Impact resistance and durability of natural fibre reinforced concrete pavement and partial replacement with steel slag aggregate

Steel slag is a product of industrial waste and such has been used as alternative aggregate materials in concrete production. Coconut fibre is readily available in tropical countries such as Nigeria. This paper focussed on using steel slag waste to replace granite at 10, 20, and 30% with the addition of coconut fibres of 40 mm average length added to the concrete at 0.3 and 0.6% of cement weight. Concrete samples of 40 MPa targeted strength were prepared with mix ratio of 1:1.3:2.2 and a water–cement ratio of 0.4, which were cured for 14, 28, 56, and 90 days and tested for impact strength, energy absorption from cracking, mechanical strengths, and durability. The impact resistance of the modified specimens was greater than the control specimens because the number of blows and potential energy needed to crack the slabs to cause ultimate destruction was higher in the modified concrete samples. The optimum compressive, split tensile strengths and sulphate attack were observed at 20% partial replacement of steel slag with granite at 0.3% coconut fibre binder weight which performed better than the control, indicating the durability of concrete infused with steel slag aggregate and natural fibres.