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Article

Optimization of the Proportioning and Microscopic Mechanism Study of Cement Mortar Prepared with Copper Tailings as Fine Aggregate

1
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
2
Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution & Processing of Materials of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
3
School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2025, 18(11), 2569; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112569
Submission received: 9 April 2025 / Revised: 26 May 2025 / Accepted: 28 May 2025 / Published: 30 May 2025

Abstract

To address the low resource utilization of copper tailings and high environmental impact of conventional river sand, this study innovatively integrates Box–Behnken design (BBD) with fractal theory to systematically investigate the performance optimization mechanisms of cement mortar incorporating copper tailings sand. A three-factor interaction model was developed through BBD experimental design, considering water–cement ratio (0.38–0.48), replacement ratio (10–30%), and binder–sand ratio (0.3–0.4), to elucidate the macroscopic performance evolution under multiparameter coupling effects. Fractal dimension analysis was employed to quantitatively characterize microstructural evolution. Experimental results demonstrate that the optimal parameters (water–cement ratio: 0.43, replacement ratio: 20%, binder–sand ratio: 0.35) yield superior performance, with 28-day compressive/flexural strengths reaching 61.88/7.14 MPa (12.3%/9.8% enhancement over the control group), and sulfate attack resistance showing 0.74% mass loss after 30 cycles. Microstructural analysis reveals reduced fractal dimension (D = 2.31) in copper tailings-modified specimens, indicating improved pore structure homogeneity. The enhanced performance is attributed to synergistic effects of micro-aggregate filling and pozzolanic reaction-driven C-S-H gel densification. This research establishes a novel multiscale methodology overcoming the limitations of conventional single-factor analysis, providing theoretical and technical support for high-value utilization of industrial solid wastes in construction materials.
Keywords: recycled cement mortar; copper slag aggregate; sulfate attack; Box-Behnken design; microstructure recycled cement mortar; copper slag aggregate; sulfate attack; Box-Behnken design; microstructure

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MDPI and ACS Style

Li, H.; Zhang, L.; Liu, J.; Chu, D.; Ren, J. Optimization of the Proportioning and Microscopic Mechanism Study of Cement Mortar Prepared with Copper Tailings as Fine Aggregate. Materials 2025, 18, 2569. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112569

AMA Style

Li H, Zhang L, Liu J, Chu D, Ren J. Optimization of the Proportioning and Microscopic Mechanism Study of Cement Mortar Prepared with Copper Tailings as Fine Aggregate. Materials. 2025; 18(11):2569. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112569

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Haizhou, Lu Zhang, Jianping Liu, Daozhong Chu, and Jiaolong Ren. 2025. "Optimization of the Proportioning and Microscopic Mechanism Study of Cement Mortar Prepared with Copper Tailings as Fine Aggregate" Materials 18, no. 11: 2569. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112569

APA Style

Li, H., Zhang, L., Liu, J., Chu, D., & Ren, J. (2025). Optimization of the Proportioning and Microscopic Mechanism Study of Cement Mortar Prepared with Copper Tailings as Fine Aggregate. Materials, 18(11), 2569. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18112569

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