Tensile behavior of polyvinyl alcohol engineered geopolymer composites incorporating steel slag aggregate

Abstract Improper disposal of steel slag (SS) poses notable environmental issues. Repurposing SS as an aggregate in engineered geopolymer composites (EGC) provides a sustainable solution, mitigating environmental contamination and conserving natural aggregate resources. This study investigates the substitution of river sand with SS, using particles with a maximum size of 4750 μm, and evaluates the performance of EGC containing different proportions of SS and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers. The experimental results show that increasing the PVA fiber volumetric ratio can improve ultimate tensile strength and ultimate tensile strain. The use of SS improved the bond stress between the PVA fiber and geopolymer matrix and densified the interface transition zone between SS and the geopolymer matrix. This enhancement led to an increase in tensile properties. EGC containing a 50% SS substitution ratio and a 2.25% PVA fiber volumetric ratio exhibited optimal overall performance, with an ultimate tensile strength of 3.93 MPa, an ultimate tensile strain of 4.65%, and a strain energy density of 159.23 kJ/m 3 . This study demonstrates the potential of SS‐EGC for engineering applications, offering new approaches to using SS aggregates sustainably.