Investigations on Flow Characteristics of Mortars Using Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregates with Processed Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

Sand has always been an integral part of construction in our civilization. It has been the most easily available and acceptable source for the same. However, the depletion of river sand availability has led us to start looking at the alternatives including some industrial by-products. Processed Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (PGBS) is an alternative slag sand for fine aggregate which is being extensively utilized. Low density and strength issues concerned with Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBS) have led to the innovation of PGBS. PGBS is considered as an economically viable and environmentally acceptable alternative material for replacing river sand having tremendous economic impact, conservation of natural resources, and gainful recycling of process by-products. In this study, mini slump cone test is conducted for mortars using 10, 20, 30, and 40% partial replacement of Fine Aggregates (FA) (River sand) with PGBS to study the flow behavior and to identify the suitable combinations of water binder ratio (W/B) (0.4, 0.45, and 0.5) and superplasticizer dosage (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0).