Assessment of concrete properties with iron slag as a fine aggregate replacement

In an effort to find alternate, environment friendly and sustainable building materials, the scope of possible utilization of iron slag (I-sand), generated as a by-product in iron and steel industries, as fine aggregates in reinforced cement concrete (RCC) made with manufactured sand (M-sand) is examined in this manuscript. Systematic investigations of the physical, mechanical, microstructural and durability properties of I-sand in comparison with RCC made with M-sand have been carried out on various mix designs prepared by the partial/full replacement of I-sand in M-sand. The experimental results clearly indicate the possibility of utilizing iron slag for preparing RCC in constructions without compromising on the property of concrete, durability and performance. This provides an alternate possibility for the effective utilization of industrial waste, which is normally disposed by delivering to landfills, in building materials which can reduce the adverse environmental effects caused by indiscriminate sand mining being carried out to meet the growing demands from construction industry and also provide an economically viable alternative by reducing the cost of concrete production.