Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4, Oct.

, 189-196

Early strength development and hydration of

alkali-activated blast furnace slag/fly ash blends
C. Shi* and R. L. Dayt

CJS Consulting; University of Calgary

This study concerns the effect of two types of fly ash and the addition of lime on the strength development and
hydration of sodium hydroxide- and sodium silicate-activated slag/fly ash blends which consisted of 50% fly ash
and 50% slag by mass. Performance was compared to that of 100% slag cements. When NaOH was used as an
activator, the slag replacement with ASTM Type F fly ash did not show a significant effect on either the strength
development or hydration; Type C fly ash did not affect the strength development, but affected the hydration
process due to the presence of C3A in the fly ash. Both fly ashes had a significant effect on the hydration and
strength development when Na2Si03 was used as an activator. The addition of a small amount of hydrated lime
significantly increased the early-age strength but slightly decreased the later-age strength of the activated slag/fly
ash blends. Measurement of the heat evolution during hydration indicated that the addition of the hydrated lime
had a slight effect on the hydration during the pre-induction period, but accelerated the hydration thereafter.

Introduction of fly ash. Attempts have been make to replace blast

Granulated blast furnace slag is a latent hydraulic
cement.1 The traditional way to utilize blast furnace
slag is as a partial replacement for Portland cement.
Usually, the replacement of Portland cement with slag
decreases the early strength, but increases the later
strength and improves the durability of concrete.
The principle of alkaline activation of blast furnace
slag has been known since the 1940s.2 Recently, a large
number of researchers have been attracted to clinkerless
alkali-slag cements because these have advantages of
lower energy cost for manufacture, higher strength,
denser microstructure and better overall durability com-
3—8
pared with normal Portland cements. It has also been
found that alkali-slag cements are more suitable for
solidification/stabilization of radioactive or hazardous
wastes than Portland cement. 9-11
Rates of slag utilization are much higher than those
furnace slag with fly ash in alkali-slag cement to
increase the utilization of fly ashes. Different results
have been reported by different researchers. Smith and
Osborne12 and Bijen and Waltje 13 found that water-
glass-activated slag/fly ash blends showed very low
strength, but NaOH activation gave higher strengths. In
another study, it was found that waterglass was much
more effective than NaOH. 14 Lu 15 produced water-
glass-activated slag/fly ash concrete with a strength of
36 MPa at 7 days and 56 MPa at 28 days when cured in
a fog room in the temperature range of 10-20°C.
Lime has been added to alkali-slag cements for
different purposes. In one study, lime slurry was added
as a retarder, 6 but in another as an accelerator.17
The purpose of this study was to investigate the
effect of the nature of fly ash, the nature of activator
and the addition of hydrated lime on the early hydration
and strength development of alkali-activated slag/fly
ash blends.

* CJS Consulting, 2116 Upland Dr., Burlington, Ontario, Canada,

L7M 2Z2.
t Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Calgary, Experimentation
Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.
Raw materials
(ACR 323) Paper received 3 November 1998; accepted 11 March A Canadian pelletized blast furnace slag was used.
1999 The chemical composition and some physical proper-
189

0951-7197 © 1999 Thomas Telford Ltd

Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
 Shi and Day

ties are given in Table 1. X-ray diffraction analysis The chemical composition and some physical proper-
indicated that this slag consisted mainly of a glassy ties of these Portland cements are also given in Table 1.
phase, except for traces of crystalline merwinite
(3Ca0-Mg0-2Si0 2 ). Compressive strength testing
Two fly ashes were used. One (LFA) was a subbitu- The mortar specimens for compressive strength test-
minous ash from Alberta, Canada and the other (HFA) ing were prepared by following ASTM CI09. A water
was a subbituminous ash from Wyoming, USA. Ac- to slag ash ratio of 0-485 was used for all batches.
cording to ASTM C618, the LFA is a Type F ash and After 24 h, all specimens were demoulded and cured in
the HFA is a Type C ash. Chemical compositions and a fog room at 23°C until test ages. Water storage was
some physical properties of these fly ashes are given in avoided, since water curing will leach out alkali
Table 1. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that LFA activators in the specimens and reduce the activation
consisted of glass phase, quartz, mullite and hematite, effect. Three cubes were taken out for compressive
and HFA consisted of glass phase, quartz, mullite and strength test (ASTM C109) at ages of 1, 3, 7 and 28
r A 18
C3A. days. The strength reported was an average of three
Chemical reagents NaOH and Na 2 Si03-9H 2 0 were specimens.
used as activators. The activator dosage was 6% ( N a 2 0
by mass) based on the mass of slag or slag/fly ash Measurement of the heat of hydration
blends. The notation and mixing proportion of batches The heat evolution during hydration was monitored
are listed in Table 2. Three additional test series were using a Seebeck Isothermal Conduction Calorimeter.
performed where 4% (based on the mass of slag or The cementing materials were weighed and uniformly
slag/fly ash blends) commercial hydrated high-calcium distributed in the stainless steel sample container. The
lime was added to Na 2 Si03-activated slag/fly ash activator solutions were weighed in a syringe. The mass
blends. Blast furnace slag, fly ash and hydrated high- of the cementing materials used was 14 g and a water-
calcium lime were uniformly preblended based on to-slag ratio 0-45 was used. Measurements of heat of
design mixing proportions. Chemical reagents NaOH evolution were performed at a constant temperature of
and Na2Si0 3 -9H 2 0 were first dissolved into the mixing 25 ± 1°C. The sample container with the cementing
water and were then mixed with other materials. materials and the syringe with the activator solution
Commercial ASTM Type I (PC I) and Type III (PC were heated to testing temperatures prior to mixing.
III) Portland cements were used as reference cements. When thermal equilibrium was achieved, the cementing
materials and the activator solution were mixed by
injecting the solution into the cementing materials and
a computer was started to collect data. The details of
Table 1. Chemical composition and some physical properties the calibration of the calorimeter and data processing
of raw materials have been described previously. 18 ' 19
Slag LFA HFA PC I PC III
Etching of fly ash in NaOH solution
Si0 2 35-3 57-8 381 20-7 21-4
AI2O3 9.9 23-0 20-7 3-7 4-6 To understand the etching of fly ash particles in
Fe 2 0 3 0-6 3-5 5-2 3-0 3-0 high-alkaline solutions, fly ash was immersed in a
CaO 34-7 9.9 23-9 62-9 60-8 NaOH solution. The solution had the same concentra-
MgO 14-6 1-5 4-6 4-2 4-2 tion as the mortar mix water, at a water-to-fly ash ratio
so3 40 0-3 1-9 2-6 3-6
of 1. After 1 day of immersion, the fly ash was filtered
Na20 0-3 2-3 1-4 0-1 0-2
K2O 0-4 0-5 0-4 0-6 0-6 and dried to constant mass in a C0 2 -free atmosphere at
LOI 0 0-5 0-4 2-7 1-6 65°C and was examined using a Cambridge Stereoscan
Total 99-8 99-3 96-6 100-5 1000 150 Scanning Electron Microscopy. Photographs were
Density: kg/m 3 2920 2000 2600 3160 3160 taken of areas showing typical morphology for different
Blaine fineness: 600 280 363 425 552
samples at magnifications ranging from 20 to 100000
m 2 /kg
times.

Table 2. Mixing proportions of cementing materials

Test Series Notation Slag: % LFA: % HFA: % NaOH: % N a 2 0 Na 2 Si0 3 : % Na 2 0

1 NH-slag 100 6
2 NH-slag/LFA 50 50 6
3 NH-slag/HFA 50 50 6
4 NS-slag 100 6
5 NS-slag/LFA 50 50 6
6 NS-slag/HFA 50 50 6

190 Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4

Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.

Experimental results
Strength development of NaOH-activated slag/fly ash
mortar
Figure 1 shows the strength development of NaOH-
activated slag/fly ash mortars. For the purpose of com-
parison, the strength development of PC III, PC I, NH-
slag and NS-slag mortars is also presented. NS-slag
mortars gave a higher strength than Type III Portland
cement mortars from 1 to 28 days; this improvement
was very pronounced after 1 day. NH-slag mortars gave
strengths much lower than Type I Portland cement
mortars. No noticeable difference in strength develop-
ment could be observed among the three series made
with sodium hydroxide activator.
Strength development of Na2SiO}-activated
ash mortars
Figure 2 shows the strength development of
Na2Si03-activated slag/fly ash mortars. NS-slag/LFA
mortars exhibited strengths lower than NS-slag mortars.
The much lower strengths at 1 day are particularly
significant when compared with the PC III and the NS-
slag results. The relative strength reduction diminishes
with time. The strengths of NS-slag/LFA mortars was
33% at 1 day and 90% at 28 days of the NS-slag
mortars. NS-slag/LFA had a strength lower than PC I at
1 day, but higher than PC III at 3 days and thereafter.
The strength of NS-slag/HFA mortars was even lower
than that of NS-slag/LFA mortars, and was 25% at 1
day and 60% at 28 days of the strength of NS-slag
mortars.
Effect of the lime addition on the strength development
Experimental results in Figs 1 and 2 indicated that
the replacement of slag with fly ash in Na2Si03-
activated cementing materials significantly decreased
the early strength. To improve the early strength
« 50 -
Fig. 1. Strength development of NaOH-activated slag/LFA mortars
Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4
Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Alkali-activated blast furnace slag/fly ash blends
development, 4% hydrated high-calcium lime was
added to the Na2Si03-activated slag or slag/fly ash
blends.
Figure 3 shows the effect of the addition of hydrated
high-calcium lime on the strength development of
Na2Si03-activated slag or slag/fly ash mortars relative
to those mortars without lime. The addition of lime to
the NS-slag mortars did not show any effect on the
strengths at 1 day, but decreased the strength by
approximately 28% from 1 to 7 days, and no further
strength decrease was observed thereafter.
The addition of lime almost doubled the strength of
NS-slag/LFA mortars at 1 day, but the effect decreased
drastically thereafter. The relative strength was only
95% at 3 days and 88% at 28 days compared with the
mortars without lime. The addition of lime to NS-slag/
slag/fly HFA mortars resulted in a relative strength of 140% at
1 day, but the relative strength decreased almost
linearly to 98% at 7 days and then to 92% at 28 days.
Thus, the addition of lime was very effective in increas-
ing the early strength of Na2Si03-activated slag/fly ash
blends. The strength of NS-slag/LFA with lime was
actually higher than that of PC I from early to later
ages.
Heat evolution of hydration
The early hydration of alkali-slag cements activated
by different activators was systematically investigated
in previous work. 18 ' 19 To understand the effect of fly
ash and the lime addition on the hydration of alkali-
activated slag/fly ash blends, the early heat evolution
rates were monitored by using an isothermal conduction
calorimeter.
Heat evolution rates of NaOH-activated slag/fly ash
blends are shown in Fig. 4. The definitions of the
hydration peaks and the hydration periods used here are
the same as in previous work.1 ' 19 The initial heat
evolution peak of NH-slag/LFA was four times greater
- + - P C III
-•-PCI
-B-NH-slag
••—NS-slag
H-slag/LFA
-NH-slag/HFA
191
 Shi and Day

PC III
PCI
NH-slag
NS-slag
NS-slag/LFA
NS-slag/HFA

Fig. 2. Strength development of NaSiOs-activated slag/HFA mortars

200
NS-slag
180 NS-slag/LFA

NS-slag/HFA
|> 160
£>
to
| 140
'co I
CO I
£
| 120 .1.

oo
§
£® 100 "T-
-
®
T
IE 1~
80
-a
60
10 15 20 25 30
Age: days

Fig. 3. Effect of the addition of 4% lime on the strength development of Na2SiO}-activated slag/fly ash mortars compared to
those without lime

0-8 10 5
Hydration time: h

Fig. 4. Heat evolution rates of NaOH-activated slag/fly ash blends at 25°C

192 Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4

Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.

than that of NH-slag; this may be explained by the
rapid dissolution of fly ash in such a high-alkaline
environment. Partial replacement with LFA did not
affect the initiation time of the accelerated hydration
peak, but reduced the height of this accelerated hydra-
tion peak by approximately 50%.
With HFA, the initial peak increased from 5 to
85 kJ/kg.h, but there was also a retarded, lower and
more diffuse accelerated hydration peak. The process
of hydration of the activated slag was significantly
modified due to the presence of HFA.
Figure 5 shows the heat evolution rates of Na2SiC>3-
activated slag/fly ash blends. For the NS-slag there was
a smalll precursory peak and an initial peak during the
pre-induction period; this was followed by a large and
broad accelerated hydration peak after the induction
period. Partial replacement with LFA significantly en-
hanced the precursory peak, reduced the initial peak,
prolonged the induction period, and weakened the
accelerated hydration peak. With NS-slag, the acceler-
ated hydration peak ended at approximately 20 h, while
with NS-slag/LFA this continued beyond the end of the
test (24 h).
NS-slag/HFA exhibited only one strong initial peak
during the pre-induction period due to the hydration of
C3A in the HFA. With HFA, no significant heat-
evolution event occurred during the period from 1 to
24 h.
The addition of 4% hydrated high-calcium lime to
NS-slag/LFA strengthened the precursory peak, and
slightly weakened the initial peak. It shortened the
induction period and increased the accelerated hydra-
tion peak. The addition of lime to NS-slag/HFA did not
result in a significant effect on the initial hydration
peak, but shortened the induction period and appears to
enhance hydration in the period after 10 h.
Discussion
Selectivity of activators
The nature of slag and activators and the dosage of
activators play a crucial role in determining the strength
1001—
90 —-
00 0-2 0-4 0-6
Fig. 5. Heat evolution rates of NaSiOs-activated slag/fly ash blends at 25°C
Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4
Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Alkali-activated blast furnace slag/fly ash blends
of alkali-slag cement. Malolepszy found that
Na2CC>3 is especially suitable for slags rich in C 2 MS,
and NaOH is a good activator for slags rich in C2AS.
In a previous publication, the selection of alkaline
activators for the activation of slags was discussed from
the perspective of hydration products and microstruc-
ture development.24 The results described above indi-
cate that Na2Si03 is the most effective activator for the
Canadian slag.
NaOH activated slag/fly ash blends
The strength measurements indicated that the LFA
replacement only slightly decreased the strength at 1
and 3 days. This meant that LFA did contribute to the
strength development, although it was not regarded as
having cementitious properties. Fig. 6 is the SEM
observation of LFA particles before and after the
immersion in a NaOH solution. The fly ash particles
are completely reacted or severely etched after 24 h of
immersion. Clearly, the dissolved fly ash and etched
surface could interact with components dissolved from
the slag and form hydration products that may con-
tribute to the strength of mortars.
A strong initial heat evolution peak from the hydra-
tion of NaOH-slag/LFA indicates that parts of the fly
ash dissolve very quickly when the fly ash comes into
contact with strong NaOH solution. However, the meas-
urement of heat evolution also indicates that the inter-
action between the fly ash and the slag does not
significantly affect heat evolution from the hydration of
the slag.
The presence of HFA did not show a noticeable
effect on the strength. The hydration of C3A in HFA
resulted in a very strong initial peak. C 3 A hydrates very
quickly and releases a large amount of heat when it
comes into contact with water. A layer of precipitated
hydration products has been observed after 10 min of
hydration of C 3 A in water.25
25 26
Spierings and Stein ' have investigated the effect
of alkalis on the hydration of C3A, and indicate that a
high concentration of Na20 ( > 0-4 M) increases the
early heat evolution of C 3 A. 24 Fig. 7 is a SEM
JiNis-slag_ L i
' ] ~ 2 - NjS-slag/LjFA J
- 1 - 6 ' NS-slagrtjFA -+^%Hrrrm -
-J _ NjS-slagft|FA_
1 5 - NS-slag/HFA + 4% lime
0-8 1-0 5 10 15 20 25
Hydration time: h
193
 Shi and Day

Fig. 6. SEM observation of LFA before and after the immersionin NaOH solution: (a) before immersion; (b) after immersion

Fig. 7. SEM observation of HFA before and after the immersionin NaOH solution: (a) before immersion; (b) after immersion

micrograph of HFA before and after the immersion in
the NaOH solution. It can be seen that all fly ash
particles are dissolved after 1 day of immersion.
The precipitated products from the hydration of C3A
in the HFA retard the accelerated hydration of the slag
for a few hours. The diffuse accelerated hydration peak
indicates that the interaction between the HFA and the
slag affects the accelerated hydration of the slag.
Because the accelerated hydration of NH-slag/HFA
ended before 24 h and the precipitated products from
the hydration of C3A in the HFA contributed to the
strength, this might explain why the HFA replacement
did not show a noticeable effect on the strength even at
1 day compared with those 100% slag mortars.
Na2SiO}-activated slag/fly ash blends
Two heat evolution peaks—precursory and initial—
during the pre-induction period have been observed
from the hydration of Na2Si0 3 -activated slags. The
heat evolution features of alkali-activated slag were
discussed in detail in previous publications. 18 ' 9 The
precursory peak corresponds to the wetting and dissolu-
tion of slag grains and adsorption of some ions onto
the surface of slag grains. The initial peak is due to the
194
formation of 'primary C - S - H ' , which results from the
reaction between [ S i O J 4 - from Na 2 Si03 and Ca 2+
18—21
dissolved from the surface of slag grains.
Partial replacement with LFA enhanced the precur-
sory peak due to the dissolution of fly ash as stated
above, but restrained the initial peak, or restrained the
formation of 'primary C - S - H ' . Consequently, it sig-
nificantly retarded and reduced the accelerated hydra-
tion of the slag. NS-slag ended the accelerated
hydration at about 20 h, while NS-slag/LFA had not
completed the accelerated hydration even by the end of
the test period. This might explain why the LFA
replacement reduced the early strength so significantly.
The rapid hydration of C 3 A in the HFA resulted in a
very strong initial peak and eliminated the formation of
'primary C - S - H ' . It retarded and reduced the acceler-
ated hydration of the slag more than did LFA. Thus,
NS-slag/HFA exhibited lower strengths than NS-slag/
LFA.
Effect of the lime addition
It can be seen from Fig. 5 that the lime addition had
little effect on the heat evolution in the pre-induction
period, but significantly accelerated and increased the
Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4

Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.

accelerated hydration of Na2Si03-activated slag/fly ash
blends. This was very consistent with strength results.
It is still unclear why strength reduction was observed
after 1 or 3 days, and this needs further investigation.
Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn based on
the results from this study:
(a) Alkali-activated slag can have higher early and later
strength than high early strength Portland cement
(ASTM Type III) if the correct alkaline activator is
selected.
(b) If NaOH is used as an activator, the replacement of
the slag with LFA slightly reduces the early strength.
The measurement of the heat of hydration indicated
that fly ash particles were completely reacted or
severely etched within a short period of time in such
a high-alkaline environment and interacted with slag
to form hydration products, but they do not affect the
accelerated hydration of the slag. The hydration of
C3A in the HFA results in a strong initial heat
evolution peak and retards the accelerated hydration
of the slag for a few hours. Because the accelerated
hydration of NH-slag/HFA ended before 24 h and the
precipitated products from the hydration of C3A in
the HFA could contribute to the strength, the HFA
replacement did not show a noticeable effect on the
strength even at 1 day compared with those 100%
slag mortars.
(c) The dissolution of LFA restrains the formation of
primary ' C - S - H ' and retards the accelerated
hydration of NS-slag/LFA. This significantly re-
duces the early strength in comparison with NS-slag.
The hydration of C3A in the HFA eliminates the
formation of primary ' C - S - H ' . The HFA replace-
ment retards and reduces the accelerated hydration
of the slag, and reduces strengths more than LFA
replacement.
(d) Lime addition has little effect on the hydration of
slag/fly ash blends during the pre-induction period,
but significantly accelerates and increases the
accelerated hydration of Na2Si03-activated slag/fly
ash blends. This results in the significant strength
increase at early ages.
References
1. LEA F. M. The Chemistry of Cement and Concrete, 3rd edn.
Edward Arnold, New York, 1974.
2. PUDON A. O. The action of alkalis on blast-furnace slag.
Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry, 1940, 59,
191-202.
3. SHI C„ DAY R. L„ WU X. and TANG M. Comparison of the
microstructure and performance of alkali-slag and Portland
cement pastes. Proceedings of the 9th International Congress
on the Chemistry of Cement, New Delhi, 1992, 3, 298-304.
Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4
Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.
Alkali-activated blast furnace slag/fly ash blends
4. GLUHOVSKY V D., ROSTOVKAJA G . S . a n d RUMYNA G . V
High strength slag-alkali cement. Proceedings of the 7th
International Congress on the Chemistry of Cements, Paris,
1980, III, V-164-168.
5. MESTO J. and KAJAUS E. Activation of blast furnace slag by
some inorganic materials. Proceedings of the 1st International
Conference of the Use of Fly Ash, Silica Fume, Slag & Natural
Pozzolans in Concrete, 1983, SP-79, 1059-1073.
6. HAKKINEN T. Durability of alkali-activated slag concrete.
Nordic Concrete Research. 1987, No. 6, 81-94.
7. MALOLEPSZY J. and PETRI M. High strength slag-alkaline
binders. Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on the
Chemistry of Cements, Brazil, 1986, 4, 108-111.
8. DOUGLAS E. and BRANDSTETR J. A preliminary study on the
alkali activation of granulated blast furnace slag. Cement and
Concrete Research, 1990, 20, No. 5, 746-756.
9. SHI C . , SHEN X . , W u X . a n d TANG M . I m m o b i l i z a t i o n of
radioactive wastes with Portland and alkali-slag cement pastes.
II Cemento, 1994, 91, No. 2, 97-108.
10. SHI C. and DAY R. L. Alkali-slag cements for the solidifica-
tion of radioactive wastes. In Stabilization and Solidification of
Hazardous, Radioactive, and Mixed Wastes. ASTM STP 1240,
(T. Michael Gilliam and Carlton C. Wiles, eds). American
Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1996, pp.
163-173.
11. STEGEMANN J. A., CALDWELL R. and SHI C. Field validation
of test methods for waste evaluation—a status report. In
Stabilization and Solidification of Hazardous, Radioactive,
and Mixed Wastes. ASTM STP 1240 (eds T. Michael Gilliam
and Carlton C. Wiles). American Society for Testing and
Materials, Philadelphia, 1996, pp. 467-476.
12. SMITH M. A. and OSBORNE G. J. BFS/Fly ash cements. World
Cement Technology, 1977, 8, 223-233.
13. BIJEN J. and WXLTJE H. Alkali activated slag-fly ash cements.
Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on the Use of
Fly Ash, Silica Fume, Slag & Natural Pozzolans in Concrete,
1989, SP-114, 1565-1578.
14. DAI L. and CHENG J. An investigation on BFS-fly ash-alkali
systems. Bulletin of Chinese Silicate Society, 1988, 16, 25-32
(in Chinese).
15. Lu C. The preliminary research of the fly ash-slag-alkali
concrete. Proceedings of the 2nd Beijing International Sympo-
sium on Cements and Concrete, Beijing, 1989, 2, 232-239.
16. DOUGLAS E . , BILODEAU A . a n d MALHOTRA V M . P r o p e r t i e s
and durability of alkali-activated slag concrete. ACI Materials,
1992, 89, N o . 5, 5 0 9 - 5 1 6 .
17. C H E N Q . - H . , TAGNIT-HAMOU A . a n d SARKAR S . L . Strength
and microstructural properties of water glass activated slag.
Symposium Proceedings of Materials Research Society (F. P.
GLASSER, G . J. MCCARTHY, J. F. YOUNG, T. O . MASON and
P. L. PRATT) Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania, 1991, pp. 49-54.
18. SHI C. and DAY R. L. Early hydration characteristics of alkali-
slag cements. Cement and Concrete Research, 1995, 25, No. 6,
1333-1346.
19. SHI C. and DAY R. L. Some factors affecting hydration
characteristics of alkali-slag cements. Cement and Concrete
Research, 1996, 26, No. 3, 439-448.
20. SHI C. and Li Y. Effect of the modulus of water glass on the
activation of phosphorus slag. II Cemento, 1989, 86, No. 3,
161-168.
21. SHI C. and Li Y. Investigation of some factors affecting the
characteristics of alkali-phosphorus slag cement. Cement and
Concrete Research, 1989, 19, No. 4, 527-533.
22. SHI C., LI Y. and TANG X. A preliminary study on the
activation mechanism of slags. Journal of Southeast University
(Nanjing, P. R. China), 1989, 19, No. 1, 141-145 (in Chinese).
23. MALOLEPSZY J. Activation of synthetic melitite slags by
195
 Shi and Day

alkalis. Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on the
Chemistry of Cement, Brazil, 1986, 4, 104-107.
24. SHI C. and DAY R. L. Selectivity of alkaline activators for the
activation of slags, cement, concrete and aggregate, 1996, 18,
No. 1, 8 - 1 4 .
25. SPIERINGS G . A . C . M . a n d STEIN H . N . T h e i n f l u e n c e of
NajO on the hydration of C3A—I: Paste hydration. Cement
and Concrete Research, 1976, 6, No. 2, 265-272.
26. JAWED I. and SKALNY J. Alkalis in cement: A review II.
Effects of alkalis on hydration and performance of Portland
cement. Cement and Concrete Research, 1978, 8, No. 1,
37-52.
Discussion contributions on this paper should reach the editor by
30 April 2000

196 Advances in Cement Research, 1999, 11, No. 4

Downloaded by [ Swinburne University] on [20/05/19]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved.