Investigating the impact of TiO2 on the physical and mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete pavements containing ground granulated blast furnace slag via response surface methodology

Investigating the impact of TiO2 on the physical and mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete pavements containing ground granulated blast furnace slag via response surface methodology | 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 Investigating the impact of TiO 2 on the physical and mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete pavements containing ground granulated blast furnace slag via response surface methodology Abbas Maniseresht This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6320678/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examines the effects of substituting ordinary Portland cement with 0%, 5%, and 10% of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), along with the addition of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) at levels of 0%, 30%, and 60%, on the physical and mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) pavement using the soil compaction method. Response surface methodology assessed the compressive strength at 28 and 90 days of curing and the flexural and split tensile strengths and water absorption at 90 days. The test outcomes indicated that using TiO 2 alone in the specimens improved compressive, flexural, and split tensile strengths while decreasing porosity and water absorption. The optimal results were achieved with a 10% TiO 2 concentration. Adding GGBS solely reduced the compressive strength after 28 days of curing. However, 30% GGBS on the 90 th day significantly improved compressive, flexural, and split tensile strengths, and 60% GGBS achieved the lowest porosity and water absorption. Using TiO 2 and GGBS together decreased strength after 28 days. However, after 90 days, a mix with 5% TiO 2 and 30% GGBS slightly improved strength. Employing TiO 2 and GGBS, whether individually or together, led to a decrease in both porosity and water absorption. The blend with 10% TiO 2 and 30% GGBS demonstrated the lowest values. The response surface method revealed that utilizing 10% TiO 2 and 39.3% GGBS individually results in the highest strength and the lowest porosity after 90 days. The most effective combination comprises 10% TiO 2 and 2.02% GGBS. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated that GGBS and TiO 2 , whether applied individually or in combination, enhanced distribution, filled voids, and modified the microstructure of the RCC samples, leading to decreased porosity and increased density compared to control samples without TiO 2 or GGBS. Civil Engineering TiO2 GGBS RCC RSM Water Absorption Strength Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted 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. 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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-6320678","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":441575595,"identity":"044abb9f-5d9a-4c64-9a25-5dd9f034cf88","order_by":0,"name":"Abbas Maniseresht","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6818-7139","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abbas","middleName":"","lastName":"Maniseresht","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-27 12:45:32","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6320678/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6320678/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":80503856,"identity":"444f6b35-de41-416c-94d8-47a5d7c1475f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-14 04:15:47","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1738944,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"GGBS9Preprint.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6320678/v1_covered_73fb6125-0b45-4d68-bfad-01fe0b01ca44.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInvestigating the impact of TiO\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e on the physical and mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete pavements containing ground granulated blast furnace slag via response surface methodology\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Islamic Azad University of Tabriz","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"TiO2, GGBS, RCC, RSM, Water Absorption, Strength","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6320678/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6320678/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study examines the effects of substituting ordinary Portland cement with 0%, 5%, and 10% of titanium dioxide (TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e), along with the addition of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) at levels of 0%, 30%, and 60%, on the physical and mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) pavement using the soil compaction method. Response surface methodology assessed the compressive strength at 28 and 90 days of curing and the flexural and split tensile strengths and water absorption at 90 days. The test outcomes indicated that using TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e alone in the specimens improved compressive, flexural, and split tensile strengths while decreasing porosity and water absorption. The optimal results were achieved with a 10% TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e concentration. Adding GGBS solely reduced the compressive strength after 28 days of curing. However, 30% GGBS on the 90\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e day significantly improved compressive, flexural, and split tensile strengths, and 60% GGBS achieved the lowest porosity and water absorption. Using TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and GGBS together decreased strength after 28 days. However, after 90 days, a mix with 5% TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and 30% GGBS slightly improved strength. Employing TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and GGBS, whether individually or together, led to a decrease in both porosity and water absorption. The blend with 10% TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and 30% GGBS demonstrated the lowest values. The response surface method revealed that utilizing 10% TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and 39.3% GGBS individually results in the highest strength and the lowest porosity after 90 days. The most effective combination comprises 10% TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e and 2.02% GGBS. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated that GGBS and TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, whether applied individually or in combination, enhanced distribution, filled voids, and modified the microstructure of the RCC samples, leading to decreased porosity and increased density compared to control samples without TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e or GGBS.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Investigating the impact of TiO2 on the physical and mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete pavements containing ground granulated blast furnace slag via response surface methodology","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-14 04:07:39","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6320678/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"caee2c4a-8774-45b4-a9a1-7d13d3868af2","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 14th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":47018508,"name":"Civil Engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-04-14T04:07:39+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-14 04:07:39","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6320678","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6320678","identity":"rs-6320678","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}