Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Cement Mortar Incorporating Secondary Aluminum Slag

Abstract

In the present scenario, recycling and reutilization of industrial waste and many byproducts is paramount importance in any sector including construction sector. With the increase of infrastructure development, there is a need fordevelopment of cementitious materials or fillers either to replace cement or sand for sustainable growth. It is well known that during the production of aluminum, considerable quantity of waste is generated, popularly known as dross, which is used for re-production of aluminum after recycling and re-extraction. In this paper, experiments were carried out to evaluate compressive strength and flexural strength of cement mortar with incorporation of secondary aluminumdrossaluminumslag by replacing 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% of cement. The strengths were obtained for 28 days and 90 days. It is observed from the experiments that the strength of cement mortar incorporated with aluminum slag up to 20% is comparable with the control mortar. The decrease in compressive and flexure strength is due to entrapped air. From the study, it can be concluded that secondary aluminum dross can be used up to 20% replacement of cement for the manufacture of building subfloors, precast panels and blocks.