This document provides information about slag cement and its use in concrete applications. It discusses the production of slag cement, its chemical and physical properties compared to portland cement, benefits of using slag cement such as improved workability, strength, and durability. It provides examples of projects that have used slag cement concrete mixtures with replacement rates ranging from 20-50% and achieved strength gains. Contact information is also provided for follow up questions.
14. 3648
3110
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017-F
tons(000's)
• Slag cement market share (compared to portland) has grown by 80% since 2000
• Slag Cement Association expects consumption to grow 3-5% over the next 5 years
• SCA’s Western Region (including Nebraska) grew by 23% in 2017
2017 U.S. portland
cement consumption:
96.8 M tons
15.
16. Slag Cement
+
Water
+
Calcium Hydroxide
From Portland Cement
More Calcium-
Silicate Hydrate
Slag Cement
+
Water
Calcium-Silicate
Hydrate
• Higher strength
• Lower permeability
• Greater durability
19. Attribute Portland Cement Slag Cement Fly Ash
Origin Limestone, Clay,
etc.
Iron blast-
furnace slag
granules
Coal-fired
electric power
plant byproduct
Production Manufactured
product
Manufactured
product
Byproduct
Classification Hydraulic
cement
Hydraulic
cement
Pozzolan
Typical
Replacement
Rates
-- 25-50% (80% in
mass conc.)
15-30% (50% in
mass conc.)
2017 Use in
Concrete
96.8 M tons 3.1 M tons 14.1 M tons
22. A 50% cement / 50% slag cement is compared to 100% Reference cement at
the various ages.
The reference cement used helps determine the grade of slag cement
(Alkalies: 0.60 – 0.90% & 5,000 psi @ 28 days). The ASTM C989 spec
allows for use of a “standard” reference cement.
23.
24.
25. Reduced water demand
Better slump retention
Enhanced workability
Easier consolidation
Improved pumpability
Superior finishability
Consistent air content
• Particles are dense
and smooth
• Little water is
absorbed during
initial mixing
27. Slag Cement Mixes Set
Slower in Colder
Temperatures
Accelerators Can Speed Up
Set Times Faster than 100%
Portland Cement Mixes
Not Much Difference in Set
Times at Higher
Temperatures (+90oF)
Decreasing the w/cm with
MRWR and HRWR will speed
up the set time
Use T-III + Slag cement
28. Improved Compressive and
Flexural Strengths
Reduced Permeability
Improved Corrosion
Resistance
Increased Resistance to
Sulfate Attack and Alkali-
Silica Reaction
Reduced Heat Generation
• Particles are dense
and smooth
• Little water is
absorbed during
initial mixing
29. Higher 28-day
compressive strengths
◦ 1,000-2,000 psi higher
Lower early strengths
Typically matches
portland strengths ~7
days
Optimum strength
replacement ~35%
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
7 Day 28 Day
Comp.Strength,psi
100% Portland 25% Slag 50% Slag
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
7 Day 28 Day
FlexuralStrength,psi
100% Portland* 50% Slag**
30. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0 7 14 21 28
StrengthasPercentofTypeI
at28days
Age, days
Type I
Type IS(25)+15C
Type IS(25)+15F
Nominal Properties
w/cm = 0.45
565 lbs/cu.yd. cementitious material
slump 4”
air content 6.5%
Type I strength at 28 days = 6120 psi (42 MPa)
31. For concrete exposed to deicing chemicals:
◦ Use good finishing practices (no premature
finishing)
◦ Appropriate, timely curing essential
◦ Adequate air entrainment 4.5% to 7.5% air
◦ W/Cm ≤ 0.45
◦ Compressive strength ≥ 4,500 psi
Any concrete will be susceptible to deicer
scaling if the surface is not finished and
cured properly
32.
33.
34.
35. SCM Used % Portland
Replacement
Average 14-
day expansion
%
Expansion <
0.10?
Class F Fly Ash 20% 0.1250 No
Slag Cement 25% 0.1197 No
Slag Cement 35% 0.0830 Yes
Buno Road, Michigan
36. Reconstructed 7 miles of 8-lane
freeway, 6 interchanges w on/off
ramps
37 bridges rehabilitated or
replaced
Slag cement used at over 30% to
mitigate potential ASR and
achieve specified flexural and
compressive strengths
Lighter color enhances night time
visibility
Consistent, reliable performance
contributed to completion of
project ahead of schedule
37. Slag cement can
mitigate sulfate attack
in concrete by:
◦ Decreasing the total C3A
in the system
◦ Decreasing the
permeability of the
concrete which prevents
the ingress of sulfates
into the concrete
◦ Reacting with calcium
hydroxide to form CSH
Proper addition can:
◦ Type I+S => TII or TV
◦ Type II+S=> TV
50% slag in Na2SO4
OPC in water
OPC in Na2SO4
OPC in MgSO4
OPC in K2SO4
38.
39.
40. 0.00
0.03
0.05
0.08
0.10
0 50 100 150 200
Expansion(percent)
Days
Type I
Type II
20% Slag*
35% Slag*
50% Slag*
Moderate Sulfate Resistance (6 months)
High Sulfate Resistance (6 months)
*With Type I
Portland
cement
42. Item Original Final
Portland Cement 658 lbs/yd3 306 lbs/yd3
Slag Cement 305 lbs/yd3
Fly Ash 282 lbs/yd3
Silica Fume 94 lbs/yd3
Coarse Aggregate - 1900 lbs/yd3
Fine Aggregate - 1176 lbs/yd3
Water - 28.5 gals/yd3
Admixture - 6 oz/cwt
Air Entraining Agent - 0.6 oz/cwt
Field Results
Total cementitious reduced
from 940 to 611 lb/cy
28-day compressive
strength: 5,350 to 5,590
psi
56-day chloride
permeability: 824 to 1,110
coulombs
43. Slag cement makes whiter
concrete
More reflective
Improved safety
Has been used to replace
partially/fully white cement
for some applications
Portland
Cement
Slag
Cement
0.540.53
0.50
0.62
0.46
0.6
0.64
0.69
0.63
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
Portland Fly Ash Slag Cement Slag + White
Portland
White
Portland
SolarReflectance
44. Slower set time in colder temperatures
Lower early strengths precast, pipe, masonry
accelerated curing
Potential deicer salt scaling at higher replacements
(+25%) due to slower set times and slower bleeding
Additional silo space (blended cement can help)
Greening – goes away over time (oxidizes)
45. • Rehab asphalt runway with 18”
concrete pavement overlay
• Runway extended by 700’ and
widened by 50’ to provide 12,700 ft
by 200 ft new runway
• Concrete Specifications
• 700 psi min 28-day flexural
• 550 lb/cy max cementitious
• Mixture
• ASTM C595 Type IS (40) slag blended
cement
• 4-aggregate mixture yielded
• 1,300 psi flexural strength at 28-days
• Improved strength, durability and
smoothness
46. Concrete mixture with
40% slag cement
2015-2018
Average flex strength
> 900 psi
47. Cement/Slag Cement 50/50 40/60
Cement (lbs) 282 226
Slag Cement (lbs) 282 338
Total Cementitious (lbs) 564 564
Sack Content 6 6
Coarse Aggregate (lbs) 1920 1920
Fine Aggregate (lbs) 1260 1260
Water (gals) 34 34
Air (oz/cwt) 6 6
WRDA (oz/cwt) 3 3
Slump (inches) 5 5
Air Content (%) 4 - 6 4 - 6
7 Day (psi) 2220 2600
28 Day (psi) 4560 4740
56 Day (psi) 4740 5250
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7 Day (psi) 28 Day (psi) 56 Day (psi)
Strength(psi)
Age (Days)
50/50
40/60
48.
49.
50. 30% slag cement
Built 2004
Project engineer: HWS
Finishers: excellent
workability at low w/cm
and low slump
51. 13,000 cy
Gehring Construction and
Ready Mix
Colorado Structures
Parking lot
And city street around
Walmart
52. 20-35%, with
some C Ash
(2004) East Granville St.
Memorial Park Dr.
47 B Mixtures 28 Day 56 Day
20% Slag 5,522 6,112
30% Slag 5,708 6,165
35% Slag 5,837 6,272
30/20 Slag/C Ash 5,896 6,691
53. Jan R. Prusinski, PE
◦ 832-265-7130 cell
◦ Jprusinski@skywaycement.com
Joel Sedlacek
◦ 402-305-3709
◦ jsedlacek@centralplainscement.com
Megan Dangel
◦ 918-896-0598
◦ mdangel@centralplainscement.com