Study on Utilization of Converter Slag as Concrete Admixture

Converter has been slag produced 10 million tons per year in Japan. It is a steel making by product produced in the same way as the blast-furnace slag. Though blast-furnace slag is being used effectively as a concrete admixture, the converter stag has never been used effectively because of the expansion action of contained free lime and iron oxide. This is an important environmental problem in the steel industry. Beta-2CaOSiO$_2$(beta-C$_2$S) is contained 40 percent in converter slag, therefore it is very promising as a concrete admixture. We proposed an accelerated aging processes capable of stabilizing the converter slag in a short time. The converter slag is dipped into alkali aqueous solution after heating at low temperature. It was subsequently ground to a grain size of 75 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ , inner 30 percent of OPC. The properties of mortar and concrete using the blended cement were determined. As a result, it has become apparent that the expansion was reduced and long term compressive strength was increased while that at early ages was not so remarkable. The hydration exotherm rate was lower than that of the OPC.