Ladle furnace slag as a partial replacement of Portland cement

Ladle furnace slag (LFS) has been proposed as partial cement replacement due to its similar chemical composition with Portland cement. However, its mineralogical composition needs to be considered due to problems with expansive reactions and lower cementing activity. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of particle size and mineralogical composition of LFS in cement-slag systems. The obtained results show a correlation between microstructural changes and macroscopic properties, lower mechanical performance and volumetric instability problems, although within the established limits in normal curing conditions. Therefore, it is concluded that LFS presents an interesting potential as cement replacement.This work was funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) DOCTORADO EN EL EXTRANJERO, BECAS CHILE/2019 – 72200568. And a special acknowledgment to Prof. Roberto Lavín Serrano (PhD), head of the “Nanotechnology and Cosmic Dust Laboratory” at Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile, for his advice, contribution, and disposition to let us access the FTIR equipment.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft