Simplified Model for Prediction of Compressive Strength of Alkali-Activated Natural Pozzolans
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 24, Issue 4
Abstract
The assessment of pozzolanic activity is essential for estimating the reaction of a material as pozzolan. Natural pozzolans can be activated and condensed with sodium silicate in an alkaline environment to synthesize high performance cementitious construction materials with low environmental impact. In this paper, the pozzolanic activities of five natural pozzolans are studied. The correlation between type and chemical composition of natural pozzolan, which affects the formation of the geopolymer gel phase, both for the calcined and untreated natural pozzolans, have been reviewed. The improvement in pozzolanic properties was studied following heat treatment including calcinations and/or elevated curing temperature by using alkali solubility, and compressive strength tests. A model was developed to allow prediction of the alkali-activated pozzolan strength versus their chemical compositions, alkali solubility, and crystallinity.
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Acknowledgments
This research was led by the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK, with experimental work conducted in the concrete technology laboratory in the Civil Department of P.W.U.T., Tehran, Iran. The authors express their gratitude to the Research Centre of Natural Disasters in Industry (RCNDI) in P.W.U.T. for their support throughout the research program. X-ray fluoresence (XRF) analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were detected in Kansaran Binaloud X-ray laboratory in Tehran, Iran, and ICP-AES was recorded from Kavoshyar, Tehran, Iran.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 24 • Issue 4 • April 2012
Pages: 391 - 400
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 26, 2010
Accepted: Oct 6, 2011
Published online: Oct 8, 2011
Published in print: Apr 1, 2012
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