Properties and sustainability of concrete containing fillers

Investigating efficient new methods and techniques to improve concrete sustainability is one of the main concerns of researchers in the field of concrete technology. The utilisation of a cheap filler as partial replacement of the Portland cement which is a high energy-consuming material. The use of fillers is more beneficial in the case of high strength concrete where both water and space are limited to achieve full hydration of cement. In this work the behaviour, properties, durability and sustainability benefits of concrete produced using different ratios of fillers (0, 10, 20, 30%) as partial replacement of Portland cement are investigated. Two types of fillers are utilised, crushed limestone and crushed dolomite. In general, it was found that the introduction of up to 30% of limestone or dolomite as cement replacement will greatly improve sustainability with tolerable effects on concrete properties or durability. The use of 10% fillers improves sustainability, shrinkage resistance, chloride penetration, alkali silica resistance while slightly reduce compressive strength and increase absorption. Results were found to depend on the type of filler. Tensile strength, for example, was found to increase due to the use of 10% limestone, and decrease when using 10% dolomite. It is expected, however, that the penetration will be reduced and mechanical properties will improve with the increase in filler fineness.