DESIGN AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ALKALI SLAG FOAM CONCRETE FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING

Focusing on environmental protection materials for sustainable buildings, this study discusses the design and performance characteristics of alkali slag foam concrete. The Taguchi method is used as the design method to determine the influence of different water-binder ratios, alkali-equivalent and mass-coefficients on the basic performance of foam concrete. This paper also systematically analyses the effects of three main factors: the silica fume content, alkali-equivalent, and foam stabiliser content on the mechanical properties of concrete. The experiment found that in the range of a water-binder ratio of 0.50 to 0.56, the concrete exhibited the highest 28-day compressive strength and signal-to-noise ratio of the specific strength. When the alkali-equivalent was below 6%, the improvement effect on the mechanical properties was significant, but when it exceeded 6%, the mechanical properties decreased. The optimal dosage of foam stabiliser was 0.1%, and, at this ratio, the compressive strength of the concrete was increased by 7.66% compared to the non-added group. A foam stabiliser dosage exceeding 0.1% would significantly reduce the compressive strength of concrete. In addition, the quality coefficient was inversely proportional to the mechanical properties within the range of 1.30 to 1.45. These findings provide a scientific basis for the optimal design of alkali slag foam concrete and promote the development of sustainable building materials.