Temperature and Duration Impact on the Strength Development of Geopolymerized Granulated Blast Furnace Slag for Usage as a Construction Material
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 2
Abstract
Through the process of extracting iron from iron ore, a by-product is generated known as granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS). Traditional stabilization methods such as cement stabilization are not entirely sustainable options. This research investigates the engineering properties of geopolymer-stabilized GBFS and their viability for usage as a construction material. A combination of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate () was used as the liquid alkaline activator (L) along with low-carbon pozzolanic binders, namely, fly ash (FA) and slag (S). The L was prepared with a ratio of and binders were added up to 30%. The effect of different curing regimes on the strength of geopolymerized GBFS was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests. The effect of both the temperature and duration of curing had a vital role in the strength development of the mixtures. The test results indicated that the combination of as a geopolymer binder could perform better than FA or S alone. With the lowest UCS value of 7.8 MPa and highest value of 43 MPa, all the geopolymer-stabilized GBFS were found to be suitable for a variety of civil and construction applications.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. All data shown in figures and tables can be provided on request.
Acknowledgments
The first and last authors acknowledge financial support from the National Science and Technology Development Agency under the Chair Professor program (P-19-52303).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 2 • February 2021
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 5, 2019
Accepted: Apr 29, 2020
Published online: Dec 3, 2020
Published in print: Feb 1, 2021
Discussion open until: May 3, 2021
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