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UTILIZATION OF AIR-COOLED BLAST FURNACE SLAG AS A 100 %

REPLACEMENT OF RIVER SAND IN MORTAR AND CONCRETE

Article  in  Indian Concrete Journal · November 2022

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 TECHNICAL PAPER
UTILIZATION OF AIR-COOLED
BLAST FURNACE SLAG
AS A 100 % REPLACEMENT OF
RIVER SAND IN MORTAR
AND CONCRETE
Abstract
The steel industries generate millions of tons of slag as by-
product during their production stages. This slag is classified
according to its origin and form of cooling conditions. The
slag that is slowly cooled is called air-cooled blast furnace slag
(ACBFS). Crystalline nature is observed in ACBFS slag because
of slow cooling by air. As per IS: 383 (2016), a maximum of 50 %
replacement of natural sand with iron slag sand is allowed in
plain concrete. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility
of using ACBFS as a replacement of river sand in mortar and
plain concrete at replacement levels of 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %,
and 100 % by weight. The effect of ACBFS replacement levels
of river sand on workability, pull-off strength, and compressive
strength of mortar system is studied. Further, the effect of
ACBFS replacement levels on fresh, mechanical and durability
properties of concrete is studied. Compressive strength, elastic
modulus, and split tensile strength of concrete at different
replacement levels is evaluated. A detailed study on durability
properties such as water sorptivity, water absorption, porosity,
and total charge passed in rapid chloride permeability (RCPT)
is conducted. The replacement of river sand with ACBFS sand
has shown no detrimental effect on the properties studied
for both mortar and concrete. The concrete with increasing
replacement levels of ACBFS sand showed reduction in
porosity and absorption, although, the ACBFS sand has higher
water absorption. The ACBFS can be considered as a suitable
substitute for river sand for even 100 % replacement.
Keywords: Air-cooled blast furnace slag (ACBFS); Concrete;
Durability; Fine aggregate; Mortar; Water absorption
1. INTRODUCTION
A rapid rise in infrastructural growth in the world is leading to
a tremendous consumption of concrete. Aggregate accounts
for about 65-75 % of the concrete. Annual consumption of
6 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022
*Corresponding author : Manu Santhanam, Email: manusanthanam@gmail.com
SMRATI JAIN
MANU SANTHANAM*
RAKESH S.
ANIL KUMAR
AJAY KUMAR GUPTA
RITESH KUMAR
SUBHADRA SEN
R. V. RAMNA
construction aggregates stands stood at 3330 million Tonnes
in 2015 [1]. The choice of aggregates is often governed by local
availability of materials for construction activities. The demand
of river sand as a fine aggregate is high in the construction
industry, leading to an increase in the dredging of river beds
creating a huge environmental impact [2]. Hence, there is an
interest for using alternative materials as fine aggregates.
Researchers in the past have successfully produced concrete
utilizing industrial waste materials as a substitute for natural
fine aggregates. Industrial by-products such as copper slag
and steel slag, alternative agriculture waste ashes etc. have the
potential to be used as alternative sand [3–10]. These industrial
wastes require little or no pyro-processing. The locally available
industrial by-products may be brought into the supply chain to
reduce the demand for natural aggregates and to alleviate the
problem in waste disposal. The performance of these alternative
resources is a concern leading to limited acceptance of these
materials in concrete construction, more specifically in structural
concrete.
India has a large number of steel industries, which generate
millions of Tonnes of slag as by-product during their production
stages. As per Indian mineral yearbook 2018 part 2 [11], the
production of 1 Tonne pig or crude iron (60 to 65 % iron in
ore feed) generates 300 to 540 kg blast furnace slag. Further,
production of 1 Tonne of liquid steel produces 150 to 200 kg
slag. Indian steel industries have produced 110.922 million
Tonnes of crude steel and 6.414 million Tonnes of pig iron
in 2018-19 [12]. Considering the volume of steel and pig iron
produced annually in India, it is obvious that an enormous
amount of slag is generated. These industries have to spend
a lot of money for the disposal of these materials, which in
addition have a negative impact on the environment.
During steel production, molten iron, and molten slag are
formed when iron ore, coke, and a fluxing agent (either
limestone, dolomite, or hematite) are melted together in a blast
furnace. After the metallurgical smelting process, the lime in the
flux chemically combines with the silicates and aluminates of

the ore and coke ash to form a non-metallic product called blast
furnace slag [13,14]. Based on the period of cooling and hardening
from its molten state, it is further classified into three categories:
Granulated slag, expanded slag, and air-cooled slag [11,15].
Granulated slag is formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of
molten slag preventing crystallization leading to formation of
amorphous structure [15,16]. Further, this material is processed
for use as supplementary cementitious material in cement
concrete production [16–18]. Expanded slag is produced by
controlled water and steam cooling of molten slag. This type of
slag is not produced in India [11]. Air-cooled blast furnace slag
(ACBFS) is produced by the slow cooling process of molten
slag under atmospheric conditions in the cooling yard (open
space) [19,20]. Afterward, the rip-rap of air-cooled blast furnace
slag is shipped to the aggregate crushing plant, followed by
assessing and controlling the quality of aggregates as per the
available standards. The process of production of ACBFS is
shown in Figure 1. These crushed aggregates are primarily used
in concrete production, as track ballast, in the road base layer
etc.[14,21,22].
The utilization of granulated and air-cooled blast furnace slag
as aggregates is studied by different research groups across
the world. Granulated blast furnace slag has been used as
both fine and coarse aggregate in concrete [13,15,23,24]. The fresh
and mechanical properties are of primary interest in most of
the studies. However, the ACBFS is mostly used as only coarse
aggregate [14,19,20]. When ACBFS is used as coarse aggregate,
the mechanical bond and interlocking between matrix and
ACBFS improves due to filling of micro-pores on the aggregate
surface by cement and mortar [25]. Limited studies indicate the
possibility of replacing the natural river sand with the ACBFS fine
aggregates [19,21]. It is reported that the ACBFS can be used as a
substitute for natural sand in self compacting concrete (SCC) up
Coke + Fluxing agent (Limestone & Hematite)
Hot air
Hot gases
Cooling yard
Hottest
Hot air blast Hot air blast
Molten slag
Molten iron
Figure 1: Process involved in the production of air-cooled blast furnace slag aggregates
TECHNICAL PAPER
to 50 %, but a substantial reduction in strength is observed at 28
days in comparison to the mix with 100 % natural aggregates [21].
The durability and mechanical properties of concrete and
mortar with blast furnace slag as a fine aggregate was studied
by national council for cement and building materials (NCB) [26].
Concrete with a replacement of 100 % natural sand by blast
furnace slag sand showed comparable mechanical properties;
however, only a replacement up to 60 % was reported to
have comparable durability properties. Singh and Siddique
[27]
reported a better performance of SCC mixes with iron
slag aggregates in terms of water absorption and chloride
penetration resistance, but in contrast a poor performance
was observed under external sulphate attack. A denser
microstructure formed on addition of iron slag [27]. Similarly,
Wang et al. [19] reported a reduction in water absorption of the
cement mortar on replacement of natural sand with ACBFS
sand.
As per Table 1 in IS: 383 (2016) [28], replacement of natural fine
aggregates with iron slag aggregates is limited to 50 % in plain
concrete. However, 100 % replacement is allowed for concrete
less than M15 grade. This study focusses on replacement of
100 % river sand with ACBFS sand for plain concrete. Despite
the presence of a considerable amount of scientific research on
ACBFS use in construction industries, research with ACBFS as
a fine aggregate is still scarce. As per the authors’ knowledge,
limited studies exist for durability aspect of ACBFS sand. The
present work investigates the effect of 100 % replacement of
river sand with ACBFS sand on durability properties as well as
fresh and hardened state properties of concrete. The study
assesses the performance of ACBFS supplied from the Tata
Steel factory in Jamshedpur as fine aggregate in mortar and
concrete. While the results in the study pertain to this specific
source of aggregate, the general characteristics of the ACBFS of
equivalent composition are expected to be similar.
Shipping Crushing Screening
Quality Control
THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022 7
 TECHNICAL PAPER

2.  MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study is conducted in three sections: material
characterization, performance in mortar and performance in
concrete.

2.1  Characterization of crushed ACBFS

Aggregate fraction of 10-40 mm size used in this study was
received from Tata Steel plant, India. From visual inspection of
received materials, non-uniform surface texture was observed,
along with honey-combed morphology (Figure 2). These coarse
aggregates were crushed into fine aggregates (< 4.75 mm) using
the disc mill crusher available at Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Madras, India. Figure 3: Grading curve of crushed ACBFS and river sand (upper and
lower bounds of Zone II aggregate shown)
A summary of physical characterization of crushed ACBFS and
river sand aggregates is presented in Table 1. In comparison to 2 % of the specimens exhibited iron staining on immersion in
river sand, the crushed ACBFS has higher specific gravity and distilled water.
water absorption. The study only considers the gradation of
ACBFS and river sand as per IS: 383 (2016) [28] for both cement In the present study, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was
mortar as well as concrete. The ACBFS and river sand belong to performed on the ACBFS aggregates. The measurement range
Zone 2 (Figure 3). The fineness modulus of crushed ACBFS, and of 10° to 60° 2θ with step size of 0.02° per second was used to
obtain the mineralogical composition of powdered ACBF slag
river sand are 2.27, and 2.56, respectively.
(passing through 75 µm). X-ray diffraction analysis of ACBFS
The oxide compositions of the ACBFS (Table 2) were sample shows a complex structure with many overlapping peaks
determined by the X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy. There is reflecting the presence of crystalline phases, confirming with the
an additional requirement for the slag aggregate to not show available literature [30]. These crystalline phases may have formed
iron unsoundness as per IS: 383 (2016) [28]. The aggregate is due to slow air cooling of slag. Figure 4 presents the X-ray
considered to be unsound if the total ferrous oxide content is diffractogram of ACBFS sample.
more than 3 % (when Sulphur content is more than 1 %). No iron
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to demonstrate
unsoundness was observed for ACBFS aggregates, and only
the surface texture assessment of river sand and crushed

Table 2: Oxide compositions of the ACBFS

OXIDES PERCENTAGE ( %) OXIDES PERCENTAGE ( %)

CaO 35.48 TiO₂ 1.19

SiO₂ 30.27 K₂O 0.74

Al₂O₃ 17.17 Na₂O 0.21

MgO 7.85 MnO 0.12

SO3 3.61 BaO 0.12

Fe₂O₃ 2.87 Cl 0.12

Figure 2: ACBFS with different surface morphology

Table 1: Physical property results for ACBFS and river sand aggregates
SPECIFICATION FOR
PHYSICAL PROPERTY CRUSHED-ACBFS RIVER SAND STANDARD REFERENCE
SLAG-BASED AGGREGATE

Water absorption, % 2.67 0.50 5 %, Max

Specific Gravity 2.65 2.58 2.1-3.2

IS: 2386 (Part III) (1963) [29]
Loose bulk density, kg/m³ 1643 1591 --

Compacted bulk density, kg/m³ 1805 1693 --

8 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022


Figure 4: XRD diffractogram of ACBFS
ACBFS, as shown in Figure 5. The surface texture of the river
sand is smooth as compared to the crushed ACBFS. The rough
surface of ACBFS may result in a greater physical bond between
the fine aggregates and cement paste, probably improving the
mechanical properties of concrete. However, the rough surface
of aggregates may require higher water to cement ratio to
produce a workable and cohesive mix when compared to river
sand.
The crushed ACBFS contains highly porous and less-porous
(appear to be non-porous by visual appearance) grains
(Figure 2). However, the microstructure investigations revealed
that there are micro pores present on the surface (Figure 6) of
less-porous grains. The pores varied between 1 µm to 15 µm as
highlighted in Figure 6 with red circles. The surface of the highly
porous grains (Figure 7) is observed to be heterogeneous with
pores distributed unevenly amidst dense regions. Moreover,
pores appear to be interconnected in some cases, eventually
making the overall grain texture as highly porous in nature.
The pore diameter varies from a few microns to millimetres,
which depicts an irregular morphology. Pores might have been
Figure 5: SEM images at high magnification, 1000x: (a) Morphology of river sand shows smooth texture, (b) ACBFS with surface unevenness
TECHNICAL PAPER
Figure 6: Morphology of Crushed ACBFS less porous grain at
magnification 500× showing the micro pores
formed by gases escaping through the molten slag material. The
crushed ACBFS has higher water absorption (2.67 %) compared
to river sand (0.5 %). This may be attributed to the porous
structure of crushed ACBFS. The presence of porosity may
increase the water demand of concrete for a given workability.
Porous aggregates may affect the mechanical and durability
properties of concrete.
ACBFS aggregates were tested to determine the susceptibility
of alkali silica reaction in accordance with ASTM C1260 [31].
The plot of alkali silica reaction (ASR) expansion of ACBFS
aggregates with respect to time is shown in Figure 8. The
average expansion of the three mortar bars was found to
be 0.007 %. As per the criterion set in ASTM C1260 [31], the
aggregates which show expansion below 0.1 % are considered
as non-reactive. Hence, the crushed ACBFS aggregates might
be listed as non-reactive aggregate.
THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022 9
 TECHNICAL PAPER
Figure 7: SEM images of crushed ACBFS porous grains
Figure 8: ASR Expansion of ACBFS aggregates versus time
2.2 Materials
The raw materials used for mortar and concrete mixes included
commercially available ordinary Portland cement, natural
coarse aggregate, river sand, and ACBFS sand. A commercially
available ordinary Portland cement (OPC) (53 grade) conforming
to IS: 12269 (2013) [32] having a specific gravity of 3.1 and
Blaine fineness of 320 m2/kg was used. Concrete was having
a combination of 10 mm, and 20 mm coarse aggregates,
with a specific gravity of 2.72, and 2.76 and water absorption
of 0.74 %, and 0.52 %, respectively. The physical properties
of river sand, and crushed ACBFS sand are presented in
Table 1. A commercially available polycarboxylate ether-based
superplasticizer (SP) (Master Glenium 8233) was used in concrete
mixes.
2.3 Preparation of cement mortar and testing
method
The mortar mixes were prepared with the weight ratio of cement
and sand of 1:4, and 1:6 with different water-cement ratios to
desired consistency. Mortars were made with crushed ACBFS
10 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022
at various replacement levels of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 % of river
sand.
Flow test on cement mortar was carried out as per ASTM1437
[33]
for determination of workability of mortar mixes immediately
after mixing. Compressive strengths of 1:4, and 1:6 cement
mortar cubes (50 mm) at various replacement levels of ACBFS
were tested as per ASTM C109/C109M [34]. The cast specimens
were kept in a controlled temperature (24 + 3ºC) for 24 hours,
and then demoulded. Specimens were cured under moist
conditions (curing chamber) until the age of testing (3, 7 and 28
days).
The adhesive strength (pull-off strength) of mortar was measured
by portable pull‑off adhesion tester as per ASTM D 4541 [35].
Plastering was carried out on two different substrates (clay brick
and fly ash brick masonry) to investigate the pull-off strength
of cement mortar made with crushed ACBFS as fine aggregate
at various replacement levels. The test was carried out on the
plastered surfaces cured for 28 days. First of all, the plastered
surfaces were drilled to lodge a 50 mm diameter steel dolly.
The steel dollies were glued over the drilled area using epoxy
adhesive and cured for 24 hours. After the glue was cured, a
pull-off adhesion tester was attached to the steel dolly and
aligned to apply a tensile load. The load was applied to the
steel dolly gradually at the rate of 200 kPa/s. The amount of
load required to detach the dolly from the plaster was used
to determine the pull-off strength of the respective plaster. A
schematic diagram of pull-off strength test is shown in Figure 9.
The pull-off strength [35] was estimated according to Equation 1,
where, d is the diameter of the partial core, and F is the applied
force.
4F
X=
π d 2 (1)
 TECHNICAL PAPER

Figure 9: Schematic diagram of pull-off strength test

2.4 Preparation of concrete and testing Workability retention of concrete was measured through the

method
Two grades of concrete were prepared to evaluate the
performance of the aggregates. Concrete mixes were designed
to achieve characteristic strengths of M30 and M50 grade,
representing a normal and medium strength concrete [as per
IS: 456 (2000) ], respectively. In total, eight concrete mixes were
[36]
made with different proportions of ACBFS in the present study.
The replacement levels of ACBFS in the fine aggregate in the
M30 and M50 grade concrete mixes are as follows: 0 % (control),
25 %, 50 %, and 100 %. In order to achieve the characteristic
strength, binder contents of 340 kg/m3 (w/c = 0.5) and 400 kg/m3
(w/c = 0.4) were considered for M30 and M50 mixes, respectively.
The details of selected mix design parameters for eight mixes
are given in Table 3. The superplasticizer dosage was optimized
based on the target initial slump of 180 ± 20 mm. All the
concretes were mixed in a pan mixer at temperature of 27 ± 3°C.
slump test. The initial slump and slump retention after two
hours were measured to determine the fresh state behavior
of concrete. Mechanical properties considered in the study
include compressive strength, splitting-tensile strength, and
static modulus of elasticity. The cast specimens were moist cured
until the testing age. The durability characteristics of concrete
were assessed in terms of water sorptivity, water absorption,
water accessible porosity, and rapid chloride permeability
(RCPT). Table 4 summarizes the standards followed, specimen
size, number of specimens and testing age for evaluating the
mechanical and durability properties of the concrete mixes.
3.  RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1  Study on mortar
The water to cement ratio was varied to achieve the target
flow [as per IS: 1542 (1992) [42]] for 1:4, and 1:6 mortars with

Table 3: Mixture proportions of concretes

MIX ID CEMENT WATER COARSE AGGREGATES (kg/m3) FINE AGGREGATES (kg/m3) SP (kg/m3)
(kg/m3) (kg/m3)
10 mm 20 mm RIVER SAND ACBFS SAND

M30-0 % 340 170 473 586 818 0 1.20

M30-25 % 340 170 475 589 616 210 1.20

M30-50 % 340 170 474 587 410 419 1.20

M30-100 % 340 170 471 584 0 835 1.20

M50-0 % 400 160 463 575 802 0 1.76

M50-25 % 400 160 462 573 600 205 1.76

M50-50 % 400 160 461 572 399 408 1.76

M50-100 % 400 160 459 569 0 812 1.76

THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022 11

 TECHNICAL PAPER

Table 4: Summarizes the standard followed, specimen size, no. of specimens, and testing age
TEST STANDARD SPECIMEN SIZE NO. OF SPECIMENS TESTING AGE
FOR EACH MIX

Slump retention IS: 1199 (Part 2) (2018) [37] -- - 0, and 120 minutes

Compressive IS: 516 (Part 1/Sec 1) (2021) [38]

100 mm cube 12 3, 7, 28, and 90 days
strength

Split tensile IS: 516 (Part 1/Sec 1) (2021) [38] 100 × 200 mm cylinder 6 28, and 90 days
strength

E-modulus ASTM C469/C469M [39] 150 × 300 mm cylinder 3 28, and 90 days

Rapid chloride ASTM C1202 [40] Discs of 100 mm diameter and 50 mm thickness 2 28, and 90 days
permeability prepared from cylinder of 100 × 200 mm

Water sorptivity DI Testing Procedure Manual, Discs of 70 mm diameter and 30 mm thickness 2 28, and 90 days
South Africa [41] prepared from cube of size 150 mm

Figure 10: Variation of W/C ratio of 1:4 and 1:6 cement mortars with
ACBFS replacement
various replacement levels of ACBFS, as shown in Figure 10.
As the percentage of replacement of ACBFS increases, the
water requirement also increases to achieve a flow of 205 to
215 mm (105 % to 115 %). This may be attributed to higher water
absorption of ACBFS sand.
replacement levels of ACBFS (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 %). Three
numbers of specimens for each plaster surface were tested
at 28 days and the average value was reported as the pull-off
strength. There are four types of failure mode [43] as shown in
Figure 11: A) Failure of the substrate, B) failure of the interface
between the mortar and substrate, C) failure of the mortar,
and D) failure of the interface between the dolly and mortar.
However, only failure of the substrate and the mortar-substrate
interface were observed in this study. Interface failure indicates
weaker bond between the mortar and brick; whereas, substrate
failure indicates strong bond. Reviewing failure modes, it seems
that the plastering mortar made with ACBFS as fine aggregate
shows higher strength than substrate (wall).
The pull-off strengths of 1:4, and 1:6 cement mortar at all
replacement levels of ACBFS are similar to the river sand mortar
(Figure 12). Additionally, the pull-off strengths of 1:4 and 1:6
plastered mortar over fly ash brick wall with 100 % ACBFS are
more than at the other replacement levels. The results indicate a
good adhesion between the fly ash brick wall and ACBFS plaster
mortar when compared to river sand mortar.

Pull-off strength tests were performed on plastered surfaces The compressive strength of cement mortar depends on
which were prepared over the two different substrates (clay brick the water to cement ratio. In this study the w/c ratio is fixed
and fly ash brick wall) with cement mortars 1:4 and 1:6 at various considering the flow of mortar for various replacement of

Figure 11: Types of failure modes

12 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022

 TECHNICAL PAPER

Table 5: Failure mode: pull-off strength test

MIX ID 1:4 1:6

CLAY BRICK WALL FLY ASH BRICK WALL CLAY BRICK WALL FLY ASH BRICK WALL

0 % ACBFS

Failure type In bonding In bonding In bonding Interface

25 % ACBFS

Failure type In bonding In bonding In bonding In bonding

50 % ACBFS

Failure type In bonding Interface Interface In bonding

75 % ACBFS

Failure type In bonding Interface In bonding In bonding

100 % ACBFS

Failure type In bonding In bonding In bonding In bonding

(a) (b)
Figure 12: Pull-off strength of plaster mortar with ACBFS replacement: (a) 1:4 and (b) 1:6

THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022 13

 TECHNICAL PAPER
Figure 13: Compressive strength of mortars with ACBFS replacement: (a) 1:4 and (b) 1:6
river sand by ACBFS. Hence, a direct comparison of strength
for different replacements is inappropriate. The compressive
strength results of 1:4, and 1:6 cement mortars at different
testing ages are shown in Figure 13. These results indicate that
as the percentage of replacement by ACBFS increases, there
is no significant change in the early age strength gain (even
though the water to cement ratios were higher for mixes with 50,
75, and 100 % ACBFS). For 1:4 mortar, a compressive strength
of 32.8 MPa is obtained with a w/c of 0.92 at 100 % replacement
by ACBFS. Similarly, a strength of 20.1 MPa is achieved for 1:6
mortar having 100 % ACBFS aggregates with w/c of 1.28. The
performance of ACBFS as fine aggregate in 100 % replacement
is comparable to the mortar made with only river sand. Both
mortar mixes are well qualified as masonry mortar as per
IS: 2250 (1981)[44].
3.2  Study on concrete
3.2.1  Particle packing
The effect of replacement of river sand with ACBFS sand on
the granular packing was evaluated using particle packing
method. A commercially available software [45], EMMA was
used to compare the particle packing of concrete with different
replacement levels of ACBFS sand. The modified Andreassen
model [46] was used by the software to calculate the idealized
distribution curve. In addition, the particle size distribution curve
was compared to the idealized curve. The distribution coefficient
(q) in the modified Andreassen model may be varied from 0.21
to 0.37 depending upon the amount of coarse and fine particles
present in the system [46]. The q value considered for this study is
0.33, which is advised for vibratory concrete [47]. From Figure 14,
it is observed that the match between the idealized and actual
curve improves with the increase in the ACBFS replacement for
both M30 and M50 grade concrete. The improvement in the
packing may have a beneficial effect on the mechanical and
durability properties of the concrete. Moreover, the replacement
of river sand with ACBFS may not have any detrimental effect on
the properties of concrete due to change in the particle packing.
14 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022
3.2.2  Fresh properties
The role of ACBFS fine aggregates on workability of concrete
was assessed by measuring slump at the end of mixing and after
2 hours. The obtained value of slump for all mixes is shown in
Figure 15. All concrete mixes attained initial slump in the range
of 190-220 mm and after 2 hours between 80-160 mm. It can
be inferred that the use of alternative aggregate does not have
any impact on the concrete workability. The superplasticizer (SP)
dosage remained constant even for an increase in the
replacement level of ACBFS (for a specific grade of concrete).
Higher replacement levels of fine aggregate have shown more
or similar slump values as compared to the control mix with river
sand.
3.2.3  Mechanical properties
3.2.3.1  Compressive strength
The compressive strength of M30, and M50 concrete mixes
with the replacement of river sand by the different percentages
of ACBFS sand is shown in Figure 16. Compressive strength
results are the average values of three 100 mm cube specimens
at the age of 3, 7, 28, and 90 days. All concrete mixes achieved
their design strengths class of M30, and M50 at 28 days as per
IS: 456-2000 [36]. The enhancement in strength after 28 days is
minimal. While comparing the effect of sand replacement, there
is no significant difference in compressive strength between
concrete mixes with river sand and ACBFS sand.
3.2.3.2  Elastic modulus
The elastic modulus of the M30 and M50 concrete mixes,
determined in compression at 28, and 90 days are shown in
Figure 17. It is observed that elastic modulus increases slightly
at 90 days of curing as compared to 28 days. Additionally, no
significant change is observed on increasing the replacement
level of river sand with ACBFS sand. The elastic modulus values
are satisfying IS: 456 (2000) [36], as shown in Figure 18.
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Figure 14: Comparison of particle size distribution of concrete by the modified Andreassen model and actual curve: effect of ACBFS replacement

THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022 15

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Figure 15: Slump values of M30 and M50 concrete mixes Figure 17: Static elastic modulus of concrete mixes at
28 days and 90 days

Figure 18: Static elastic modulus of concrete: actual and

estimated as per IS: 456 (2000) [36]

M30, and M50 concrete mixes. These tests were performed at

curing ages of 28 days, and 90 days.

3.2.4.1  Water sorptivity

As per the concrete quality criteria reported by Bjegovic et al. [48],
higher sorptivity index indicates poor concrete quality. Based on
the recommended criteria, all concretes in the M50 grade fall
into the ‘very good’ concrete category; whereas, all M30 grade

Figure 16: Compressive strength of concrete: (a) M30 concrete mixes and
(b) M50 concrete mixes

3.2.3.3  Splitting tensile strength

Figure 19 shows the splitting tensile strength of M30, and M50
concrete mixes for different replacement of sand. Similar to the
case of compressive strength, the splitting tensile strengths are
not affected by the replacement of river sand by ACBFS sand.

3.2.4  Durability properties

The water sorptivity, saturated water absorption, porosity, initial
water absorption for 30 minutes and total charge passed by Figure 19: Splitting tensile strength of concrete mixes at
RCPT were measured to assess the durability parameters for the 28 days and 90 days

16 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022

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3.2.4.3  Initial water absorption

To determine the initial water absorption from the sorpitivity
index test at curing age of 28 days, and 90 days, the relationship
between the water absorption per unit area and square root
of time is evaluated (Figure 21). It is observed that initial water
absorption reduced on 100 % replacement of river sand with
ACBFS sand for the M30, and M50 concrete mixes. Similar
observations were reported by Wang et al. [19]. Further, with
an increase of curing age, the porosity may have decreased,
leading to a reduction in initial water absorption.

3.2.4.4  Rapid chloride permeability (RCPT)

Figure 20: Concrete quality: sorptivity index
The average of three specimens is reported as the charge
concretes belong to the ‘good’ concrete category (Figure 20).
The replacement of river sand with ACBFS sand does not show passed, which is used to qualitatively classify the concrete based
any detrimental effect on sorptivity index of the concrete. on the chloride ion permeability. According to penetrability
classes defined by ASTM C1202 [40], all concrete mixes are rated
3.2.4.2  Saturated water absorption and as having moderate resistance against chloride ion penetration
porosity at both 28 days, and 90 days, as shown in Figure 22. The M50
mixes showed consistently highest resistance against chloride
The calculated values of saturated water absorption and ion penetration as compared to M30 mixes at both curing ages.
porosity values for the M30, and M50 concrete mixes at curing While evaluating the curing effect on the resistance to chloride
age of 28 days, and 90 days are given in Table 6. It is noted that
ingress, all concrete mixes showed positive impact of extended
the replacement of river sand by ACBFS leads to a reduction
in saturated water absorption and porosity for both M30, and
M50 grade concrete. This may be attributed to the reduction
in capillary pores in the concrete system due to improvement
of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) because of filling of
micropores present on the aggregate surface by the cement
paste as reported by Wang et al. [19,25]. The total porosity of all
M50 mixes reduced when the curing period was increased from
28 days to 90 days, as expected for OPC systems. However, a
few discrepancies are observed for M30 mixes at higher ACBFS
replacements, and this is required to be investigated for future
studies.

Table 6: Porosity and water absorption values for

the M30 and M50 concrete mixes
MIX ID 28 DAYS 90 DAYS

WATER POROSITY WATER POROSITY

ABSORPTION (%) ABSORPTION (%)
(%) (%)

M30-0 % 3.8 9.07 3.80 8.87

M30-25 % 3.19 7.6 3.17 7.58

M30-50 % 2.57 6.29 2.90 7.01

M30-100 % 2.96 7.26 3.29 8.03

M50-0 % 3.77 8.98 2.80 7.10

M50-25 % 3.05 7.38 2.03 4.93

M50-50 % 3.08 7.55 1.73 4.28

M50-100 % 2.12 5.21 1.89 4.70 Figure 21: Initial water absorption rate: (a) M30 concrete mixes, and
(b) M50 concrete mixes

THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022 17

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Figure 22: RCPT of M30 and M50 concrete mixes at 28 days and 90 days
curing ages, which means improved resistance to ingress of
chlorides with increase in curing duration from 28 days, to 90
days. Replacement of sand by ACBFS increased the electrical
conductivity slightly as compared to control river sand mixes.
It can be concluded from the durability studies that concrete
with 100 % ACBFS sand performs at par with concrete with
100 % river sand. Hence, ACBFS sand can be promoted as a
good substitute to river sand in the construction industry.
4. CONCLUSIONS
The study aims to understand the effect of replacement of river
sand with ACBFS sand on different properties of mortar and
concrete. It can be concluded that ACBFS can be a substitute
for river sand in construction industry.
1. The effect of ACBFS replacement levels of 0, 25, 50, 75
and 100 % of river sand on workability, pull-off strength,
and compressive strength of mortar system is studied.
Due to a higher water absorption of ACBFS sand, the
water demand to maintain a specific workability increases
with higher replacement levels. However, the mortar with
different levels of ACBFS sand replacement performed
at par with the mortar with 100 % river sand in terms of
pull-off strength and compressive strength. Plaster with
100 % ACBFS sand may be preferred for fly ash bricks in
comparison to 100 % river sand.
2. The effect of ACBFS replacement levels of 0, 25, 50, and
100 % of river sand on fresh, mechanical and durability
properties of concrete is studied. For a specific w/c ratio
and SP dosage, no significant difference in workability
is observed between the concrete mixes with different
replacement levels of ACBFS sand. In terms of mechanical
performance, it can be concluded that ACBFS sand is a
suitable replacement for river sand for all the replacement
levels.
18 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022
3. A detailed study on durability properties such as water
sorptivity, water absorption, porosity, and total charge
passed in RCPT is conducted. It is observed that all the
concrete mixes even with 100 % ACBFS belong to good
or very good concrete quality criteria as per sorptivity test
and moderate as per RCPT criteria. A reduction in water
absorption and porosity is observed on increase in the
replacement levels of ACBFS sand, may be due to filling of
micropores present in the ACBFS aggregate surface with
cement paste.
Thus, it can be a good option for the aggregate industry
to replace natural aggregates with ACBFS sand, because
its disposal as waste can be a big challenge for steel
manufacturing companies. It can be clearly indicated from
this study, that the ACBFS sand is suitable for even 100 %
replacement of the natural sand in plain concrete. It has all the
required characteristics to be used as fine aggregate. Future
studies may consider the gradation of sand mentioned in
IS: 2116 (1980) [49] and IS: 1542 (1992) [42] for cement mortar.
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SMRATI JAIN is a post-doctoral fellow (PDF) in Building Technology and Construction Management
division at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. She completed her PhD degree from Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT), Guwahati. Her research interests include corrosion control and testing, cement chemistry,
durability, and 3D concrete printing. Email: smratij2@gmail.com

MANU SANTHANAM is currently Dean, Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research, and
Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He holds a
PhD degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, USA. His research interests include cement chemistry,
concrete microstructure, and durability. E-mail: manus@civil.iitm.ac.in

20 THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022

 TECHNICAL PAPER

RAKESH S. holds a B.E degree in Civil Engineering from PES Institute of Technology Bengaluru, a
masters degree in Construction Technology from BMS College of Engineering, Bengalur. He worked as
project officer at Building Technology and construction Management Division, Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Madras. He is currently working as Assistant Engineer in Water Resources Department, Government of
Karnataka. Email: srksh43@gmail.com

ANIL KUMAR is a post graduate in Metallurgical Engineering from NIT Jamshedpur and also a life
member of Indian Institute of Metals. He has also completed post graduation in business management from
XLRI Jamshedpur. Currently he is pursuing PhD degree program in collaboration with CSIR-NML Jamshedpur.
He is working as Sr Technologist and Industrial by-Product Specialist in process technology group of Tata
Steel. His research area of interest is industrial by-products. Email: a.kumar@tatasteel.com

AJAY KUMAR GUPTA holds M.Tech degree in Mineral Processing from Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) (ISM) Dhanbad, joined as a Manager in Tata Steel in 2011, now working in process technology
group and looking after the iron and steel by-product research area. His area of interest is in value creation
from by-product, maximize utilization of solid waste and its application in civil area in greener and sustainable
way, new product development etc.
Email: ajay.gupta2@tatasteel.com

RITESH KUMAR is a marketing professional working at Tata Steel Limited, a mechanical engineer
from BIT Sindri, Dhanbad and PGDM in general management from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He is heading the
marketing and business development function in industrial by-products management division (IBMD) and has
been associated with development of value-added products from the steel by-products. His interest areas
include transforming the by-products into sustainable building materials for construction industry.
Email: ritesh.kumar4@tatasteel.com

SUBHADRA SEN is a technology professional. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical

Technology from Calcutta University and earned her master and doctoral degrees in Materials Science and
Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. Currently, she is the Head of Characterization
and Speciality Support vertical in the process technology group of Tata Steel India. Her research interests are
in industrial by-product area of steel plant. Email: subhadra.sen@tatasteel.com

R. V. RAMNA is a graduate in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT-Madras and is a fellow of Indian

Institute of Metals. He was a former chief technology officer-process at Tata Steel Ltd. He recently
superannuated after over 35 years of illustrious service at Tata Steel Ltd. He is currently working as an
independent consultant. Email: rvramna@gmail.com

Cite this article: Jain, S., Santhanam, M., Rakesh, S., Kumar, A., Gupta, A. K., Kumar, R., Sen, S., and Ramna, R. V. (2022). “Utilization
of air-cooled blast furnace slag as a 100 % replacement of river sand in mortar and concrete”, The Indian Concrete
Journal, Vol. 96, No. 7, pp. 6-21.

THE INDIAN CONCRETE JOURNAL | JULY 2022 21

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