This paper presents the results of research on the admixture of other rock fragments in the granodiorite aggregate (two types of hornfels) produced in Łażany II quarry. It discusses the impact of these components on the selected chemical and mechanical properties important for the use of the aggregate in road construction. Analysed granodiorite grit is a high-class construction material suitable for bituminous mixtures. Its quality is verified in accordance with the PN-EN 13043 standard. The admixture of hornfels in aggregate composition is a consequence of the natural occuring this rock in the Łażany II granodiorite deposit in the Strzegom-Sobótka massif. As there is not selective exploitation of the deposit an extracted raw material is not separated during processing As a result, the aggregate, composed predominantly of granodiorite, comprises variable admixture of hornfels. Tests of properties, such as water absorption, resistance to freezing, resistance to fragmentation, crushing strength, carried out on grain populations of various petrographic types separated from the general samples, exhibit that the presence of hornfels in the aggregate has a beneficial effect, particularly on the mechanical parameters of the produced aggregate. Moreover, two varieties of hornfels differ in terms of some chemical properties (affinity with bitumen, presence of sulphides). These features may affect the durability of the aggregate in the wearing course which is directly influenced by the exterior conditions typical for road pavements.

This paper presents results of mineralogical and chemical research connected with the polymorphic transformations of dicalcium silicates in aggregate based on open-hearth slag and also slags from the current production of EAF (electric arc furnaces), and LF (ladle furnaces). Particular attention was paid to the transformation of the polymorph β-Ca2[SiO4] into the variant γ-Ca2[SiO4], which is undesirable from the perspective of using steel slags in road construction. A full mineralogical characterization of the tested metallurgical slags enabled the verification of the effectiveness of detecting the decomposition of dicalcium silicate in observations in UV light in line with the PN-EN 1744- 1+A1:2013-05 standard. On the basis of the conducted research, it was found that in the aggregate based on open-hearth slags and in the EAF furnace slag, dicalcium silicates are mainly represented by the β-Ca2[SiO4] polymorph, accompanied by α’-Ca2[SiO4]. The slag from the LF furnace was characterized by a different composition, with a strong advantage (57%) of the α’-Ca2[SiO4] variety, with a 1% share of the β-Ca2[SiO4] and 15% of the γ-Ca2[SiO4].
It was found that the transformation of β-Ca2[SiO4] into γ-Ca2[SiO4] can take place only under certain conditions in the metallurgical process, but the process is not influenced by hyperergenic factors, as evidenced by the fact that after more than 100 years of storage of open-hearth slag, on the basis of which the aggregate was produced, it was primarily marked with all the variants of β-Ca2[SiO4], without the polymorph γ-Ca2[SiO4].
The comprehensive characterization of the slag phase composition requires use of an appropriately selected research methodology; this is of key importance prior to the secondary use of this material, especially in the presence of the γ-Ca2[SiO4] polymorph. It has been determined that the most accurate test results are obtained using the XRD technique. The method of determining the decomposition of dicalcium silicate according to the PN-EN 1744-1+A1:2013-05 standard proved to be unreliable. It seems that in the situation of using LF slag as an artificial aggregate, taking the test results according to the method described in the PN-EN 1744-1+A1:2013-05 standard as being decisive is very risky, especially on a large scale (e.g. in communication construction).

This paper presents the results of tests of selected physical and mechanical properties as well as the chemical composition of two types of natural aggregates: porphyry and diabase, as well as artificial aggregate based on steel slags. Based on the conducted tests, it was established that the physical and mechanical properties of the artificial aggregate exhibit slightly lower parameters as compared to the results obtained for porphyry and diabase aggregates. However, this does not limit the possibility of using the aggregate based on steel slags, as according to the applicable WT-4 and WT-5 standards, it can be used in mixtures unbound to the improved subsoil and layers of the road foundation as well as road mixtures with hydraulic binders for each category of traffic load. The chemical composition of the aggregate based on steel slags differs from the chemical composition of the tested natural aggregates. The slags contain lower amounts of SiO2 and Al2O3, while the concentration of CaO and Fe2O3 is greater. Additionally, heavy metals have also been exhibited in the slags. However, it was established that the alkaline nature of the slags, which is affected by low sulphur content and a significant proportion of CaO, as well as the way the metals occur limit the possibility of heavy metals release and migration from slags. The tested steel slags may constitute a prospective material used in road construction.

This article presents the results of studies into the phase and chemical composition of blast furnace slag in the context of its reuse. In practice, blast furnace slags are widely used in the construction industry and road building as a basis for the production of, for example, cements, road binders and slag bricks. T hey are also used in the production of concrete floors, mortars, and plasters. Blast furnace slag is mainly used as a valuable material in the production of hydraulic binders, especially cement that improves the mechanical properties of concretes.
The favorable physical and mechanical properties of slags, apart from economic aspects, are undoubtedly an asset when deciding to use them instead of natural raw materials. In addition to the above, there is also the ecological aspect, since by using waste materials, the environmental interference that occurs during the opencast mining of natural aggregates is reduced. S pecifically, this means waste utilization through secondary management.
However, it should be kept in mind that it is a material which quite easily and quickly responds to environmental changes triggered by external factors; therefore, along with the determination of its physical and mechanical properties, its phase and chemical composition must be also checked.
The studies showed that the predominant component of the blast furnace slag is glass which can amount up to 80%. In its vicinity, metallic precipitate as well as crystallites of periclase, dicalcium silicates and quartz can be found. With regard to the chemical composition of the slag, it was concluded that it meets the environmental and technical requirements regarding unbound and hydraulically bound mixtures. In case of the latter, in terms of its chemical composition, the slag meets the hydraulic activity category CA3. It also meets the chemical requirements for using it as a valuable addition to mortars and concretes, and it is useful in the production of CEM II Portland-composite cement, CEM III blast-furnace cement and CEM V composite cements. The blast furnace slag is a valuable raw material for cement production. Cement CEM III/C contains 81–95% of blast furnace slag in accordance with E N 197-1:2012. In 2019, the Polish cement industry used 1,939,387.7 tons of slag.