Mechanical activation of granulated blast furnace slag and its effect on the properties and structure of portland slag cement

Mechanically activated granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) was used in the range of 50–95% to replace clinker in portland slag cement (PSC). The slag and clinker were activated separately using an attrition mill and mixed to prepare cement formulations. Use of activated slag resulted in a remarkable increase in strength vis-à-vis commercial slag cement. Both 1-day and 28-day strength were found to increase with an increase in slag content up to 70%. The strength of the sample containing 80–85% slag was comparable to the commercial cement used as a reference. It was observed that mechanical activation of slag was more critical from the point of view of strength development. The hydrated cement samples were characterised using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDS) and simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). It is established that microstructural changes resulting from enhanced reactivity of slag and densification are related with the improvement in cement strength.