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Influence of the Thermal History of Granulated Blast Furnace Slags on Their Latent Hydraulic Reactivity in Cementitious Systems

  • Thematic Section: Slag Valorisation
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Abstract

Together with about 1180 million tons of hot metal (2017) about 380 million tons of blast furnace slag are produced yearly worldwide. Most of it (about 280 million tons) is quenched forming the glassy granulated blast furnace slag (GBS). For more than 130 years, this by-product is used as a clinker substitute in cement and concrete. Many approaches exist to evaluate the reactivity of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in cementitious systems based on glass content, chemical composition, fineness, etc. But all approaches fail to define a suitable tool for judging an unknown GBS in a way that its strength contribution can be predicted. Only a rough differentiation might be possible. Compared to other parameters influencing GBS reactivity, the thermal history and the glass structure are mostly not investigated so far. However, from thermodynamic and kinetic points of view it is obvious that the thermal history of the slag should have a significant influence on glass structure and reactivity. The basic idea of the research project was to use analytical techniques being already established, for example, lime–soda–silica glasses. The differential scanning calorimetry and viscosity measurements have been combined for GBS characterization in order to measure the fictive temperature Tf (glass transition temperature on cooling during industrial quenching process) and to calculate retroactively the unknown cooling rates of liquid slags. Using these methods in combination with classical cementitious tests, it was possible to verify a correlation between the thermal history of GBS and its reactivity in a cementitious system.

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Acknowledgements

The IGF Project No. 19416 of the VDEh-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Eisenforschung mbH has been funded by the AiF within the program for sponsorship by Industrial Joint Research (IGF) of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy based on an enactment of the German Parliament. The authors are thankful for the support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. FEhS – Institut für Baustoff-Forschung E.V., Bliersheimer Str. 62, 47229, Duisburg, Germany

    Andreas Ehrenberg

  2. Institut für Nichtmetallische Werkstoffe, TU Clausthal, Zehntnerstraße 2a, 38678, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

    Natalja Romero Sarcos, Daniel Hart, Hansjörg Bornhöft & Joachim Deubener

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  1. Andreas Ehrenberg
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  2. Natalja Romero Sarcos
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  3. Daniel Hart
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  4. Hansjörg Bornhöft
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  5. Joachim Deubener
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Correspondence to Andreas Ehrenberg.

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The contributing editor for this article was Yongxiang Yan.

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Ehrenberg, A., Romero Sarcos, N., Hart, D. et al. Influence of the Thermal History of Granulated Blast Furnace Slags on Their Latent Hydraulic Reactivity in Cementitious Systems. J. Sustain. Metall. 6, 207–215 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-020-00269-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40831-020-00269-4

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