Abstract:
Now a day, Construction work is being carried out on a massive scale all over the world, and the demand for construction materials is growing day by day. Natural river sand is one of the predominant ingredients of concrete and non-renewable resources. In this study, steel slag is used as partial replacement of natural river sand in concrete production. Steel slag is the byproduct of steel-making factories. In Ethiopia, the practice of using alternative ingredients to produce concrete was observed weak in some scenarios, especially using waste materials. In this research experimental study was carried out on how to use steel slag as a partial replacement of natural river sand for the production of normal strength concrete. The research was carried out by conducting laboratory tests for concrete making materials (coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, and steel slag). Concrete mix design was prepared for C-25(normal strength) class of concrete using ACI mix design procedure. The natural river sand was replaced by steel slag at 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% by weight. The control mix without incorporation of steel slag was prepared, which was used as a reference for comparison of test results with those specimens produced by partial replacement. Generally, five concrete mixes were prepared including the control mix for producing normal strength concrete. The laboratory test results show that workability of concrete decreases with an increase in steel slag content. The test results for compressive strength showed that at 45% replacement of the natural sand by steel slag achieved a higher compressive strength for 7, 28 and 56 days. Similarly, at 30% replacement of the natural sand by steel slag achieved a higher UPV for 28 days, whereas water absorption decreases as replacement of steel slag increase up to 30% replacement for 3days and up to 45% replacement for 7 and 28 days. The results show that sulfate resistance of concrete decreases with an increase in steel slag content. Depending on the test result, it is recommended that the chemical reaction of each element and the optimum content will be investigate. Further investigation on resistance of concrete with steel slag aggregates to alkali-silica reactions, carbonation, seawater attack, harmful chemicals, accelerated corrosion test and resistance to high temperatures are needed.