In order to promote the high-quality utilization of solid waste—steel slag—this study prepared ground steel slag powder with specific surface areas of 400 m2/kg, 500 m2/kg and 600 m2/kg respectively. Different fineness levels of steel slag powder were used to replace cement to prepare ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), with replacement rates of 20%, 30% and 40% respectively. The effects of fineness and dosage of steel slag powder on the workability, mechanical properties and microstructure of UHPC were further investigated. The results show that the incorporation of steel slag powder can significantly reduce the yield stress and plastic viscosity of UHPC, thereby increasing its fluidity, but also decreasing its thixotropy. The tensile properties of UHPC mixed with steel slag powder were all superior to those of the reference group. The compressive strength of UHPC prepared by using steel slag powder with a specific surface area of 400 m2/kg or 600 m2/kg instead of 20% cement was higher than that of the reference group. The compressive strength of UHPC mixed with 600 m2/kg specific surface area steel slag powder was generally stronger at the same dosage. At the same fineness, the mechanical properties of UHPC decreased gradually with the increase in steel slag powder content. The recommended dosage for the steel slag powder with a specific surface area of 400 m2/kg is 20%, which results in the best comprehensive properties in UHPC. At this time, compared with the reference group, the compressive strength increased by 3.35%, and the tensile strength increased by 20.73%. Moreover, adequate fineness of the steel slag powder can be achieved without excessive grinding energy, which contributes to sustainability.
Liu et al. (2026) studied this question.