Behaviour of high-strength concrete incorporating ground granulated blast furnace slag at high-temperature

Abstract

This paper presents the outcomes of a research investigating the effect of  temperature on physical and mechanical behaviour of High Strength Concrete (HSC) to reduce the explosive spalling of concrete. Two series of tests were carried out on concrete incorporating Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) of “Mittal steel Annaba” (Algeria) with and without polypropylene fibre additions were realized. Samples were subjected to various temperatures (20°C , 100°C, 300 °C, 500°C and 700°C), a stability of one hour was applied, then a cooling phase until ambient temperature. The heating rate used in this experimental work was close to the standard curve ISO 834. The obtained results show that it is possible to make a HSC with good physical and mechanical properties by using the existing materials on the local market and HSC incorporating polypropylene fibres behaves well towards high temperatures. Conclusions drawn from this study indicate that, HSC containing ground-granulated furnace slag can reduce the degree and severity of spalling as in the case of HSC containing polypropylene fibres or silica fume (SF).

Keywords: High strength concrete- fillers- high-temperature- polypropylene fibres- Ground granulated Furnace Slag