History of the Use of GGBS
GGBS is not a new product. It has already proven itself reliably in its use all over the world since the
mid 1800s.
Thirty-eight years after the patent for Portland cement was first lodged by John Aspdin in 1824, Emil
Langin discovered GGBS cement. By 1865, commercial production of lime activated GGBS had
commenced in Germany and by 1880 GGBS was being used with Portland cement as the activator. In
1889 it was used for construction of the Paris Metro. The United States commenced production of slag
cements in 1896.
Since then Europe, with its many blast furnaces and steel industries has used GGBS extensively in all
manner of structures. By 1914, GGBS was being manufactured in Scotland. BS 146 was published in
1923 followed by BS 6699 in 1986 for GGBS.
In Britain, over 2 million tonnes of GGBS is used every year. GGBS is also widely used by the cement
and concrete industries in continental Europe, with some 17.7 million tonnes now being used annually.
GGBS is specified for its many technical advantages and as a means of reducing the environmental
impact of the production of Portland cement.
Overview
Strength Development and Striking Times
Durability
Heat of Hydration
Working with GGBS Concrete
Wind Farms
Waste Water
Thermal Mass Benefits
Concrete Mix Design
Standards
Material Safety Data Sheet
Test Certificates
About GGBS
History
Advantages of Using GGBS
Manufacture
Chemical and Physical Properties
Cementitous Reaction
How GGBS is Used
Storage and Handling
Health and Safety
Cementitous Reaction
GGBS reacts like Portland cement when in contact with water. But as the rate of reaction is slower, an
activator is necessary. The calcium hydroxide released when Portland cement reacts with water serves
to activate GGBS, hence GGBS is normally combined with Portland cement.
When GGBS is used in concrete, the resulting hardened cement paste has more, smaller gel pores and
fewer larger capillary pores than is the case with concrete made with normal Portland cement. This
finer pore structure gives GGBS concrete a much lower permeability, and makes an important
contribution to the greater durability of this concrete.
The resulting hardened cement paste using GGBS is also more chemically stable. It contains much less
free lime, which in concrete made with Portland cement leads to the formation of further reaction
products such as ettringite or efflorescence. In addition, GGBS contains no C 3A, making GGBS
concrete much less reactive to sulphates.
Concrete mix containing GGBS cement
Overview
Strength Development and Striking Times
Durability
Heat of Hydration
Working with GGBS Concrete
Wind Farms
Waste Water
Thermal Mass Benefits
Concrete Mix Design
Standards
Material Safety Data Sheet
Test Certificates
About GGBS
History
Advantages of Using GGBS
Manufacture
Chemical and Physical Properties
Cementitous Reaction
How GGBS is Used
Storage and Handling
Health and Safety
How GGBS is Used in Concrete
GGBS is added to concrete by addition at the concrete mixer, along with ordinary cement, aggregates
and water. The normal ratios and proportions of aggregates and water to cementitous material in the
mix remain unchanged. Mixing times are the same as for ordinary cement. Both wet mixing and dry
mixing processes can be used for making concrete with GGBS.
GGBS is used as a direct replacement for ordinary cement, and replaces ordinary cement on a one-to-
one basis by weight.
Replacement rates for GGBS vary from 30% to up to 85%. Typically 50% is used in most instances.
Higher replacement rates up to 85% are used in specialist applications such as in aggressive
environments and to reduce heat of hydration. GGBS can be used at replacement levels of 70% in
lean mix concrete.
Storage and Handling of GGBS
Bulk GGBS is stored and handled in conditions identical to that of Portland cement. Bulk storage is in
watertight silos. Transportation is by bulk tankers, as for Portland cement. GGBS can also be moved
by airslides, cement screws and bucket elevators.
Dust control is the same as that required for Portland cement. GGBS dust does not present any fire or
explosion hazard.
Bulk tankHealth and Safety
GGBS is a fine dust of nuisance value classification. It is stable, non-flammable and results in no
hazardous decomposition products. It results in no harmful effects in normal use, but as a fine
abrasive powder, may irritate skin eyes, mouth, nose and mucous membranes. Unlike ordinary
cements, GGBS does not contain any soluble chromium, and as such does not need to be chemically
treated, as required under the Chromium (VI) Directive 2003/53/EC, which became effective in
January 2005.
For further details see the Ecocem GGBS Material Safety Data Sheet.
ers loadinConcrete Mix Design Using GGBS Cement
The many engineering benefits of GGBS concrete begin to take effect when the replacement level of
GGBS is 30% or greater. Replacement levels of GGBS in concrete vary from 30% up to 85%, but
GGBS is most often specified at 50% in Ireland. In the Netherlands, GGBS is often used at
replacement levels of up to 70%, which is also increasingly happening in Ireland–primarily for
technical reasons but also for environmental and architectural reasons.
In normal concrete (e.g. commercial, light industrial, residential developments), GGBS is generally
used at replacement levels of 50%. At this level of replacement GGBS concrete is treated in exactly
the same way as Portland cement concrete in the construction process, with no need for adjustment of
striking times or the curing regime of the concrete. Similarly, placing, compacting and powerfloating
are carried out in the same way as for Portland cement concrete. In general, concrete admixtures will
work normally with GGBS concrete—if in any doubt, contact your admixture supplier, who is best
placed to advise you on the latest products in the market, or contact Ecocem.
Specialist civil engineering applications such as low heat of hydration (large section pours), resistance
to chemical attack (exposure to de-icing salts, sea-waters, sulphates), use in water-retaining
structures (low permeability, crack control) and architectural requirements (lighter colour, prevention
of efflorescence) require higher replacement levels, varying from 60 up to 85%. These specific
applications are described in detail in the relevant sections of this website.
Recommended replacement levels for GGBS in concrete across all exposure classes (as defined in
EN206–1), are given in the section on Recommended GGBS Replacement Levels. These replacement
levels are based on current practice in the UK and Europe. This table is based on Table F.1 in IS
EN206–1; ‘Recommended limiting values for composition and properties of concrete’. This table has
been adjusted to include recommended GGBS replacement levels for each exposure class.
g at Ecocem
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