Sulfate and thermal resistance of low-clinker high-strength concrete incorporating hybrid blended waste powders

Sulfate and thermal resistance of low-clinker high-strength concrete incorporating hybrid blended waste powders | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Sulfate and thermal resistance of low-clinker high-strength concrete incorporating hybrid blended waste powders Aya K. Elbauomy, Ahmed Elgabry, Gehan A. Hamdy, Mohamed R. Sakr, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9076923/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 24 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Hybrid blended waste powders can produce high-strength concrete with improved durability while reducing embodied carbon and, in some blend configurations, material cost. Across nine mixtures prepared at constant water-to-binder ratio (0.30) and cement replacement up to 35%, silica fume and dealuminated kaolin produced the most pronounced performance gains through coupled packing and pozzolanic refinement. The best strength development was achieved by the silica fume-dealuminated kaolin ternary blend, which increased 28-day compressive strength by about 37% relative to the control, alongside substantial improvements in tensile- and flexural-related response. Transport indicators consistently decreased in the blended systems, with water absorption reduced by roughly 50% and penetration depth reduced by up to about 37%, indicating disrupted capillary connectivity and improved interfacial integrity. Under 10% sodium sulfate immersion for eight months, silica fume bearing binders showed the highest strength retention, confirming that sulfate resistance was governed by the combined effects of restricted ingress and reduced susceptibility to expansive reactions. After heating to 500 o C, SEM/EDX evidenced a shift toward more silica-rich binding gels and lower Ca/Si ratios in the optimum blends, consistent with reduced crack continuity and higher residual performance. The quaternary blend delivered the largest sustainability benefit, reducing embodied carbon by ~ 33% and unit cost by ~ 4.5% while maintaining high-strength performance. High strength concrete (HSC) Dealuminated kaolin Silica fume Limestone Waste powders Durability Sulfate attack Elevated temperature Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 05 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 04 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 30 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 28 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 05 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 16 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 14 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 09 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9076923","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":608482453,"identity":"2f46f564-c367-4577-afbc-950415f689c4","order_by":0,"name":"Aya K. 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Across nine mixtures prepared at constant water-to-binder ratio (0.30) and cement replacement up to 35%, silica fume and dealuminated kaolin produced the most pronounced performance gains through coupled packing and pozzolanic refinement. The best strength development was achieved by the silica fume-dealuminated kaolin ternary blend, which increased 28-day compressive strength by about 37% relative to the control, alongside substantial improvements in tensile- and flexural-related response. Transport indicators consistently decreased in the blended systems, with water absorption reduced by roughly 50% and penetration depth reduced by up to about 37%, indicating disrupted capillary connectivity and improved interfacial integrity. 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