Hydro-abrasive erosion of concrete incorporating ground blast-furnace slag and ground basaltic pumice

In this research work, an attempt has been made to find the suitability of the ground blast-furnace slag (GBS) and ground basaltic pumice (GBP) as a possible substitute for conventional crushed fine aggregate. The main purpose of this investigation is to determine the hydro-abrasive erosion (HAE) characteristics of concrete with GBS and GBP as fine aggregates. The results create perspectives of forecasting HAE of concrete structures depending on the types and amount of additives. It was found that the HAE characteristics of concrete had improved when some of the fine aggregates were replaced by GBS and GBP. As the amount of these additives increased, the mass loss of the concrete incorporating GBS + GBP decreased. This improvement can be explained partly by the decrease in the permeability and partly by the HAE resistance of the additives. In addition to these results, the HAE of concrete was strongly influenced by its compressive strength. Furthermore, the increase in the percentage of additives increased the chloride penetration depths, sharply. The results of this investigation suggest that a joint incorporation of GBS and GBP could conveniently be used to improve its HAE characteristics of concrete. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved