Utilization of Nickel Slag as Coarse Aggregate Replacement in High-Strength Concrete
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69855/sipil.v2i2.902Keywords:
Nickel Slag, Coarse Aggregate, High-Strength Concrete, Compressive StrengthAbstract
Purpose: Nickel smelting in Indonesia generates large quantities of slag, but evidence for its performance as aggregate in high-strength concrete is scattered and partly contradictory. This study reanalyzed two published datasets to test whether nickel slag affects strength and to guide mix proportioning. Methods: A normal-strength series (about 30 MPa; Amir et al., 2022), in which nickel slag replaced crushed-stone coarse aggregate at 0, 10, 25, 50, and 100 %, was reanalyzed with one-way ANOVA, regression, and 95 % confidence intervals. A high-performance series (target 60 MPa; Nelfia et al., 2024), in which nickel slag replaced both fine and coarse aggregate, was analyzed by absolute-volume calculation. Results: In the baseline series, 28-day mean strength ranged only from 30.10 to 30.77 MPa (ANOVA F = 0.32, p = .86; R² = .007), and every confidence interval for the difference from the control (−2.17 to +1.12 MPa) included zero, so no strength penalty was demonstrated up to 100 % replacement. In the high-performance series, the highest reported strength (69.43 MPa, 11.56 % above the reference) occurred at 40 % replacement, where slag replaced 589 kg/m³ of natural aggregate. Mass-for-mass replacement left a computed volume deficit of up to 75 L/m³ because nickel slag is denser (specific gravity 2.95 versus 2.60–2.62) and less absorptive; volume-based replacement would raise concrete density by 4.1 % at 40 % replacement. Conclusion: Because the data are published rather than new, the results are intended to guide mix proportioning and to define a validation program for high-strength concrete.
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