Utilization of iron tailings as fine aggregates in low-grade cement concrete pavement

Abstract

Iron tailings are a kind of industry waste generated during the ironmaking. Huge quantities of iron tailings caused many environmental problems. There is a strong demand for reducing the reserves of iron tailings. The primary of the study presented in this paper aims to explore the potential of applying iron tailings to cement concrete pavement to replace fine aggregates. The iron tailings concrete (ITC) is prepared and tested by performance tests to evaluate its mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength and flexural modulus) and durability (abrasion resistance, water absorption, shrinkage ability and frost resistance). The results show that all the indexes can meet the requirement of rural low-grade cement concrete. This study provides a feasible way to solve the problem of excess iron tailings and a new way to reuse waste materials.