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Cement and Concrete Composites, Volume 40, 2013, Pages 7-13.
Sanjay Kumar, P. García-Triñanes, Amândio Teixeira-Pinto, M. Bao.
CSIR – National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur 831 007, India &
School of Engineering, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain &
Universidade Privada de Angola, Caixa Postal 888, Lubango, Angola.
Abstract
Silico-manganese (SiMn) slag has been used to develop alkali activated cement binder. The reactivity of SiMn slag was altered by mechanical activation using eccentric vibratory and attrition mill. The reaction kinetics during alkali activation of SiMn slag and structural reorganization were studied using isothermal conduction calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The particle size after milling was smaller in attrition milled samples but reaction started earlier in vibratory milled samples due to more reactivity. This observation was further supported by compressive strength which was highest in samples prepared from vibratory milled slag. The main reaction product was C–S–H (C = CaO, S = SiO2, H = H2O) of low crystallinity of different types with varying Si/Al and Ca/Si ratio. An attempt has been made to relate the microstructure with mechanical properties. The results obtained in this study establish technical suitability of SiMn slag as raw material for alkali activated cement.
