Investigation of the influence of technological factors and compositions of binders on the strength characteristics of blast–furnace cement with magnetized ferromagnetic additives

Abstract

Abstract Cement production is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions. One of the ways to reduce emissions is to reduce the proportion of clinker in cement by introducing active mineral additives into its composition, particularly granulated blast-furnace slag. One of the ways to increase the activity of such cement is the effect of magnetic fields on the spin multiplicity of the substances involved in the hardening reaction. In this case, the maximum effect is ensured by introducing a magnetized finely dispersed ferromagnetic substance into the cement composition. The activation effect depends on the additive’s adding method to the cement’s composition, the components ratio in the cement, and the cement hardening mode. This work aims to identify the influence of the adding method of the additive, the slag and additive proportion in cement, and the steam curing temperature on the activity effect of the binder. Three groups of studies were carried out to determine the strength characteristics of laboratory samples hardened both in natural conditions and during steaming. In the first group, cement samples have tested containing 40% slag obtained by joint grinding and joint mixing of the additive with cement for 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 minutes. In the second group, samples have tested with the additive amount varied from 0 to 2.5%, and slag amount from 0 to 80%. Finally, cement samples were tested in the third group containing 50% slag and from 0 to 2.5% additive. The samples were steam cured at temperatures ranging from 50 to 90° C and tested one day, 28 and 90 days after steam curing. As a result of the research, it has revealed that to obtain the maximum effect, the additive must be introduced into the cement composition by joint grinding. The factors influencing the activity have been determined. At the same time, the time of joint grinding should ensure uniform mixing of the components and the formation of new surfaces of cement grains in the presence of magnetic fields. Too long joint grinding leads to the loss of the magnetic properties of the addition. It was found that the activation effect from the additive addition increases with an increase in the proportion of slag. In cement without slag, an increase in the additive content leads to a drop in strength. It was revealed that the introduction of magnetized ferromagnetic dust additives into the composition of the SPC makes it possible to reduce the steam curing temperature of products by 20-25° C. Studies have shown that using a finely dispersed ferromagnetic substance as an activating additive can save energy resources and reduce emissions.