Effect of steel slag powder, fly ash, and silica fume on the mechanical properties and durability of cement mortar

This study is aimed at exploring the effect of steel slag powder (SSP), fly ash (FA), and silica fume (SF) on the mechanical properties and durability of cement mortar. SSP, SF, and FA were used as partial replacement of the Ordinary Portland cement (OPC). It was showed that the compressive and bending strength of steel slag powder were slightly lower than that of OPC. An increase in the SSP content caused a decrease in strength. However, the growth rate of compressive strength of SSP2 (20% replacement by the weight of OPC) at the curing ages of 90 days was about 8% higher than that of OPC, and the durability of SSP2 was better than that of OPC. The combination of mineral admixtures improved the later strength, water impermeability, and sulfate resistance compared with OPC and SSP2. The compressive strength of SSPFA (SSP and SF) at 90 days reached 70.3 MPa. The results of X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy indicated that SSP played a synergistic role with FA or SF to improve the performance of cement mortar.