PROSPECTS FOR THE APPLICATION OF COPPER MELTING SLAG IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION
The article discusses the option of strengthening the soils of the roadbed of highways with complex binders based on granular slag of copper smelting production and air lime. The characteristics of the investigated slag, photomicrographs of its surface, as well as the chemical and phase compositions are presented. A detailed description of the X-ray diffractogram of the studied slag with the processing of the obtained reflections using the ICDD PDF-2 database is presented. Calculations of hydrolytic equilibria were carried out using the main phases found from the data of X-ray phase analysis. It was found by the calculation method that at pH = 11-12 in the lime-slag mixture decomposition of iron silicates and aluminosilicates occurs with the formation of gels of iron and aluminum hydroxides, as well as amorphous silica. On the basis of the obtained complex binder, standard samples of strengthened soil based on loam were made and tested to determine the physical and mechanical properties. The results of the experiments carried out create an opportunity for obtaining hardened soils based on a complex mineral binder with a compressive strength of up to 2.2 MPa.