Monitoring of the Thermal Properties of Cement Composites with an Addition of Steel Slag

Abstract

This article presents the results of an experimental research dealing with the preparation of cement composites with an addition of steel slag, in order to verify the possibility of using ground steel slag as a suitable admixture into cement composites. The samples of the cement composites were prepared with the following types of cements: Portland cement CEM I 42.5 R, Portland mixed cement CEM II/B-S 32.5 R, blast furnace cement CEM III/A 32.5 N, and mixed cement CEM V/A (S-V) 32.5 R. We have tested the effect of ground steel slag as an admixture, which had been dosed in the amount of 20% of the weight of the cement dose, on the strength parameters (tensile flexural strength and compressive strength) and the thermal properties (coefficient of thermal conductivity λ, specific heat capacity c, and coefficient of thermal diffusivity a). The results of this experimental research have shown that the use of ground steel slag as an admixture in an amount of 20% of the weight of cement in the cement composite will reduce the values of the coefficient of thermal conductivity λ in cements CEM I 42.5 R, CEM II/B-S 32.5 R, and CEM V/A (S-V) 32.5 R and, at the same time, it will not cause a decrease in compressive strength.