Technical Papers
Apr 12, 2018

Mix Design Procedure for Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete Using Particle Packing Theory

Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 6

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for designing mix proportions for a targeted compressive strength of alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC) using particle packing theory. Very little information is available on a complete methodology in designing the AASC mix. Ground granulated blast-furnace slag is activated with sodium silicate–based and sodium hydroxide–based alkaline activator solution. Sodium hydroxide concentration, binder content, and the alkaline solution:binder ratio are taken as variables. The aggregates are proportioned using particle packing theory, resulting in fewer voids and a dense concrete mix which hinders the ability of external aggressive chemicals to migrate into the concrete. Results show that the sodium hydroxide concentration and alkaline solution:binder ratio are the most influential parameters on compressive strength and workability of AASC. This paper presents a mix design procedure for AASC with a detailed example.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful for the support from all the faculty members of Civil Engineering Department, National Institute of Technology Warangal, India.

References

Al-Otaibi, S. (2008). “Durability of concrete incorporating GGBS activated by water-glass.” Constr. Build. Mater., 22(10), 2059–2067.
Andreasen, A. M., and Andersen, J. (1930). “Relation between grain size and interstitial space in products of unconsolidated granules.” Kolloid-Z, 50(3), 217–228.
Bakharev, T., Sanjayan, J. G., and Cheng, Y. B. (2000). “Effect of admixtures on properties of alkali-activated slag concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res., 30(9), 1367–1374.
Bakharev, T., Sanjayan, J. G., and Cheng, Y. B. (2003). “Resistance of alkali-activated slag concrete to acid attack.” Cem. Concr. Res., 33(10), 1607–1611.
Bernal, S. A., de Gutiérrez, R. M., and Provis, J. L. (2012). “Engineering and durability properties of concretes based on alkali-activated granulated blast furnace slag/metakaolin blends.” Constr. Build. Mater., 33, 99–108.
Bernal, S. A., Provis, J. L., Rose, V., and De Gutierrez, R. M. (2011). “Evolution of binder structure in sodium silicate-activated slag-metakaolin blends.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 33(1), 46–54.
Bondar, D., Lynsdale, C. J., Milestone, N. B., Hassani, N., and Ramezanianpour, A. A. (2011). “Effect of type, form, and dosage of activators on strength of alkali-activated natural pozzolans.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 33(2), 251–260.
Borges, P. H., Fonseca, L. F., Nunes, V. A., Panzera, T. H., and Martuscelli, C. C. (2013). “Andreasen particle packing method on the development of geopolymer concrete for civil engineering.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 692–697.
BSI (British Standards Institution). (1998). “Tests for mechanical and physical properties of aggregates. Determination of loose bulk density and voids.” BS EN 1097-3:1998, London.
Chang, J. J. (2003). “A study on the setting characteristics of sodium silicate-activated slag pastes.” Cem. Concr. Res., 33(7), 1005–1011.
Cheng, T. W., and Chiu, J. P. (2003). “Fire-resistant geopolymer produced by granulated blast furnace slag.” Miner. Eng., 16(3), 205–210.
Chi, M. (2012). “Effects of dosage of alkali-activated solution and curing conditions on the properties and durability of alkali-activated slag concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater., 35(10), 240–245.
Chindaprasirt, P., Chareerat, T., and Sirivivatnanon, V. (2007). “Workability and strength of coarse high calcium fly ash geopolymer.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 29(3), 224–229.
Collins, F., and Sanjayan, J. G. (2000). “Effect of pore size distribution on drying shrinking of alkali-activated slag concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res., 30(9), 1401–1406.
Collins, F. G., and Sanjayan, J. G. (1999). “Workability and mechanical properties of alkali activated slag concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res., 29(3), 455–458.
Dewar, J. (2002). Computer modelling of concrete mixtures, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Duxson, P., Provis, J. L., Lukey, G. C., and Van Deventer, J. S. (2007). “The role of inorganic polymer technology in the development of ‘green concrete’.” Cem. Concr. Res., 37(12), 1590–1597.
Fuller, W. B., and Thompson, S. E. (1907). “The laws of proportioning concrete.” ASCE J. Trans., 59, 67–143.
Funk, J. E., and Dinger, D. R. (1994). Predictive process control of crowded particulate suspensions: Applied to ceramic manufacturing, Kluwer Academic, Boston.
Ismail, I., Bernal, S. A., Provis, J. L., San Nicolas, R., Hamdan, S., and van Deventer, J. S. (2014). “Modification of phase evolution in alkali-activated blast furnace slag by the incorporation of fly ash.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 45, 125–135.
Ivan Diaz-Loya, E., Allouche, E. N., and Vaidya, S. (2011). “Mechanical properties of fly-ash-based geopolymer concrete.” ACI Mater. J., 108(3), 300–306.
Jones, M. R., Zheng, L., and Newlands, M. D. (2002). “Comparison of particle packing models for proportioning concrete constituents for minimum voids ratio.” Mater. Struct., 35(5), 301–309.
Joseph, B., and Mathew, G. (2012). “Influence of aggregate content on the behavior of fly ash based geopolymer concrete.” Sci. Iran., 19(5), 1188–1194.
Junaid, M. T., Kayali, O., Khennane, A., and Black, J. (2015). “A mix design procedure for low calcium alkali activated fly ash-based concretes.” Constr. Build. Mater., 79(1), 301–310.
Khale, D., and Chaudhary, R. (2007). “Mechanism of geopolymerization and factors influencing its development: A review.” J. Mater. Sci., 42(3), 729–746.
Kumar, S., Kumar, R., and Mehrotra, S. P. (2010). “Influence of granulated blast furnace slag on the reaction, structure and properties of fly ash based geopolymer.” J. Mater. Sci., 45(3), 607–615.
Kwan, A. K. H., and Fung, W. W. S. (2009). “Packing density measurement and modelling of fine aggregate and mortar.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 31(6), 349–357.
Kwan, A. K. H., and Mora, C. F. (2002). “Effects of various, shape parameters on packing of aggregate particles.” Mag. Concrete Res., 53(2), 91–100.
Lloyd, N. A., and Rangan, B. V. (2010). “Geopolymer concrete with fly ash.” 2nd Int. Conf. on Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies, Vol. 3, UWM Center for By-Products Utilization, 1493–1504.
Palacios, M., and Puertas, F. (2005). “Effect of superplasticizer and shrinkage-reducing admixtures on alkali-activated slag pastes and mortars.” Cem. Concr. Res., 35(7), 1358–1367.
Phoo-ngernkham, T., Maegawa, A., Mishima, N., Hatanaka, S., and Chindaprasirt, P. (2015). “Effects of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions on compressive and shear bond strengths of FA-GBFS geopolymer.” Constr. Build. Mater., 91(8), 1–8.
Powers, T. C. (1969). The properties of fresh concrete, Wiley, New York.
Qureshi, M. N., and Ghosh, S. (2014). “Effect of silicate content on the properties of alkali-activated blast furnace slag paste.” Arab. J. Sci. Eng., 39(8), 5905–5916.
Rao, G. M., Rao, T. D., Seshu, R. D., and Venkatesh, A. (2016). “Mix proportioning of geopolymer concrete.” Cem. Wapno Beton, 21(4), 274–285.
Ravikumar, D., Peethamparan, S., and Neithalath, N. (2010). “Structure and strength of NaOH activated concretes containing fly ash or GGBFS as the sole binder.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 32(6), 399–410.
Toufar, W., Born, M., and Klose, E. (1976). “Contribution of optimisation of components of different density in polydispersed particles systems.” Freiberger Booklet A, 558, 29–44.
Wang, S. D., Pu, X. C., Scrivener, K. L., and Pratt, P. L. (1995). “Alkali-activated slag cement and concrete: A review of properties and problems.” Adv. Cem. Res., 7(27), 93–102.
Wang, S. D., Scrivener, K. L., and Pratt, P. L. (1994). “Factors affecting the strength of alkali-activated slag.” Cem. Concr. Res., 24(6), 1033–1043.
Wong, H. H., and Kwan, A. K. (2008). “Packing density of cementitious materials. Part 1: Measurement using a wet packing method.” Mater. Struct., 41(4), 689–701.
Wong, V., Wai Chan, K., and Kwok Hung Kwan, A. (2013). “Applying theories of particle packing and rheology to concrete for sustainable development.” Organ. Technol. Manage. Constr.: Int. J., 5(2), 844–851.
Wongpa, J., Kiattikomol, K., Jaturapitakkul, C., and Chindaprasirt, P. (2010). “Compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and water permeability of inorganic polymer concrete.” Mater. Des., 31(10), 4748–4754.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30Issue 6June 2018

History

Received: Jan 11, 2017
Accepted: Nov 29, 2017
Published online: Apr 12, 2018
Published in print: Jun 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Sep 12, 2018

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Chaitanya Srikrishna Thunuguntla
Research Scholar, Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, Telangana 506004, India.
Tippabhotla Durga Gunneswara Rao, Ph.D. [email protected]
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, Telangana 506004, India (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share