The effect of ground granulated blast-furnace slag on properties of Horasan mortar

Mortars containing brick or tile powder and lime are called Horasan mortar in Ottoman and Cocciopesto in ancient Roman. In this study, ground granulate blast-furnace slag was used in Horasan mortars to obtain improvements on physical and mechanical properties. The ground granulate blast-furnace slag was used instead of crushed tile and tile powder as aggregate at various proportions. In addition, lime was used as a binder in the mortars. The physical and mechanical tests were conducted on mortars and the exposure of freeze and thaw on mechanical properties was examined. The microstructure, chemical composition and thermal analysis were investigated by SEM-EDS, XRD and TGA. Based on the results, the mortars were non-hydraulic owing to the low pozzolanic activity of crushed tile and tile powder. However, notable improvements were observed on physical and mechanical properties of specimens containing ground granulate blast-furnace slag compared to the control specimens.

► We use ground granulate blast-furnace slag in Horasan mortars as aggregate.
► We examine mechanical property, microstructure and chemical composition of samples.
► Increasing ratios of blast-furnace slag lead to improvement in mechanical strength.
► XRD analysis proved the EDS results due to mineral content of test sample.
► The waste tiles used in the study can be described as low pozzolanic.