High Slag Replacement Projects in

Florida

April 18, 2016

Gordon McLellan – Technical Manager, Lehigh Cement Company

Florida and Slag Cement

 First available in Florida through Blue Circle Cement 1982

 FDOT approved 1984

 FDOT approved in Extremely Aggressive Environments at min 50% replacement and

70% Maximum
– 1985 Dame Point Bridge – mass concrete at 70% replacement

– 31 years of continuous use in FDOT work to present

– Ternary or Cement/Slag/Flyash mixes added in 2007

 Complementary use of SCMs routine in Florida. (Local and imported sources of Fly Ash available)

 Slag more used in High Strength and High Durability applications

 More recently soil solidification/DSM

 Miami Tunnel is an example to the last two applications using Slag Cement

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Port of Miami Tunnel Project

The Port of Miami Tunnel Project consists of three

components:

 Tunnel connection between Watson Island and Port of Miami

(Dodge Island)
 Connections to the Port of Miami roadway system
 Widening of MacArthur Causeway bridge and realignment of the
eastbound roadway and frontage road

This presentation will focus on the Tunnel Construction itself with

emphasis on cementitious materials selected and being used in the
construction
Overview
Miami Access Tunnel
Tunnel

16,000 vehicles travel from Port of Miami through downtown Miami Streets each weekday. This
project will remove some to the congestion being experienced and keep the POM competitive.

Tunnel length 3900 feet

Outside Tunnel diameter 41 feet
Depth of Tunnel 120 feet below Government Cut at Deepest
Construction Cost $607 Million

There will be two tunnels connecting Watson island and the Port of Miami beneath Government
Cut, the main shipping channel in Biscayne Bay each containing two traffic lanes, curbs,
walkways, ventilation fans and additional safety features.

Project Start May 24, 2010

Project Completion May 2014
Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)

 Manufactured by
Herrenknecht of Germany for
$45 million

 380 feet long ( more that 1

footfield long), 42 feet in
diameter (as high as a four-
story building) and weighing
over 2500 tons assembled
First Cementitious Challenge

 Requirement for a consistent starting collar for the

TBM aka “the box”.
 Ground on site inconsistent and filled with various
reclaimed soils at different levels
 Solution - in situ cementitious slurry mixing to
achieve consistent strength results

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Site Preparation
Site Preparation

 Innovative use of soil stabilization with supplimentary cementitious

materials (SCM)
 Limited material removed but rather mixed in situ with new deep soil
mixing technology
Soil Prep
Lehigh Slag Cement

Effect of CAMCEM on CSM at 250 kg/m3

w/c = 2, No Bentonite, No water reducer, Composite soil sample

1400

1200

1000

800
PSI

7 Day

600 14 Day
28 Day

400

200

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
% CAMCEM
Geotechnical Considerations

 PSI per pound of cementitious – Slag Cement is more

hydraulic, particularly in lower amounts and at higher
water cement ratios than portland cement.
 Therefore as strength requirements lower, slag has more
defined effect than portland cement and is used at higher
replacements (>70%)
 Less Toxic – TCLP
 Has the ability to tie up heavy metals similar or higher
compared to portland cement
Slag Cement in contact with Groundwater - TCLP Data

 The TCLP, or Toxicity

Characteristic Leaching (not
Leachate) Procedure is
designed to determine the
mobility of both organic and
inorganic analytes present in
liquid, solid, and multiphasic
wastes. This is usually used
to determine if a waste may
meet the definition of EP
Toxicity, that is, carrying a
hazardous waste code under
RCRA (40 CFR Part 261) of
D004 through D052.
Typical TCLP DATA

TCLP
Element Results LIMIT Detection Limit

mg/L mg/L mg/L

ARSENIC (As) N/D < .04 5 .04
BARIUM (Ba) 0.04 100 0.01
CADMIUM (Cd) N/D < .01 1 .01
CHROMIUM (Cr III,VI) N/D < .01 5 0.01
LEAD (Pb) N/D < .03 5 0.03
SELENIUM (Se) N/D < .07 1 0.07
Second Challenge

150 year durabity for the concrete

liners

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 Precast Tunnel Segments

 14,000 segments
 8 segment in ring
 6.25 – 7.5 yards of
concrete in each
segment
 Approx 14,000 lbs per
segment
 32 segments cast per
day
 8 segments are
symetrical per day
 24 segments are
tapered to follow curves
Precast Manufacturing

 32 segments cast per

day
 8 segments are
symmetrical per day
 24 segments are
tapered to follow
curves
 Neopreme seal
around the segment
to insure water
tightness
Precast Production
Precast Mix Considerations for 150 Year Durability

Anti-Corrosion Inh – 25 Yrs

PC Slag Cement +
Silica Fume + 50Yr

50 to 100 years

30 – 50 – 4-
50 70% 10
% %
Designing for Optimum Durability In Southern Florida
• Life 365 software
• FDOT Aggressive Environment considerations (min 50% slag –
max 70%)
• Design criteria 150 yr, w/c .36, 752 lbs of Cementitious
The Winning Mix Design for Durability was:

 39% portland cement

 10% fly ash
 51% Slag
QC Control
In Conclusion

 These applications have led to numerous other

projects where we see routine use of 60% slag in
concrete products and 70% + in geo techncial
applications

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Construction Sequence – Site Prep