Influence of thermal activation on the properties of non-ferrous slag blended cement mortar

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, the influence of different thermal activation methods, namely the hot water curing method and steam curing method on the properties of cement mortar blended with low-volume non-ferrous slag (NFS) (15% cement replacement) is investigated. Therefore, mortar specimens are intrinsically prepared and cured at a controlled temperature of 60 °C in the different curing methods for a short period of 6 hours. Results showed that the steam curing method can significantly improve the compressive strength, reduce the water absorption level and densify the morphology of NFS blended cement mortar. The findings may contribute to accelerating the strength gain of NFS in cement-based material and reduce the amount of cement used.