Paper Title
Comparitve Study on Concrete Using Advanced Class Slag Aggregate and Conventional Aggregates

Abstract
The available literature on concrete construction elaborates that the main component of the concrete mixtures can be partially replaced with the by-products of iron industries, i.e. blast furnace slag. The conventional type blast furnace slag (aggregate) absorbs a great amount of water due to its high porosity, when employed in concrete, the aggregate starts to swells during freezing and thawing cycles and ultimately leads to concrete cracking. However, an advanced class air-cooled slag aggregate has been lately developed, called as PACSS��s aggregate. This advance material holds almost equivalent rate of water absorption as that of natural aggregates. This paper studies and compare some fundamental properties of concrete using PACSS��s aggregates and those using conventional aggregates (limestone and sandstone aggregates). The obtained results indicate that concrete produced with PACSS��s aggregate carries greater mechanical properties and almost identical fresh properties as those of limestone and sandstone aggregates. Similarly, the freeze-thaw durability and fireproofing resistance of PACSS�-utilized concrete were observed to be fairly larger than that of conventional concrete. The strain amount due to drying shrinkage of PACSS�-utilized concrete was also comparable to that of limestone-utilized concrete. Keywords- drying shrinkage, fresh properties, freeze-thaw durability, fire resistance, mechanical properties.