Effect of the addition of GGBS on the frost scaling and chloride migration resistance of concrete

Journal article, 2020

Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) can partially replace cement in concrete to improve certain properties. However, some concerns regarding its performance have been raised. This research aimed at investigating the properties of concrete with GGBS, with special focus on its frost scaling and chloride ingress resistance. Concretes with different amounts of GGBS, different efficiency factors, and different air contents have been tested. The effects of other factors, namely the curing temperature, the use of superplasticizer and carbonation, have also been investigated. The results showed that the frost resistance generally decreases with the increase of the amount of GGBS. However, this research showed that it is possible to produce frost resistant concrete with up to 50% of GGBS by changing some properties of the mix (such as increasing the air content). The results also showed a significant improvement of the chloride ingress resistance for concrete with high additions of GGBS.