Mitigation of Detrimental Effects of Alkali-Silica Reaction in Cement-Based Composites by Combination of Steel Microfibers and Ground-Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag

Abstract

The effect of combining brass-coated steel microfiber and ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) on the mitigation of deleterious expansion due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) was investigated in this research. A potentially reactive basaltic aggregate was chosen as a reactive material. Two series of specimens containing different amounts of microfiber were prepared. One of them was cured in 1 M NaOH solution at 80°C to obtain a similar maturity; the other series was cured in 80°C water up to 120 days. ASR expansion, strength development, and toughness properties were observed for 120 days in NaOH solution and the results were compared with specimens kept in water. Test results indicate that the combination of GGBS and steel fibers reduced ASR expansion significantly. Furthermore, the combination was very effective at preventing the mechanical property loss due to ASR, such as flexural strength, compressive strength, and toughness. Microstructural investigations revealed that the reaction products had a different morphology (e.g., fibrous, network appearance) when the specimens were kept in NaOH solution.