Dry powder alkali-activated slag cements

This paper reports on the results of an investigation into the possibility of producing dry powder alkali-activated slag cements as a ready-to-use product which can be packed in bags and mixed with water to produce a concrete. The cements were produced using a neutral granulated blast-furnace slag and sodium carbonate. To accelerate strength development at ambient temperatures, a combination of silica fume and slaked lime was used as accelerating admixture in the cement's formulation. Powder sodium lingosulfonate was added into the formulation to reduce the water demand of the cements; it also delayed setting and increased compressive strength. Alkali-activated slag concretes were produced using the developed cements. Compressive strengths in the range from 30 to 85 MPa were achieved for the concretes at 28 d. The accelerating admixture increased 1-d compressive strength for the alkali-activated slag concretes cured at ambient temperature up to 25 MPa. The optimum concentration of sodium carbonate was equivalent to 3·5% and 4·5% sodium oxide (Na₂O) for precast and in situ application, respectively. The accelerating admixture is recommended at 6% for dry powder alkali-activated slag cements. The accelerated ageing test showed that the dry powder alkali-activated slag cement had a sufficient shelf life.