Durability Indices of a Sealing Mortar Incorporating Blast Furnace Slag

Abstract

Ground granulated blast furnace slag generated from steel manufacturing presents environmental challenges, but it can be valuable when utilized as a supplementary material in concrete, contributing to the development of sustainable materials. In this research, a new sealing mortar was prepared by substituting 10% of the cement with slag (M10). This material can provide performance comparable to M234, a M0 sealer used for sealing and wedging supports and machine bases. The mechanical properties and durability indices of both M10 and M234 were compared to the reference mortar MISO, which is a laboratory-made mortar free of slag. XRD analysis was conducted to determine the crystallinity of the starting cement, and granulometry revealed a median size distribution of 23 μm for the slag after grinding. Capillary absorption and water-accessible porosity were tested for all samples.