Synergistic Effect between Glass Frit and Blast-Furnace Slag

Partial replacement of portland cement with one or more supplementary cementitious materials has become a widely accepted practice due to its beneficial effects on concrete durability. Because it is a highly reactive material, silica fume has always been a major component of high-performance blended cements. In Eastern Canada, two major ternary blended cements containing portland cement, silica fume, and either fly ash or slag are available. The use of silica fume, however is sometimes limited due to lack of local availability and high cost; therefore, developing tertiary cementing matrix systems without silica,fume could be of great interest. This investigation was carried out to study the properties of two ternary blended cement concretes incorporating glass frit and granulated blast-furnace slag. Results showed that even with 40% portland cement replacement, and in the absence of silica fume, the ternary concrete performed remarkably well. Its performance was very similar to that of the commercially available ternary blends tested.