Abstract
This paper reports a novel methodology to manufacture geopolymer coarse aggregate (GPA) using low calcium fly ash. The developed methodology is outlined together with a systematic experimental study undertaken to examine a viable manufacturing process for GPA production and the consideration of key mechanical properties and durability characteristics of GPA concrete up to 90 days. GPA with a dry compressive strength in excess of 50 MPa can be manufactured using a solid cylindrical mould with compression applied using a cylindrical piston. The key mechanical properties investigated for GPA concrete demonstrate a good correlation with the compressive strength to conventional crushed aggregate concrete. Concrete with mean compressive strength up to 37 MPa can be produced using the innovative GPA concrete. The GPA concrete demonstrates low water and air permeability indicating that the material is a high-quality concrete with a dense pore structure. Overall, GPA investigated in this research shows potential as a lightweight coarse aggregate in portland cement concrete, with the significant additional benefit of addressing and reducing the environmental impact of fly ash from coal fired power generation.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to express their thanks to Polyagg Pty Ltd. for the financial support of this research. Further authors acknowledge the Civil and Infrastructure Engineering laboratory at RMIT University, providing technical and scientific assistance throughout the experimental works.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 11 • November 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 15, 2017
Accepted: May 15, 2018
Published online: Aug 30, 2018
Published in print: Nov 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Jan 30, 2019
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