Experimental analysis of spontaneous dimensional variations in sand-slag mixes during hydration

Sand-slag based material (SSBM) is a composite material developed for road basements. This material is essentially composed with sand, glassy blast-fu rnace slag and activation agents. Sand-slag based material mixes develop in itial dimensional variation a part of which being spontaneous and due to hy dration processes. This paper presents the influence of the nature of components, grains size distribution of the sand particles and composition parameters on the dimens ional variations of sand-slag based material. When sand-slag based material are cured without exchanges with the external environment, swelling is gene-rally observed. This behaviour is caused by chemical reactions occuring in the fresh material and by the compaction ene rgy release. The chemical swelling is predominant and it depends on the exp ansive properties and the quantity of the formed hydrates. Swelling is also a function of the characteristics of the granular skeleton.