Production of geoploymer mortar reinforced with sustainable fibers

Abstract

Geopolymer has been presented as new evolution in the concrete technology world, where cementitious materials such as ceramic powder and Slag have been replaced by high percentages of cement used in construction. Thus, the activation of such materials was performed by highly alkaline solutions in order to be acted as a binder in the mix. Therefore, the selection of suitable ingredients proportion of geopolymer mortar to achieve desired strength at required workability has been intended in this study. The experimental Program has been implemented for the preparation of geopolymer mortar mixes. The concentration of sodium hydroxide solution was kept constant in the order of 12 M throughout the experiment. The ratio of Water to geopolymer binder ratio was 0.35, alkaline solution-to- cementitiuos materials ratio was 0.30 and sodium silicate-to-sodium hydroxide ratio was 1.85 by mass. Workability of geopolymer mortar was measured by flow table apparatus and cubes of 50 mm side were cast and tested for compressive strength after 28 days of normal water curing. The study concludes that the combination of ceramic powder and Slag up to 40% (by weight), in the total binder material, can be used for developing the geopolymer mortar. Continuously, the use of 1% steel fibers or 1% steel fiber with 0.5% sisal fibers promotes the level of cement replacement by such cementitous materials (slag and ceramic powder) up to 60%.

Keywords

• ceramic powder
• slag
• geopolymer
• mortar
• strength
• sustainable fibers