This study explores and compares the performance of two concretes: Normal Concrete (NC) and Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC). It focuses on using copper slag (CS) as a partial replacement for sand and adding steel fiber to improve strength. A total of 16 concrete mixes were created: eight SCC mixes (M1 to M8) and eight NC mixes (M10 to M40) with copper slag replacing sand in amounts from 0% to 100% and different types of steel fiber added. The results showed that self-compacting concrete with copper slag had excellent flow characteristics, achieving a slump flow of 690 mm without any segregation. At this level, the compressive strength increased by 9%, from 60.8 MPa to 65.73 MPa. However, using 100% copper slag reduced the strength to 49.72 MPa, a 20% decrease. At the 30% replacement level, the flexural strength improved by 4.5%, and the split tensile strength improved by 3%. In the normal concrete mixes, adding 0.5% of crimped steel fiber (aspect ratio 53.85) gave the best result, increasing the compressive strength by up to 18.16% compared to concrete without fiber. This fiber also helped control cracks, improving both tensile and flexural strength. Overall, the best performance in both SCC & NC was observed when 30% of sand was replaced with copper slag. Self- compacting concrete had better workability and could compact itself without vibration, while NC with steel fibers showed better resistance to cracking. These findings support the use of industrial byproducts and fibers to make concrete more sustainable, durable, and structurally efficient.
Tanmay et al. (Wed,) studied this question.