CURRENT PRACTICE NOTE

26
f

Ground Granulated Iron

Blast Furnace Slag and
Its Use in Concrete
1 BACKGROUND
The need to preserve diminishing natural resources
and increase reuse, recycling or the reprocessing of
secondary resources has become an issue of great
importance in our society.
Since 1990, significant changes have occurred in the
effective utilisation of slag materials in construction
applications in Australia. Today some 75% of all
slag processed locally is sold for use in construction.
All of the locally-produced ground granulated blast
furnace slag, currently available, is utilised.
2 SCOPE
This CPN provides general information on the design
and use of concrete containing ground granulated
blast furnace slag (hereafter referred to as GGBFS)
as a cement replacement. The concrete, in which the
GGBFS is used, should meet the requirements of
AS 3600(1).
The slag referred to in this document is that meeting
all the requirements of AS 3582.2(2). The replacement
ratio of cementitious materials with slag should be
such that the properties of the resulting cement
comply with the relevant requirements of
AS 3972(3) for blended cements.

3 DEFINITIONS
Iron Blast Furnace Slag (BFS)
A non-metallic product, consisting essentially of
This Current Practice Note replaces
the original document of the same
silicates and aluminosilicates of calcium, produced
name, published in 1991. This simultaneously with iron in a blast furnace (Figure 1).
update would not be possible
without the invaluable contribution 70
of the following people:
65
Fred Andrews-Phaedonos Type GP cement
60
John Ashby Slag (GGBFS)
55
Craig Heidrich 50
Ihor Hinzac 45
Radhe Khatri 40
Bob Potter 35
Tom Wauer 30
25
COMPOSITION (%)

The Institute acknowledges the following 20

organsations for their contribution towards 15
the costs of this publication 10
 Australian Slag Association 5
 Blue Circle Southern Cement 0
SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO
 Independent Cement and Lime CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS
 Australian Steel Mill Services
Figure 1 Typical chemical composition comparison
of key constituents between Portland cement (GP)
CPN 26 November 2003
and GGBFS (slag)
ISBN 0 909375 62 3

1
Granulated Iron Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS)
The glassy granular material resulting from the rapid
chilling of molten iron blast furnace slag.
Ground Granulated Iron Blast Furnace Slag
(GGBFS)
The fine powder, resembling portland cement,
resulting from the grinding of dry GBFS. In some
instances, the GBFS is simultaneously dried and
ground in the mill.
GGBFS may contain finely-ground gypsum
and grinding aids, introduced during the milling
operation.
Cementitious Material
A general term for material including portland
cement either by itself or with one or more
supplementary cementitious materials such as fly
ash, slag and amorphous silica.
Water/Cementitious Ratio
The ratio of the mass of water, exclusive only of that
absorbed by aggregates, to the mass of cementitious
material in concrete, mortar, or grout, stated as
decimal and abbreviated as w/c.
Replacement Ratio
The ratio of the mass of slag to the mass of total
cementitious material per unit mass of paste, mortar
or concrete, usually expressed as a percentage.
Slag Relative Strength
The ratio of compressive strength of an ISO-CEN
mortar using slag at a replacement ratio of 50% by
mass to the compressive strength of an ISO-CEN
mortar made on the base cement in accordance
with the method specified in AS 3583.6(4). The slag
relative strength is expressed as a percentage.
2
4 PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE
CONTAINING GROUND SLAG
4.1 Slump
The inclusion of slag may increase the slump of
fresh concrete compared to concrete without it. To
achieve the same slump, the water of the mix may
need to be reduced.
4.2 Air Content
Slag has a tendency to reduce the quantity of air
entrained in concrete. This tendency is more obvious
when high replacement ratios or slag of high
fineness index is used.
4.3 Bleed
The tendency to bleed is usually not altered by the
addition of slag. However, if the slag has a high
fineness index or high replacement ratios are used,
bleed tendency is generally reduced; if fineness
index is low, then bleed tendency may be increased.
4.4 Setting Time
Concrete containing slag can exhibit a delayed
setting time. This is also affected by the unit water
demand of the concrete and the temperature of
placement.
4.5 Strength Development
Early-age strengths, 7-day or less, are usually lower
than for Type GP portland cement. This is dependent
on the fineness of the slag used.
For concretes of similar proportions and given
adequate curing, the compressive strength of
concrete containing slag will generally be higher
than that of concrete not containing slag at ages after
28 days.
The relationship between the compressive strength
and the tensile strength of concrete containing slag
is similar to that of concrete not containing slag.
Figure 2 shows the relationship of strength
increase for compressive strengths results for
concrete between 20 and 30 MPa using slag at 50%
replacement ratio and portland cement.
 50
45
40
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (MPa)

35
30
25
20
15
Type GP concrete
10
50% Type GP + 50% slag concrete
5
0
0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 91
AGE (Days)

Figure 2 Strength and strength gain of concrete containing slag

4.6 Heat of Hydration

The heat of hydration of concrete containing slag
is affected by the slag reactivity, fineness index and
replacement ratio (see Figure 3).
At low replacement ratios, the heat of hydration of
concrete containing slag is approximately the same
as for concrete not containing slag.
As the replacement ratio increases, the rate
of hydration reaction decreases and the heat
of hydration reduces significantly. If both the
replacement ratio and the fineness of the slag are
appropriately set, it is possible not only to delay the
time at which the maximum temperature is reached
but also to decrease the peak temperature of the
concrete.

400

350
0% Slag (100% GP cement)
300
HEAT OF HYDRATION (J/g)

250
30% slag (70% GP cement)
200
50% slag (50% GP cement)
150
65% slag (35% GP cement)
100

50

0
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
1.50
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
20.00
22.00
24.00
28.00
32.00
36.00
40.00
44.00
48.00
54.00
60.00
66.00
72.00
78.00
84.00
90.00
96.00
102.00
108.00
114.00
120.00

TIME (Hours)

Figure 3 Adiabatic heat of hydration

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4.7 Durability
Concretes containing slag cements are better suited
to most aggressive environments than are general
purpose portland cement concretes. The importance
of adequate curing in obtaining improved resistance
of concrete, with or without the inclusion of slag, to
aggressive environments cannot be over-emphasised.
The resistance against sulfate attack is improved,
with the addition of slag, at replacement ratios of at
least 40% by mass. The replacement ratio depends
on the concentration of sulfate ions present, and on
the Al203 (alumina) content and fineness of the slag.
In some instances replacement values of 90% may
be necessary; however, 65% replacement is typical.
Marine resistance is improved with slag
replacement ratios of at least 40%, but more
typically 60%. The improvement in durability is
caused by slag having higher resistance to diffusivity
of chloride ions than do portland cements (see
Figure 4). For marine durability, low (< 0.45) water
to cementitious ratios are recommended.
Generally, concretes subjected to proper curing
to reach their design strength show only small
amounts of carbonation. In high-quality concrete
the penetration may be only 5 mm in 50 years of
exposure. Rate is dependent on the compressive
strength of the concrete.
The rate of carbonation of slag cement has been
found to be higher than for portland cement
concrete, especially at high slag replacements, but is
not a problem if properly cured.

4500

4000 ASTM C1202–91 Standard Test Method for Electrical Induction

of Concrete's Ability to Resist Chloride Ion Penetration
3500
ELECTRIC CHARGE (Coulomb)

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
SLAG BLEND (%)

Figure 4 Chloride ion penetration

4
4.8 Water Penetration 5 SELECTION OF SLAG REPLACEMENT
In general, concrete containing slag is more RATIO
permeable at early ages than that for concrete not Concrete containing slag has characteristics
containing slag. As strength development increases, generally similar to those of concrete without slag.
the permeability, sorptivity and VPV (volume of However, the use of slag can produce properties that
permeable voids) of concrete containing slag are cannot he easily achieved using portland cement
reduced, and will be lower than for concrete with alone.
only portland cement when cured to the same
The replacement ratio of slag is governed by the
degree.
properties that are desired in the resultant concrete.
4.9 Creep and Drying Shrinkage The replacement ratios in Table 1 are given as a
The creep of concrete containing slag may be lower guide and will depend on the quality of the slag
than that of concrete without slag. If loads are available.
applied to the concrete at three-days or so, or when
the water-cementitious ratio is in the vicinity of Table 1 Slag replacement ratios
0.7, care must be taken, as the creep of the concrete
containing slag will tend to be higher than that of Purpose of use Replacement ratio
concrete not containing slag. Improvement in chemical
The long-term drying shrinkage of concrete resistance against sulfates 40-90%
containing slag is similar to that of concrete without and chlorides (typically 65%)
slag, but shrinkage at early ages may be higher. Control of temperature rise
4.10 Colour due to heat of hydration Greater than 40%
Depending on the fineness and the chemical Control of alkali-aggregate
composition of the slag, the colour of exposed reaction Greater than 40%
concrete surfaces containing slag is usually lighter
than concrete not containing slag. The colour is The choice of replacement ratio must be consistent
affected to a large extent by that of the portland with all the required properties of the concrete,
cement used and the amount of portland cement including strength.
replaced by the slag.
The properties of the portland cement component
In some instances a bluish tinge results in the must also be considered when selecting the
concrete. This is caused by the presence of trace replacement ratio, since the combination of these
quantities of iron sulphides which oxidise rapidly two materials dictates the concrete properties.
and become colourless when the concrete is exposed
to the atmosphere. The phenomenon is rare with
most Australian slags since their sulfide sulfur
content is extremely low.

5
6 CURING 7 REFERENCES
Moist curing of concrete has a significant influence 1 AS 3600–2001 Concrete Structures
on the quality of the concrete. Insufficient 2 AS 3582.2–2001 Supplementary cementitious
maintenance of moist conditions will result, not materials for use with portland cement, Part 2:
only in inferior development of strength, but also Slag ground granulated iron blast furnace
may result in low durability, even if the long-term
3 AS 3972–1997 Portland and Blended Cements
strength is satisfactory.
4 AS 3583.6 Methods of test for supplementary
It has been found that cessation of curing of concrete
cementitious materials for use with portland
at three days causes both slag and portland cement
cement, Method 6: Determination of relative
concretes to suffer strength loss to the same degree.
water requirement and relative strength
Due to the lower rate of strength development
of slag cement concretes, especially at high
replacement rates and/or low temperatures, moist
curing (particularly in the initial period) has a
greater influence on the quality and performance of
concrete containing slag than on portland cement
concrete.
Throughout the curing period, the exposed surfaces
of the placed concrete should be kept wet or the
loss of moisture from the concrete prevented or
minimised.
The recommended minimum periods for effective
moist curing of concrete containing slag are shown
in Table 2.

Table 2 Recommended minimum moist curing times

for concrete containing slag
Average atmospheric
temperature Replacement ratio (%)
during curing 30–40 40–55 55–70

10–17°C 7 days 8 days 9 days

Above 17°C 5 days 6 days 7 days

Placing of concrete at low temperatures (below 7°C)

can interfere with the hydration process, resulting
in delayed development of strength; and if below
zero (O°C), possible frost damage. It is advisable
to maintain concrete above 10°C by providing
insulation or supplying heat to the concrete.

6
8 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cook, D J, Hinczak, I and Duggan, R Volume
Changes in Portland/Blast furnace Slag
Cement Concrete, Second International
Conference on the Use of Fly Ash, Silica
Fume, Slag and Natural Pozzolans in Concrete,
Madrid, Spain, 1986.
Mehta, P K Sulphate Resistance of Blended
Cements, International Workshop on the Use
of Fly Ash, Slag, Silica Fume and Other
Siliceous Materials in Concrete, Sydney,
Australia, 1988.
Hinczak, I Properties of Slag Concretes - an
Australian Experience, International Workshop
on the Use of Fly Ash, Slag, Silica Fume and
Other Siliceous Materials in Concrete, Sydney,
Australia, 1988.
Ho, D W S, Hinczak, I, Conroy, J J and Lewis,
R K Influence of Slag Cement on the Water
Sorptivity of Concrete, Second International
Conference on the Use of Fly Ash, Silica
Fume, Slag and Natural Pozzolans in Concrete,
Madrid, Spain, 1986.
Hinczak, I, Cao, H T and Cook, D J, Corrosion
Characteristics of Steel in Solutions Derived
from Cements and Blended Cement,
International Conference on the Use of Fly
Ash, Slag, Silica Fume and Other Siliceous
Materials in Concrete, Leura, Australia, 1990.
Hinczak, I, Cook, D J, Cao, H T and Jedy, M
The Behaviour of Slag Cement Concretes
in Marine Environment - Chloride Ion
Penetration, Third International Conference
on the Use of Fly Ash, Silica Fume, Slag and
Natural Pozzolans in Concrete, Trondheim,
Norway, 1989.

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