and mortars.” Mater. Struct. 29 (Mar): 119–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02486202.
Vibha, V., and B. V. Venkatarama Reddy. 2020. “A study on properties of concrete made with processed granulated blast furnace slag as fine aggregate.” In Proc., 5th Int. Conf. on Building Materials and Construction, 1–6. Beijing: Institute of Physics. https://dx.doi.org/ 10.1088/1757-899X/829/1/012008.
Yüksel, I., and T. Bilir. 2007. “Usage of industrial by-products to produce plain concrete elements.” Constr. Build. Mater. 21 (3): 686–694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.06.031.
Yüksel, I., and A. Genç. 2007. “Properties of concrete containing nonground ash and slag as fine aggregate.” ACI Mater. J. 104 (4): 397–403.
Yüksel, I., Ö. Özkan, and T. Bilir. 2006. “Use of granulated blast-furnace slag in concrete as fine aggregate.” ACI Mater. J. 103 (3): 203–208.
Zhang, W., M. Zakaria, and Y. Hama. 2013. “Influence of aggregate materials characteristics on the drying shrinkage properties of mortar and concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 49: 500–510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.08.069.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34 • Issue 5 • May 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 16, 2021
Accepted: Sep 16, 2021
Published online: Feb 23, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 23, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.