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International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research
Volume 6 Issue 2 October 2018 www.ijifr.com ISSN : 2347-1697
71
Girish M.G.1, Akshay Kamath
2
1, 2 Department of Civil Engineering,
Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, India,
.
1. INTRODUCTION
Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials it is usually associated with
the Portland cement as the main component for making concrete. Consumption of cement in
recent years is escalating due to large scale infrastructural developments. The continuous
degradation of natural resources for the production of cement has necessitated identifying an
alternative binder for making concrete. The production of cement involves high energy
consumption and possesses an environmental threat, since it is estimated that one ton of
carbon dioxide is released during the production. Moreover, it consumes a significant amount
of natural resources for the large-scale production to meet the global infrastructure
INVESTIGATION ON LOW SLUMP
GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE Paper ID IJIFR/V6/ E2/ 013 Page No. 71-76 Subject Area Civil Engineering
Abstract
Geopolymer is an alkali aluminosilicate binder formed by the alkali silicate activation of aluminosilicate materials. This fabric has been examined extensively over the past several decades’ promises as a greener option to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete. It has been found that geopolymer has good engineering properties as well with a reduced carbon footprint resulting from the zero-cement content.This experimental study was undertaken to study the strength characteristics and durability of Geopolymer concrete. Thus Geopolymer based Concrete is highly environment friendly and the same time it can be made as high-performance concrete. In the present study, 100% replacement of conventional ordinary Portland cement is made by using ASTM class F fly ash, Ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBS) and alkaline liquids to prepare Geopolymer concrete mixes. In the present study we evaluated strength characteristics of Geo polymer concrete by varying the molar concentration (8M, 10M and 12M) and varying percentage of binding material. The work has been done to structural specimen like cylinders, cubes and beams at ambient curing and evaluated compressive, flexural and split tensile strength for different binding material proportions and solution concentration. The durability tests such as sulphate attack and chloride attack tests have also been carried out.
Key Words : Geopolymer Concrete, Fly Ash, Ground Granulated Blast
Furnace Slag (GGBS), Alkaline Activator, Compressive Strength,
Flexural Strength, Split Tensile Strength
72 Girish M.G., Kamath A. :: Investigation on low slump geopolymer concrete
ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Continuous 62nd Edition, Volume - 6, Issue -2, October 2018
developments. As the demand for concrete as construction material increases, the demand for
Portland cement is also increasing. Presently in India the power sector depends on coal based
thermal power stations which produces a huge amount of fly ash that is estimated to be
around 110 million tons annually. The utilization of fly ash is about 30% in the construction
of landfills, embankments, pavement base, and sub base course; and in producing blended
cement.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
[1] Davidovits (1978) developed a binder called geopolymer to describe an alternative
cementitious material which has ceramic like properties. He proposed that binders could
also be produced by polymeric reaction of alkaline liquids with silicon and aluminum in
source materials or by product materials such as fly ash and GGBS.
[2] Van jaarsveld et.al (1977-1999) identified the potential use of waste materials such as fly
ash, contaminated soil, mine tailing and building waste to immobilize toxic metals.
[3] Palamo et al (1999) studied on fly ash based geopolymer. They used combination of
sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate and potassium hydroxide and potassium silicate as
alkaline liquids. It was found that the type of alkaline liquid is significant factor in
affecting the strength properties and combination of sodium silicate and sodium
hydroxide gave the highest compressive strength.
[4] C. K. Madheswaran et al (2013) studied the effect of molarity in geopolymer concrete
cured at ambient temperature. In this study the authors have used alkaline liquids such as
sodium hydroxide (varying from 3M to 7M) and sodium silicate. The results of
compressive strength on geopolymer concrete indicated that the compressive strength
increased as the concentration of NaOH increased. Further, the authors also investigated
the effect of various combinations of fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag on
GPC. All the combinations produce a GPC of structural grades (compressive strength
>40MPa) under self-curing mechanisms. The study concluded that the increase in GGBS
content in GPC has a detrimental effect on increasing the compressive strength of GPC.
3. OBJECTIVE OF PRESENT STUDY
To investigate the properties of Geo-polymer concrete by replacement of GGBs and
fly ash in percentage.
4. MATERIALS
4.1. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS)
GGBS was obtained from RJC RMC concrete plant from manipal, Karnataka. Specific
gravity of GGBS was found to be 2.96
4.2 Fly Ash
Fly ashes available in India are generally classified in to two types as per specifications
of IS: 3812-2000.
73 Girish M.G., Kamath A. :: Investigation on low slump geopolymer concrete
ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Continuous 62nd Edition, Volume - 6, Issue -2, October 2018
Low-lime fly ash (Class F, CaO < 10%) – Exhibit Pozzolanic properties produces
cementitious properties with the help of an activator (cement or lime).
High-lime fly ash (Class C, CaO > 10%) - Exhibit Cementitious properties itself.
Fly ash used was obtained from UPCL padubidri located in Karnataka, India. According
to IS: 3812-2000 it is classified as class-F fly ash. Specific gravity is measured as 2.15
according to IS: 1727-1967.
4.3 Table Sugar Solution
Table sugar solution was used as retarder. The intention in adding refined white sugar to the
concrete mix was to prevent the cement from fully combining with the water and thus retard
the hardening process. Potable water conforming to IS: 456-2000 is used in all mixes. And it
is free from salts and other organic impurities. The water content in GPC is the combined
water present in the alkali solution.
4.4 Alkaline Solution
The commonly used alkaline activators in Geopolymer concrete are sodium hydroxide and
sodium silicate solutions. Sodium silicate solution (A53) is obtained from a local factory and
it’s composed of Na2O- 13.54%, SiO2- 32.46% and H2O- 54.0%. The solutions are strongly
alkaline. Sodium hydroxide used is of analytical grade and is of 97% purity.
Table 4.1: Mix design of geopolymer concrete
MIX M1 M2 M3 M4 N1 N2 N3 N4 O1 O2 O3 O4
Fly ash
(kg/m3)
- 102 204 306 - 102 204 306 - 102 204 306
Fly ash
(%)
0 25 50 75 0 25 50 75 0 25 50 75
GGBS
(kg/m3)
408 306 204 102 408 306 204 102 408 306 204 306
GGBS
(%)
100 75 50 25 100 75 50 25 100 75 50 25
Fine agg
(kg/m3)
554 554 554 554 554 554 554 554 554 554 554 554
Coarse agg
(kg/m3)
1293 1293 1293 1293 1293 1293 1293 1293 1293 1293 1293 1293
NaOH soln.
(L/m3)
41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41
Na2SiO3 soln.
(L/m3)
103 103 103 103 103 103 103 103 103 103 103 103
Water/gps
0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.176 0176 0.176 0.176 0.176 0.176 0.176 0.176
Na2SiO3/NaOH 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Water
(%)
7 6 6 5 9 8 7 6 11 10 8 7
Molarity (M)
8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 12
Sugar
(%)
1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
74 Girish M.G., Kamath A. :: Investigation on low slump geopolymer concrete
ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Continuous 62nd Edition, Volume - 6, Issue -2, October 2018
5. STRENGTH RESULTS
5.1 Compressive Strength
GPC cube specimens of size 100x100x100 mm of different mixes, when tested under
compression as per IS: 516-1959, generally failed in the pattern similar to that of OPC
concrete cubes.
Table 5.1 Average compressive strength results
Average Compressive Strength (Mpa)
MIX 7 Days (Mpa) 28 Days(Mpa) 56 Days (Mpa)
M1 37.90 97.2 99.39
M2 36.5 88.3 90.83
M3 34.04 68.1 72.37
M4 25.99 59.6 63.40
N1 40.54 111.3 114.55
N2 38.57 101.86 104.75
N3 35.90 88.3 90.73
N4 26.56 74.2 76.59
O1 43 123.58 128.22
O2 40.93 113.79 116.40
O3 38.70 101.82 103.40
O4 21.27 91.7 96.54
Average compressive strength for mixes from M1-M4, N1-N4 and O1-O4 showed
incremental decrease in their compressive strength. It has been found that as the molarity
increases the compressive strength of the geopolymer concrete also increased.
5.2 Flexural Strength
To measure flexural strength, beams of size 100x100x500 mm were used as per IS: 516-
1959. Two point loading system was adopted to find the flexural strength.
Table 5.2: Average flexural strength results
Average Flexural Strength (MPa)
MIX 7 Days (MPa) 28 Days (MPa)
M1 7.2 10.13
M2 6.5 8.76
M3 5.6 7.93
M4 5 7.20
N1 8.26 11.40
N2 7.67 10.40
N3 7.06 9.53
N4 6 8.73
O1 8.8 12.33
O2 8.13 11.67
O3 7.5 10.87
O4 6.67 10.07
75 Girish M.G., Kamath A. :: Investigation on low slump geopolymer concrete
ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Continuous 62nd Edition, Volume - 6, Issue -2, October 2018
It has been observed that there was a significant decrease in flexural strength with the
decrease in the percentage of GGBS from 100% to 25% at ambient curing as shown in table
4.2. It can be concluded that the decrease in the GGBS content reduces the silica content of
the geopolymer concrete and thus lessens the flexural strength of GPC. The flexural strength
of the geopolymer concrete increases with increase in the molarity of NaOH.
5.2 Split Tensile Strength To measure split tensile strength, on cylinders of size 150mmx300mm conforming to IS:
5816-1999 was used.
Table 5.3: Average split tensile strength results
Average Split Tensile Strength (MPa)
MIX 7 Days (MPa) 28 Days (Mpa)
M1 2.98 5.28
M2 2.64 4.6
M3 2.48 4.07
M4 2.18 3.58
N1 3.86 6.01
N2 3.12 5.36
N3 2.72 4.91
N4 2.34 4.37
O1 4.6 6.62
O2 4 6.11
O3 3.68 5.66
O4 3.19 5.12
6. CONCLUSION
The study aimed at developing a low slump geopolymer concrete. In this study, the GGBS %
was changed from 100% to 25 % and molarity used was 8M, 10M & 12M. The behavior of
GPC in fresh and hardened state was investigated. The durability test for sulphate attack and
chloride attack were also conducted.
The following conclusion were arrived from this study
It can be concluded from the experiment that decrease in the GGBS replacement level
from 100% to 25 % decreases the compressive strength ,flexural strength and split tensile
strength irrespective of the molarity of NaOH solution.
On the other hand increase in the molarity of the NaOH solution increases the
compressive strength, flexural strength and split tensile strength.
The geopolymer concrete gained its strength within 24 hours at ambient curing without
the need of water curing.
The necessity of heat curing of geopolymer concrete was eliminated by incorporating
GGBS and fly ash.
It has been observed increase in GGBS replacement content reduces the setting time and
increases the workability and more water is required for binding.
76 Girish M.G., Kamath A. :: Investigation on low slump geopolymer concrete
ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Continuous 62nd Edition, Volume - 6, Issue -2, October 2018
Compressive strength, flexural strength and split tensile strength for the mix M1, N1 & O1
i.e. (100% GGBS & 0% fly ash) showed maximum values, and for mix M4, N4 & O4 i.e.
(75% fly ash & 25% GGBS) showed minimum values.
Though 75% fly ash and 25% GGBS exhibited decrease in the strength for 8M, 10M &
12M it still maintains its strength. The cost is also low compared to 50% fly ash and 50%
GGBS.
7. REFERENCES
[1] Rangan, B.V., (2014), “Geopolymer concrete for environmental protection”, The Indian
Concrete Journal, Vol. 88, Issue 4, pp 41-48, 50-59
[2] Joseph Davidovits, (2013), “Geopolymer cement”, a review, Institute Geopolymere, Saint-Quentin, France
[3] Muhammad Fadhil Nuruddin, Sobia Anwar Qazi, Andri Kusbiantoro and Nasir Shafiq, (2010),
“Utilization of waste material in geopolymeric concrete”, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, pp 1-13
[4] Madheswaran, C.K., Gnanasundar G, Gopalakrishnan N, (2013), “Effect of molarity in geopolymer concrete”, International Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering, Vol. 4, Issue 2,
[5] Wallah, S.E. and Rangan, B.V., (2006), “Low-calcium fly-ash based geopolymer concrete: long-
term properties”, Research Report GC 2, Faculty of Engineering Curtin University of Technology Perth, Australia
[6] Hardjito, D. and Rangan, B.V., (2005), “Development and properties of low calcium fly-ash
based geo-polymer concrete”, Research Report GC 1, Faculty of Engineering Curtin University of Technology Perth, Australia
Authorised Signature With Seal
This is certified that the paper entitled
Investigation on low slump Geopolymer concrete Authored by
Girish M.G. Department of Civil Engineering,
Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, India has been accepted & published online in IJIFR continuous 62nd edition
Volume 6-Issue 2, October 2018 under Paper ID: IJIFR /V6/E2/13. The mentioned paper is accepted after rigorous evaluation through double blind peer reviewed process.
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research
www.ijifr.com
ISSN: 2347-1697
IJIFR Impact Factor (2016) = 6.051 Volume 6, Issue 2, October 2018
Dated : 29/10/2018
Authorised Signature With Seal
This is certified that the paper entitled
Investigation on low slump Geopolymer concrete Authored by
Akshay Kamath Department of Civil Engineering,
Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, India has been accepted & published online in IJIFR continuous 62nd edition
Volume 6-Issue 2, October 2018 under Paper ID: IJIFR /V6/E2/13. The mentioned paper is accepted after rigorous evaluation through double blind peer reviewed process.
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research
www.ijifr.com
ISSN: 2347-1697
IJIFR Impact Factor (2016) = 6.051 Volume 6, Issue 2, October 2018
Dated : 29/10/2018