Microtexture Performance of EAF Slags Used as Aggregate in Asphalt Mixes: A Comparative Study with Surface Properties of Natural Stones

Abstract

Steelmaking industries produce a large amount of solid wastes that need to be adequately managed in order to ensure environmental sustainability and reduce the impact of their disposal on earth pollution. Electric arc furnace (EAF) slags are those wastes deriving from secondary steelmaking production; these slags can be re-used and recycled in many industrial applications such as the production of asphalt mixes. In this paper authors investigate the surface performance of EAF slags used as second-hand aggregate in asphalt mixes. In particular, slags behavior under polishing is compared to other types of aggregate commonly used for asphalt concrete such as limestone, basalt, and kinginzite. Several devices (skid tester, laser profilometer, polishing machine) were used to collect experimental data; the analysis of microtexture was carried out by comparing aggregate surface performance before and after polishing. Results show that EAF slags are positively comparable to basalt as concerns the polishing behavior; good correlations between skid resistance and some microtexture indicators are also carried out.

Determination of the Chemical, Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Electric Arc Furnace Slags and Environmental Evaluation of the Process for Their Utilization as an Aggregate in Bituminous Mixtures

“…As mentioned, the use of waste is not only influenced by the processes that are eliminated and therefore do not produce environmental pollution, as can be the case with extraction of materials, but also by the quality of the by-product, since if the waste used does not provide the final material with the appropriate characteristics of durability, it will lead to a shorter working life of the product and, consequently, to the need for earlier renewal and greater pollution. Consequently, it is vital to study the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the waste to confirm that it has similar properties to conventional materials [ 10 ] and, therefore, final materials with similar working lives will be obtained. If this were not the case, the reduction of environmental pollution, mainly caused by the activities of extraction of raw materials, would be limited by the continuous renovation of the material.…”

Effect of the Compactness on the Texture and Friction of Asphalt Concrete Intended for Wearing Course of the Road Pavement

“…Friction refers to the force developed in the tire-pavement interface, and it can be affected by several factors, such as the properties of the tire, the vehicle speed, the type of the aggregate, and the surface texture of the road pavement [1][2][3]. Generally, new asphalt pavement can provide enough friction, and the asphalt pavement will be polished due to traffic in its service life.…”

“…However, the micro-texture cannot be easily quantified due to lack of high-precision testing equipment. Accordingly, many studies used the BPN to characterize the micro-texture [3,9].…”

Environmental Impacts of Mixed Aggregates for use in Unbound Layers in Road Construction

“…Hence, the greatest potential for recycling and use of steel slag is in the construction sector [6][7][8][9]. EAF slag aggregate is used in different types of concrete [9][10][11][12][13], in sub-base layer constructions [14,15], and especially in asphalt mixes [6,7,[16][17][18]. Other EAF slag applications include water and wastewater treatment [9], as well as usage in synthesis of alkali-activated materials [19].…”