Effect of Partial Replacement of Cement with Blast Furnace Slag and Sand with Cast Iron Chips on the Strength of Concrete

Abstract

Environmental pollution is one of the major concerns of all the environment related departments. Industrialization is at peak, releasing billions of tones of wastes & byproducts every day, thereby producing a great threat to the existing living creatures of the universe. So it is the dire need of the hour to tackle with such problems, in a technical manner so that the hazards of these wastes will be reduced to minimum extent. As far Blast furnace slag & Cast Iron Chips are concerned they were considered to be as waste materials & were thrown unused. In this present research work we are going to bring such said wastes in, this will not only increase the practical utility of these products but also will make the concrete mixes economical & will reduce the threat of environment by being polluted by such wastes. In the present study firstly we will fabricate Mix A i.e., M-20 grade of concrete, with 0.5 water cement ratio & secondly we will prepare concrete mixes first by partially replacing the fine aggregates with cast iron chips, by weight. The range of replacement of fine aggregates varies as 10%, 20% & 30% respectively & such mixes are named as Mix B, Mix C & Mix D respectively. In the second context we are replacing cement with Blast Furnace Slag, but the percentage of Cast Iron Chips remains the same i.e., 30%. Here the levels of replacement will remain the same as in previous case i.e., 10%, 20% & 30%. So Mix E is composed of 30% by weight of Cast Iron Chips (replacement of sand by weight =30% with Cast Iron Chips), 10% by weight of Blast Furnace Slag & other ingredients of concrete. Mix F is composed of 30% by weight of Cast Iron Chips (replacement of sand by weight =30% with Cast Iron Chips), 20% by weight of Blast Furnace Slag, with 20% replacement of cement & rest of the constituents remaining the same. Mix G will be the composition of 30% by weight of Cast Iron Chips (replacement of sand by weight = 30% with Cast Iron Chips), 30% by weight of Blast Furnace Slag, replacing 30% of cement in the mix. The results recommend the use of Cast Iron Chips in concrete instead of sand & use of Blast Furnace Slag instead of cement as well , up to certain level of replacement& improves the compressive strength of concrete mixes fabricated by bringing such wastes in use.