Experimental Studies on Replacement of Cement by GGBS

Abstract

The product of cement causes environmental pollution due to high CO? emigrations. To reduce this problem, partial relief of cement with artificial by- products like Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Sediment( GGBS) is an effective result. This study investigates the effect of partial relief of cement by GGBS on the strength parcels of concrete. Different probabilities of GGBS( 10, 20, 30 etc.) were used and compressive strength tests were conducted at 7, 14 and 28 days. The results show that GGBS improves long- term strength and continuity of concrete while reducing environmental impact.

Introduction

Concrete is made from cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, and water. Cement is the main binding material, but its production releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, which harms the environment. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) is a by-product of the iron industry that has cement-like properties and can partially replace cement in concrete. Using GGBS helps reduce heat of hydration, improve durability, increase long-term strength, and lower environmental pollution.

Previous research has shown that materials such as Alcofine and fly ash improve concrete strength and microstructure, while studies on GGBS indicate that replacing about 20% of cement with GGBS provides optimal compressive strength.

The objective of this study was to analyze the properties of concrete when cement is partially replaced with GGBS and to determine compressive strength at 7, 14, and 28 days. The study also aimed to find the optimum replacement level and reduce environmental impact from cement usage.

An M20 grade concrete mix was prepared using cement, sand, coarse aggregate, water, and GGBS with replacement levels of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%. Concrete cubes of size 150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm were cast, cured in water at 27 ± 2°C, and tested for compressive strength using a Compression Testing Machine (CTM).

Workability was measured using the slump cone test, showing values of 130 mm (10%), 115 mm (20%), and 135 mm (30%), indicating improved workability with higher GGBS content.

Compressive strength results showed that normal concrete achieved 20 N/mm² at 28 days, while GGBS mixes performed better. The 10% replacement reached 26 N/mm², 20% reached 25 N/mm², and 30% reached 27 N/mm² at 28 days. However, early strength slightly decreased with higher GGBS percentages due to slower reaction rates.

Conclusion

Overall, the study concluded that GGBS can effectively replace cement in concrete, with an optimum replacement level of about 20%. Using GGBS improves long-term strength, durability, workability, and makes concrete more eco-friendly and economical.

References

[1] Suthar Sunil B. and B.K. Shah (2013) – Study on high-strength concrete containing Alcofine and fly ash, showing improved strength due to ultrafine Alcofine and pozzolanic activity of fly ash. [2] Suthar Sunil B., B.K. Shah, and P.J. Patel (2013) – Investigated Alcofine and fly ash in high- performance concrete, highlighting micro-filler effects and durability improvements. [3] Soni Deval, Suhasini Kulkarni, and Vilin Parekh (2013) – Demonstrated superior compressive and flexural strengths in concrete with 8% Alcofine and 16% fly ash. [4] Sourav and Ashok Kumar Gupta (2014) – Studied cube and cylinder strength in concrete with 13% Alcofine, noting higher strengths and accelerated hydration. [5] PatilYogendraO.,P.N.Patil,andD.Arun Kumar(2013)– Partialreplacementof cementwith 20% GGBS optimized compressive strength. [6] Pawar M.S. and A.C. Savji (2013) – SCC with 10% Alcofine showed improved filling capacity, passing ability, and segregation resistance.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Prof. Bedrekar A. Y., Prof. Dhumal M. S., Mr. Pinjari P. V., Mr. Gaikwad Y. P., Mr. Inamdar M. L., Mr. Waghmare A. S.. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.