REPLACEMENT OF NATURAL AGGREGATES USED IN ROAD STRUCTURES WITH STEEL SLAG

Abstract

This work facilitates the application of modern technologies for road construction, by using steel slag instead of natural stone aggregates. This procedure will result in a significant decrease in the cost of works (slag, being an industrial waste, is much cheaper than natural aggregate). In the same time, the use of slag aggregates can result in protection of the environment, by eliminating slag storage spaces and by preserving the natural environment (extraction of natural aggregates may disturb groundwater and intensify erosion etc). Marshall stability, flow index and bulk density were determined for both kinds of aggregates, in order to find if the steel slag can safely replace the natural aggregates. By comparing the experimental results obtained for the two kinds of aggregates, it was confirmed the possibility of successfully using of steel slag as a substitute for natural aggregates in the base layer of a road structure.