Title: Production of Granulated Blast Furnace Slag at Sparrows Point, and the Workability and Strength Potential of Concrete Incorporating the Slag

Author(s): J.W. Meusel and J.H. Rose

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 79

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 867-890

Keywords: blast furnace slag; compressive strength; concretes; granulating;manufacturing; portland cements; water-cement ratio; workability.

DOI: 10.14359/6730

Date: 5/1/1983

Abstract:
A new plant for producing ground water granulated blast furnace slag has been constructed at Sparrows Point, Maryland. - The facility was specially designed to water granulate 800,000 tons per year of blast furnace slag produced by one of the largest and most modern blast furnaces in the world. Molten slag is alternately supplied to one of four granulators. Granulated slag is collected in an agitating tank where vapors are condensed and from which slag slurry is pumped to a dewatering filter bed. Granulation water is cleaned, cooled, and recycled for the next furnace tap and slag granulation. The entire granulation system is environmentally clean with no discharge of water or gases. After the slag is dewatered, it is removed from the filter beds and transported to stockpile at the grindingandprocessing plant. Slag recovered from stockpiles is dried in a fluid bed dryer and fed to two 16.5m x 4.6m 6000 HP grinding mills for finish grinding. Ground slag is stored in two 20,000-ton concrete silos from which the ground slag is loaded into barges and ships for shipment to bulk distribution terminals along the East Coast of the United States. Data are presented on the use of separately ground granulated blast furnace slag and its physical proper-ties in portland cement concrete. It is shown that where granulated slags are used in proportions of 30 to 50 percent of the total cementitious material, improved qualities may be found in both plastic and hardened properties of concrete. The data confirm that granulated slag used as a separate cementitious material does exhibit marketing potential in today's construction industry.