ABSTRACT

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 12 Sustainable Development Goals, amongst their other priorities, urge countries to achieve sustainable management, the efficient use of natural resources, and significantly less waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. In the Basque Country, Electric Arc Furnace Slag (EAFS) is the main type of steelmaking waste. The transformation of EAFS into a raw material for use in cement will also reduce the consumption of natural resources. The behavior of EAFS reinforced concrete was therefore analyzed for use in real construction works. 600 L of concrete were mixed to produce four-meter-long beams. The beams then underwent three-point and four-point bending tests, to evaluate their bending, shear, and long-term deflection behaviors. Comparison of the experimental results with the predictions based on the formulae of current codes/standards led us to conclude that reinforced EAFS concrete can be designed using the current codes/standards within acceptable safety margins.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the following funding entities MICIU/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033, “ERDF A way of making Europe”, NextGeneration EU/PRTR [PID2020-113837RB-I00; PID2021-124203OB-I00 and TED2021-129715B-I00]; the Junta de Castilla y León (Regional Government) and ERDF [UIC-231, BU11917]; the Basque Government [IT1619-22 SAREN research group]; and Burgos University

[Y135.GI].