PSI - Issue 79

Naweed Ahmad Rabani et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 79 (2026) 124–137

126

Heavy minerals are added to concrete to give it properties like high density, improved radiation shielding, and increased durability. These minerals are typically used as aggregate or as a partial cement substitute, depending on the application. A summary of how the main heavy minerals affect the properties of concrete is given in Table 1.

Table 1: Main Heavy Minerals and their effects on Concrete

Types of Mineral Barite (BaSO ₄ )

Effects on Concrete Properties

Citation

Meet EFNARC standards. Up to 80% replacement of fresh and hardened properties is Enhance mechanical characteristics, such as modulus of elasticity and compressive strength. Achieves superior gamma-ray attenuation and high compressive strength (up to 68 MPa). Increase the attenuation of photons, especially those with low energy. When mixed with silica fume, it enhances mechanical and protective qualities. Has a low half-value layer (HVL) for gamma rays (2.49cm), which is useful for shielding against photons and neutrons. Because crystalline water contains a lot of hydrogen, it is used for neutron shielding. With a concrete density of about 2600kg/m3, it is used for neutron shielding.

(Tawfik et al., 2023)

Hematite (Fe ₂ O ₃ )

(B. Sagar Singh, 2014)

Magnetite (Fe ₃ O ₄ )

(Saafan et al., 2023)

Galena (PbS)

(Saeedimoghadam et al., 2017)

Ilmenite (FeTiO ₃ )

(Sakr, 2006)

Colemanite-Galena

(Mortazavi et al., 2010)

Limonite

(El-Samrah et al., 2018; Kansouh, 2012; Oto et al., 2015b; Ouda, 2015)

Serpentine

(Bashter, 1997)

3. Effect of Main Heavy Minerals on Concrete

Heavy minerals, including Barite, hematite, magnetite, etc., are being added to concrete more frequently to enhance its properties, particularly for special applications such as radiation shielding and high-density design. This section looks at how different minerals impact concrete’s properties, focusing on specific types and how they impact structural integrity.

3.1. Impact of Barite on Concrete

Because of the high atomic weight of barium (Ba), the mineral barite (BaSO4), which gets its name from the Greek word “Barys,” which means Heavy, has a high density (4.48 g/cm3 at 26  C). Iron and Lead ores with comparable densities include Hematite and galena (Saidani et al., 2015). Barite is often used in concrete to improve properties like density and radiation shielding, but its addition affects mechanical and thermal behavior. Barite affects a number of the mechanical properties of concrete, usually resulting in a reduction in strength and elasticity. Compressive strength consistently decreases with increasing barite percentage, according to research. Mesbahi et al. (2013) observed a 33% and 47% reduction in barite-colemanite concrete with 5% and 10% colemanite, respectively, when compared to pure barite concrete. They explained this by saying that colemanite and cement paste did not adhere well to one another. Badarloo et al. (2022) found reductions ranging from 20.8% to 27.5%, while Saidani et al. (2015) reported a 10% decrease when barite was completely replaced with sand. Ling and Poon (2012) reported a 13.3% decrease in strength (from 42.1 MPa to 36.5 MPa) when crushed funnel glass was substituted for crushed fine stone in barite concrete. By the use of Barite Tensile strength of concrete also decreased. Liu et al. (2019) found that as the amount of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) glass increases, tensile splitting strength falls because of insufficient cement adhesion to the glass surface. Saidani et al. (2015) observed a 50% decrease in cohesiveness in the transition zone. Badarloo et al. (2022) found declines ranging from 13.2% to 32.3%. The static elasticity modulus decreases with increasing barite or CRT glass content, though this effect is less pronounced than the strength decrease (Liu et al., 2019; Saidani et al., 2015). According to Liu et al. (2019), CRT glass in barite concrete enhances the alkali silica reaction’s (ASR) expansion but reduces shrinkage in comparison to traditional aggregates due to its lower absorption. Saidani et al. (2015) claim that barite reduces shrinkage without altering oedema. In contrast to other aggregates, barite is brittle due to its lamellar structure and crystallographic defects, which lower its strength and hardness (Mansoori et al., 2023).