Development of Ultrafine Slag-Based Geopolymer Mortar for Use as Repairing Mortar
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 5
Abstract
Geopolymer has earned a significant position in the construction industry. A number of researchers have attempted to use it as a concrete-repairing material. To enrich the literature with results on geopolymer as a concrete-repairing material, the present study reports experimental works performed on geopolymer mortars prepared from ultrafine ground granulated blast-furnace slag. Geopolymer mortars were prepared with alkali activators composed of (1) sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide, and (2) only a sodium hydroxide solution, and tested to study the setting time, workability, and strength-gain behavior. Furthermore, to the sodium hydroxide-activated mortars, certain admixtures such as fly ash and superplasticizer were added in various quantities to study their effect on the mentioned properties. The effect of alkali activator concentration and time of addition of superplasticizer has also been observed through the laboratory experiments. A total of 504 cube samples for a total of 28 different mortar mixes were prepared and tested for observing strength-gain behavior. Results indicated that sodium silicate-free mortars were better than sodium silicate-containing ones in terms of setting, workability, and strength-gain performance. Addition of an admixture altered the setting time and workability of the mixes. The early-strength-gain property of the mixes also altered due to such admixtures.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Counto Microfine Products, India and Fosroc Chemicals, India for providing materials required for laboratory tests in the current research at IIT Guwahati.
References
Abdalqader, A. F., Jin, F., and Al-Tabbaa, A. (2016). “Development of greener alkali-activated cement: Utilisation of sodium carbonate for activating slag and fly ash mixtures.” J. Clean. Prod., 113, 66–75.
Alonso, S., and Palomo, A. (2001). “Alkaline activation of metakaolin and calcium hydroxide mixtures: Influence of temperature, activator concentration and solids ratio.” Mater. Lett., 47(1–2), 55–62.
Altan, E., and Erdogan, S. T. (2012). “Alkali activation of a slag at ambient and elevated temperatures.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 34(2), 131–139.
ASTM. (2013). “Standard test methods for sampling and testing fly ash or natural pozzolans for use in portland-cement concrete.” ASTM C311/C311M–13, West Conshohocken, PA.
Atis, C. D., Gorur, E. B., Karahan, O., Bilim, C., Ilkentapar, S., and Luga, E. (2015). “Very high strength (120 MPa) class F fly ash geopolymer mortar activated at different NaOH amount, heat curing temperature and heat curing duration.” Constr. Build. Mater., 96, 673–678.
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.
Binici, H., Temiz, H., and Kose, M. M. (2007). “The effect of fineness on the properties of the blended cements incorporating ground granulated blast furnace slag and ground basaltic pumice.” Constr. Build. Mater., 21(5), 1122–1128.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). (2002). “Specification for coarse and fine aggregates from natural sources for concrete.” IS 383-1970, New Delhi, India.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). (2004). “Methods of test for pozzolanic materials.” IS 1727-1967, New Delhi, India.
Brough, A. R., and Atkinson, A. (2002). “Sodium silicate-based, alkali-activated slag mortars. Part I: Strength, hydration and microstructure.” Cem. Concr. Res., 32(6), 865–879.
Chang, J. J. (2003). “A study on the setting characteristics of sodium silicate-activated slag pastes.” Cem. Concr. Res., 33(7), 1005–1011.
Collins, F., and Sanjayan, J. G. (1999). “Effects of ultra-fine materials on workability and strength of concrete containing alkali-activated slag as the binder.” Cem. Concr. Res., 29(3), 459–462.
Criado, M., Palomo, A., Fernendez-Jimenez, A., and Banfill, P. F. G. (2009). “Alkali activated fly ash: Effect of admixtures on paste rheology.” Rheol. Acta, 48(4), 447–455.
Douglas, E., and Brandstetr, J. (1990). “A preliminary study on the alkali activation of ground granulated blast-furnace slag.” Cem. Concr. Res., 20(5), 746–756.
Duxson, P., Fernández-Jiménez, A., Provis, J. L., Lukey, G. C., Palomo, A., and Van Deventer, J. S. J. (2007). “Geopolymer technology: The current state of the art.” J. Mater. Sci., 42(9), 2917–2933.
Gorhan, G., and Kurklu, G. (2014). “The influence of the NaOH solution on the properties of the fly ash-based geopolymer mortar cured at different temperatures.” Comp.: Part B, 58, 371–377.
Gu, K., Jin, F., Al-Tabbaa, A., Shi, B., and Liu, J. (2014). “Mechanical and hydration properties of ground granulated blast furnace slag pastes activated with MgO-CaO mixtures.” Constr. Build. Mater., 69, 101–108.
Hardjito, D., Wallah, S. E., Sumajouw, D. M. J., and Rangan, B. V. (2004). “On the development of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete.” ACI Mater. J., 101(6), 467–472.
Hu, S., Wang, H., Zhang, G., and Ding, Q. (2008). “Bonding and abrasion resistance of geopolymeric repair material made with steel slag.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 30(3), 239–244.
Karakoca, M. B., Turkmen, I., Maras, M. M., Kantarci, F., Demirboga, R., and Toprak, M. U. (2014). “Mechanical properties and setting time of ferrochrome slag based geopolymer paste and mortar.” Constr. Build. Mater., 72, 283–292.
Khale, D., and Chaudhary, R. (2007). “Mechanism of geopolymerization and factors influencing its development: A review.” J. Mater. Sci., 42(3), 729–746.
Khan, M. I., Azizlin, K., Sufian, S., and Man, Z. (2015). “Sodium silicate-free geopolymers as coating materials: Effects of Na/Al and water/solid ratios on adhesion strength.” Ceram. Int., 41(2), 2794–2805.
Kim, Y. J., Kim, S. C., and Kim, Y. T. (2003). “Corrosion resistance and hydration heat of concrete containing ground granulated blast furnace slag.” KSCE J. Civ. Eng., 7(4), 399–404.
Laskar, A. I., and Bhattacharjee, R. (2013). “Effect of plasticizer and superplasticizer on rheology of fly-ash-based geopolymer concrete.” ACI Mater. J., 110(5), 513–518.
Law, D. W., Adam, A. A., Molyneaux, T. K., and Patnaikuni, T. (2012). “Durability assessment of alkali activated slag (AAS) concrete.” Mater. Struct., 45(9), 1425–1437.
Lee, N. K., and Lee, H. K. (2013). “Setting and mechanical properties of alkali-activated fly ash/slag concrete manufactured at room temperature.” Constr. Build. Mater., 47, 1201–1209.
Memon, F. A., Nuruddin, M. F., and Shafiq, N. (2013). “Effect of silica fume on the fresh and hardened properties of fly ash-based self-compacting geopolymer concrete.” Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 20(2), 205–213.
Morsy, M. S., Alsayed, S. H., Al-Solloum, Y., and Almusallam, T. (2014). “Effect of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratios on strength and microstructure of fly ash geopolymer binder.” Arabian J. Sci. Eng., 39(6), 4333–4339.
Nath, P., and Sarker, P. K. (2014). “Effect of GGBFS on setting, workability and early strength properties of fly ash geopolymer concrete cured in ambient condition.” Constr. Build. Mater., 66, 163–171.
Oner, M., Erdogdu, K., and Gunlu, A. (2003). “Effect of components fineness on strength of blast furnace slag cement.” Cem. Concr. Res., 33(4), 463–469.
Pacheco-Torgal, F., Castro-Gomes, J., and Jalali, S. (2008). “Alkali-activated binders: A review. Part 1: Historical background, terminology, reaction mechanisms and hydration products.” Constr. Build. Mater., 22(7), 1305–1314.
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. (2015a). “Effects of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions on compressive and shear bond strengths of FA-GBFS geopolymer.” Constr. Build. Mater., 91, 1–8.
Phoo-Ngernkham, T., Sata, V., Hanjitsuwan, S., Ridtirud, C., Hatanaka, S., and Chindaprasirt, P. (2015b). “High calcium fly ash geopolymer mortar containing portland cement for use as repair material.” Constr. Build. Mater., 98, 482–488.
Puertas, F., Martinez-Ramirez, S., Alonso, S., and Vazquez, T. (2000). “Alkali-activated fly ash/slag cement strength behaviour and hydration products.” Cem. Concr. Res., 30(10), 1625–1632.
Rao, G. M., and Rao, T. G. (2015). “Final setting time and compressive strength of fly ash and GGBS-based geopolymer paste and mortar.” Arab J. Sci. Eng., 40(11), 3067–3074.
Rattanasak, U., Pankhet, K., and Chindaprasirt, P. (2011). “Effect of chemical admixtures on properties of high-calcium fly ash geopolymer.” Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 18(3), 364–369.
Sakulich, A. R., Anderson, E., Schauer, C. L., and Barsoum, M. W. (2010). “Influence of Si:Al ratio on the microstructural and mechanical properties of a fine-limestone aggregate alkali-activated slag concrete.” Mater. Struct., 43(7), 1025–1035.
Singh, B., Ishwarya, G., Gupta, M., and Bhattacharyya, S. K. (2015). “Geopolymer concrete: A review of some recent developments.” Constr. Build. Mater., 85, 78–90.
Somna, K., Jaturapitakkul, C., Kajitvichyanukul, P., and Chindaprasirt, P. (2011). “NaOH-activated ground fly ash geopolymer cured at ambient temperature.” Fuel, 90(6), 2118–2124.
Song, S., Sohn, D., Jennings, H. M., and Mason, T. O. (2000). “Hydration of alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag.” J. Mater. Sci., 35(1), 249–257.
Swamy, G. J., Sangamithra, A., and Chandrasekar, V. (2014). “Response surface modeling and process optimization of aqueous extraction of natural pigments from Beta vulgaris using Box-Behnken design of experiments.” Dyes Pigments, 111, 64–74.
Teng, S., Lim, T. Y. D., and Divsholi, B. S. (2013). “Durability and mechanical properties of high strength concrete incorporating ultra fine ground granulated blast-furnace slag.” Constr. Build. Mater., 40, 875–881.
Vargas, A. S., Molin, D. C. C. D., Masuero, A. B., Vilela, A. C. F., Castro-Gomes, J., and Gutierrez, R. M. (2014). “Strength development of alkali-activated fly ash produced with combined NaOH and activators.” Cem. Concr. Compos., 53, 341–349.
Vasconcelos, E., Fernandes, S., Barroso de Aguiar, J. L., and Pacheco-Torgal, F. (2011). “Concrete retrofitting using metakaolin geopolymer mortars and CFRP.” Constr. Build. Mater., 25(8), 3213–3221.
Wenzhong, Z., and Jing, Z. (2013). “The effect of elevated temperature on bond performance of alkali-activated GGBFS paste.” J. Wuhan Univ. Tech. Mater. Sci. Ed., 28(4), 721–725.
Xu, H., and Deventer, J. S. J. V. (2000). “The geopolymerisation of alumino-silicate minerals.” Int. J. Miner. Process, 59(3), 247–266.
Yang, K. H., Song, J. K., Ashour, A. F., and Lee, E. T. (2008). “Properties of cementless mortars activated by sodium silicate.” Constr. Build. Mater., 22(9), 1981–1989.
Young, H. D. (1962). Statistical treatment of experimental data, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Yun, K., and Choi, P. (2014). “Causes and controls of cracking at bridge deck overlay with very-early strength latex-modified concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater., 56, 53–62.
Zhu, J., Zhong, Q., Chen, G., and Li, D. (2012). “Effect of particle size of blast furnace slag on properties of portland cement.” Procedia Eng., 27, 231–236.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29 • Issue 5 • May 2017
Copyright
©2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 1, 2016
Accepted: Sep 19, 2016
Published online: Nov 28, 2016
Discussion open until: Apr 28, 2017
Published in print: May 1, 2017
Authors
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.