Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Limestone and clay which are the major ingredients of the cement production are non-renewable resources. Therefore, it is essentialto identify a sustainable materialto replace cement. The by-productfrom the steel plantis subsequently granulated to desired fineness and is termed asGroundGranulatedBlastfurnace Slag (GGBS). Superplasticizers (SP) are used to improve the workability of concrete at low water-cement ratios and increase the compressive strength by reducing it. But, this workability is sometimes lost rapidly as time progresses after contact between the cement and water. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that influence the cement-super plasticizer interaction for selecting an appropriate type of admixture at an optimum dosage. In this present research the compatibility study, between six combinations of cement using different percentages of GGBS with two different SPs were investigated. The optimum dosage was found using marsh cone test. The cement mortar flow test was conducted to find out the setting time and compressive strength of the mortar. It is found that the increase in addition of GGBS decreases the dosage of Superplasticizers to achieve the desired workability. The target mean strength of the M40 concrete was achieved with replacement of 50% GGBS using PCE based SP.
Keywords: GGBS, Saturation Dosage of SPs, Slump Retention