Properties of Fly Ash Geopolymer Concrete as Marine Artificial Reef Building Materials
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 2
Abstract
The twenty-first century is known as the “century of the ocean.” Artificial reefs have been extensively studied and used worldwide as the main infrastructure of marine pastures. At present, research has been primarily focused on developing new environmentally friendly artificial reef construction materials with low emissions, low alkalinity, low cost, and great durability. As a novel low-carbon and environmentally friendly construction material, geopolymer presents considerable potential for building artificial reefs. By changing the alkali-activator dosage, this investigation prepared fly ash geopolymer concrete (FGC) with different strength grades. FGC’s mechanics, durability, and marine environmental compatibility were systematically studied as a marine artificial reef construction material. The effect of curing temperature on the performance of FGC was also investigated. Results indicated that the design grade of FGC against sulfate erosion can reach above KS150, and the maximum electric flux of the experimental group is 300.76 C. Moreover, FGC has good compatibility with marine environments. High-temperature maintenance can significantly improve each performance of FGC. Microstructural analysis was performed through a scanning electron microscope secondary electron (SEM-SE), SEM backscattered electrons (SEM-BSE), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and a mercury intrusion porosimeter (MIP). Results showed that the FGC matrix porosity decreases with the increase of alkali-activator dosage, which causes denser pore structures. In addition, the active calcium-containing components in the calcareous aggregate will participate in the geopolymer reaction and generate calcium-rich gel in the interfacial transition zone (ITZ), thus enhancing the mechanical and durability of the material. In conclusion, as a low-carbon construction material, FGC has a broad application prospect in marine artificial reef construction.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U20A20324), National Natural Science Foundation of China (52272016), and Liaoning Province Key Project of Research and Development Plan (2020JH2/10100016).
Author contributions: Wanli Wang: methodology, formal analysis, and writing—original draft. Baomin Wang: resources, conceptualization, writing—review and editing, and supervision. Lin Shen: formal analysis, and writing—review and editing. Chengcheng Fan: formal analysis and writing—review and editing.
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 2 • February 2024
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 1, 2023
Accepted: Jun 1, 2023
Published online: Nov 20, 2023
Published in print: Feb 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Apr 20, 2024
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