Strength and microstructure of class C fly ash based geopolymer activated with sodium silicate powder

XueYing Li EnZu Zheng YaDing Zhao ChunLong Ma Sch. of Civil Eng., Harbin Inst. of Technol., Harbin, China This paper appears in: Consumer Electronics, Communications and Networks (CECNet), 2011 International Conference on Issue Date: 16-18 April 2011 On page(s): 1672 - 1675 Location: XianNing Print ISBN: 978-1-61284-458-9 INSPEC Accession Number: 12055934 Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/CECNET.2011.5769265 Date of Current Version: 16 May 2011

ABSTRACT The compressive strength and microstructural characteristics of class C fly ash based geopolymer activated with sodium silicate powder were investigated. The geopolymer samples with the highest strength 44.6MPa were obtained when the mass ratio of water to milled fly ash (W/F) was 0.28 and then followed by curing at 70C for 30h. In the XRD patterns, many crystalline zeolithic phases were found. The results of SEM-EXDA indicated that for geopolymer with lower W/F, the structure was more compact and excess calcium played an important role in the form of geopolymeric gel.

Workability and strength of coarse high calcium fly ash geopolymer

by P Chindaprasirt, T Chareerat, V Sirivivatnanon Materials Science Miscellaneous Papers Cement and Concrete Composites (2007) Volume: 29, Issue: 3, Pages: 224-229

ISSN: 09589465 DOI: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2006.11.002

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Abstract
In this paper, the basic properties viz., workability and strength of geopolymer mortar made from coarse lignite high calcium fly ash were investigated. The geopolymer was activated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate and

heat. The results revealed that the workable flow of geopolymer mortar was in the range of 110 5%-135 5% and was dependent on the ratio by mass of sodium silicate to NaOH and the concentration of NaOH. The obtained compressive strength was in the range of 10-65 MPa. The optimum sodium silicate to NaOH ratio to produce high strength geopolymer was 0.67-1.0. The concentration variation of NaOH between 10 M and 20 M was found to have a small effect on the strength. The geopolymer samples with high strength were obtained with the following practices: the delay time after moulding and before subjecting the sample to heat was 1 h and the optimum curing temperature in the oven was 75 C with the curing duration of not less than two days.

Compressive strength and degree of reaction of biomass- and fly ash-based geopolymer
by Smith Songpiriyakij, Teinsak Kubprasit, Chai Jaturapitakkul, Prinya Chindaprasirt Materials Science Cement Papers Construction and Building Materials (2010) Volume: 24, Issue: 3, Publisher: Elsevier Ltd, Pages: 236-240

ISSN: 09500618 DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2009.09.002

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Abstract
Rice husk and bark ash (RHBA) was used as a rich SiO2 source to partially replace fly ash in making geopolymer. Consequently, the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio was extended to the wide range of 4.03-1035. Compressive strength, degree of reaction, and microstructure of the geopolymers were investigated to observe the effect of SiO2/Al2O3 ratio. Results revealed that the optimum SiO2/Al2O3 ratio to obtain the highest compressive strength was 15.9. Fly ash was more reactive than RHBA. It was also shown that not only the reactivity of the source materials but also the quality of the matrix contributed to the enhancement of compressive strength of the geopolymer paste.

Compressive strength and microstructural characteristics of class C fly ash geopolymer

by Xiaolu Guo, Huisheng Shi, Warren A Dick Materials Science Miscellaneous Papers Cement and Concrete Composites (2010) Volume: 32, Issue: 2, Publisher: Elsevier Ltd, Pages: 142-147

ISSN: 09589465 DOI: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2009.11.003

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Abstract
Geopolymers prepared from a class C fly ash (CFA) and a mixed alkali activator of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solution were investigated. A high compressive strength was obtained when the modulus of the activator viz., molar ratio of SiO2/Na2O was 1.5, and the proper content of this activator as evaluated by the mass proportion of Na2O to CFA was 10%. The compressive strength of these samples was 63.4MPa when they were cured at 75C for 8h followed by curing at 23C for 28d. In FTIR spectroscopy, the main peaks at 1036 and 1400cm-1 have been attributed to asymmetric stretching of Al-O/Si-O bonds, while those at 747cm-1 are due to the Si-O-Si/Si-O-Al bending band. The main geopolymeric gel and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel co-exist and bond some remaining unreacted CFA spheres as observed in XRD and SEM-EXDA. The presence of gismondine (zeolite) was also observed in the XRD pattern.

Workability and strength of coarse high calcium fly ash geopolymer P. Chindaprasirt , T. Chareerat , V. Sirivivatnanon
a, , , a b

Cement and Concrete Composites Volume 29, Issue 3, March 2007, Pages 224-229
a

Department of Civil Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand CSIRO Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology, North Ryde 2113, Sydney, Australia

Received 10 February 2006; revised 1 August 2006; Accepted 11 November 2006. Available online 27 December 2006.

Abstract
In this paper, the basic properties viz., workability and strength of geopolymer mortar made from coarse lignite high calcium fly ash were investigated. The geopolymer was activated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate and heat. The results revealed that the workable flow of geopolymer mortar was in the range of 110 5%135 5% and was dependent on the ratio by mass of sodium silicate to NaOH and the concentration of NaOH. The obtained compressive strength was in the range of 1065 MPa. The optimum sodium silicate to NaOH ratio to produce high strength geopolymer was 0.671.0. The concentration variation of NaOH between 10 M and 20 M was found to have a small effect on the strength. The geopolymer samples with high strength were obtained with the following practices: the delay time after moulding and before subjecting the sample to heat was 1 h and the optimum curing temperature in the oven was 75 C with the curing duration of not less than two days.

Keywords: Geopolymer ; High calcium fly ash; Lignite; Workability; Strength

Workability and strength of coarse high calcium fly ash geopolymer Original Research Article Cement and Concrete Composites, Volume 29, Issue 3, March 2007, Pages 224-229 P. Chindaprasirt, T. Chareerat, V. Sirivivatnanon Abstract
In this paper, the basic properties viz., workability and strength of geopolymer mortar made from coarse lignite high calcium fly ash were investigated. The geopolymer was activated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate and heat. The results revealed that the workable flow of geopolymer mortar was in the range of 110 5%135 5% and was dependent on the ratio by mass of sodium silicate to NaOH and the concentration of NaOH. The obtained compressive strength was in the range of 1065 MPa. The optimum sodium silicate to NaOH ratio to produce high strength geopolymer was 0.671.0. The concentration variation of NaOH between 10 M and 20 M was found to have a small effect on the strength. The geopolymer samples with high strength were obtained with the following practices: the delay time after moulding and before subjecting the sample to heat was 1 h and the optimum curing temperature in the oven was 75 C with the curing duration of not less than two days.

Preparation of fly ash and rice husk ash geopolymer Original Research Article International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials, Volume 16, Issue 6, December 2009, Pages 720-726 S. Detphan, P. Chindaprasirt Abstract
The geopolymer of fly ash (FA) and rice husk ash (RHA) was prepared. The burning temperature of rice husk, the RHA fineness and the ratio of FA to RHA were studied. The density and strength of the geopolymer mortars with RHA/FA mass ratios of 0/100, 20/80, 40/60, and 60/40 were tested. The geopolymers were activated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate, and heat. It is revealed that the optimum burning temperature of RHA for making FA-RHA geopolymer is 690C. The as-received FA and the ground RHA with 1%-5% retained on No.325 sieve are suitable source materials for making geopolymer, and the obtained compressive strengths are between 12.5-56.0 MPa and are dependent on the ratio of FA/RHA, the RHA fineness, and the ratio of sodium silicate to NaOH. Relatively high strength FA-RHA geopolymer mortars are obtained using a sodium silicate/NaOH mass ratio of 4.0, delay time before subjecting the samples to heat for 1 h, and heat curing at 60C for 48 h .

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Studies on Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete

Djwantoro Hardjito in Malaysian Construction Research Journal (2008)

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Djwantoro Hardjito, Steenie E Wallah, Dody M J Sumajouw, B Vijaya Rangan in Sustainable Development (2004)

3. Compressive Strength and Embodied Energy Optimization of Fly Ash Based Geopolymer Concrete
Brett Tempest, Olanrewaju Sanusi, Janos Gergely, Vincent Ogunro, David Weggel in World (2009)

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Effect of elevated temperatures on geopolymer paste, mortar and concrete Daniel L.Y. Kong , Jay G. Sanjayan
a b,

Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia

Received 7 May 2009; Accepted 20 October 2009. Available online 17 November 2009.

Abstract
Geopolymers are generally believed to provide good fire resistance due to their ceramic-like properties. Previous experimental studies on geopolymer under elevated temperatures have mainly focused on metakaolin- based geopolymers. This paper presents the results of a study on the effect of elevated temperature on geopolymer paste, mortar and concrete made using fly ash as a precursor. The geopolymer was synthesized with sodium silicate and potassium hydroxide solutions. Various experimental parameters have been examined such as specimen sizing, aggregate sizing, aggregate type and superplasticizer type . The study identifies specimen size and aggregate size as the two main factors that govern geopolymer behavior at elevated temperatures (800 C ). Aggregate sizes larger than 10 mm resulted in good strength performances in both ambient and elevated temperatures. Strength loss in geopolymer concrete at elevated temperatures is attributed to the thermal mismatch between the geopolymer matrix and the aggregates. Keywords: Geopolymer ; D. Fly ash; A. Temperature; D. Aggregates; E. Concrete

Assessment of phase formation in alkali activated low and high calcium fly ashes in building materials

Construction and Building Materials Volume 24, Issue 6, June 2010, Pages 1086-1093

Frank Winnefelda, , Andreas Leemanna, Martin Lucuka, b, Pavel Svobodab, Markus Neuroth
a

Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Laboratory for Concrete and Construction Chemistry, berlandstrasse 129, 8600 Dbendorf, Switzerland Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Construction Technology, Thkurova 7, 16629 Praha 6, Czech Republic RWE Power AG, Forschung & Entwicklung, PKR-KV, Kohlequalitt/Versuchsanlagen, Kraftwerk Niederauem, Werkstrasse, 50129 Bergheim, Germany

Received 8 April 2009; revised 15 November 2009; Accepted 18 November 2009. Available online 16 December 2009.

Abstract
The alkali activation of one low calcium hard coal fly ash and four high calcium lignite coal fly ashes was studied by means of conduction calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy to assess their potential for mortar and concrete production. The ashes were activated by different additions of sodium silicate with a molar SiO2/Na2O ratio of 1.0. Besides the chemical analysis of the hydrated samples, strength tests have been carried out on mortars, applying different curing regimes. The results indicate that a high content of vitreous phase and low calcium content are important factors determining the reactivity and performance of fly ashes in alkali activated systems. In the high calcium fly ashes , less alkali aluminate silicate hydrates and a much more porous microstructure are formed compared to the low calcium fly ash . Consequently, the low calcium fly ash seems to be suited best for the production of building materials. Keywords: Fly ash; Alkali-activation; Geopolymer; Cement; Sustainable binder

Properties of geopolymer with seeded fly ash and rice husk bark ash Ali Nazari , Ali Bagheri, Shadi Riahi
,

Materials Science and Engineering: A Volume 528, Issue 24, 15 September 2011, Pages 7395-7401

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran
Received 21 May 2011; revised 9 June 2011; Accepted 9 June 2011. Available online 15 June 2011.

Abstract

In the present work, compressive strength of inorganic polymers (geopolymers) produced of seeded fly ash and rice husk bark ash has been investigated. Different specimens made from a mixture of fly ash and rice husk bark ash in fine and coarse form were subjected to compressive strength tests at 7 and 28 days of curing. The curing regime was different: one set of the specimens were cured at room temperature until reaching to 7 and 28 days and the other sets were oven cured for 36 h at the range of 4090 C and then cured at room temperature until 7 and 28 days. The results indicate that in both 7 and 28 days regimes, the highest strengths are related to the specimens by SiO2/Al2O3 ratio equals 2.99 cured at 80 C . For these specimens, those contained finer fly ash particles show more compressive strength. Thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy both also are in agreement with the obtained results from compressive strength tests. In addition, SEM micrographs of the specimens show that the finer the particle size of the utilized ashes , the denser the microstructure which confirms the results obtained by the strength tests.

Highlights
Seeded mixture of FA and RHBA to produce geopolymers. Compressive strength in conjunction with TGA and FT-IR. SEM and XRD results confirming the final results. Keywords: Geopolymer ; Compressive strength; Particle size; Fly ash; Rice husk bark ash; TGA; FT-IR; SEM; XRD

Mechanical activation of fly ash : Effect on reaction, structure and properties of resulting geopolymer
Sanjay Kumar
, ,

, Rakesh Kumar

Ceramics International Volume 37, Issue 2, March 2011, Pages 533-541

National Metallurgical Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Jamshedpur 831007, India
Received 9 July 2010; revised 26 July 2010; Accepted 22 September 2010. Available online 28 October 2010.

Abstract
Geopolymerisation of mechanically activated fly ash was studied at ambient (27 C ) and elevated (60 C ) temperatures by isothermal conduction calorimeter. Under both the conditions, mechanical activation enhanced the rate and decreased time of reaction. It was interesting to observe that in the samples milled for 45 min (median size 5 m), a broad peak corresponding to geopolymerisation initiated at 27 C after 32 h. The rate maxima at 60 C , a measure of fly ash reactivity, showed a non-linear dependence on particle size and increased rapidly when the median size was reduced to less than 57 m. Improvement in strength properties is correlated with median particle size, and reactivity of fly ash . The characterisation of the geopolymer samples by SEM-EDS, XRD and FTIR

revealed that mechanical activation leads to microstructure and structural variations which can be invoked to explain the variation in the properties. Keywords: B. Microstructure-final; C . Strength; Fly ash; Mechanical activation; Reactivity; Geopolymerisation

Factors affecting the suitability of fly ash as source material for geopolymers
Fuel Volume 89, Issue 5, May 2010, Pages 992-996

E.I. Diaza, 1,

, E.N. Alloucheb,

, S. Eklund

c , 2,

Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, USA Department of Civil Engineering, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272-0046, USA Department of Chemistry, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, USA

Received 12 March 2009; revised 12 August 2009; Accepted 14 September 2009. Available online 30 September 2009.

Abstract
The suitability of fly ash stock piles for geopolymer manufacturing was studied. The results of chemical analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and particle size distribution (PSD) of five sources of fly ash obtained from coal-fired power generating plants in the US are presented. Geopolymer paste and concrete specimens were prepared from each stock pile. The specimens were subjected to an array of chemical and mechanical tests including XRD, RAMAN spectroscopy, setting time and compressive strength. A correlation study was undertaken comparing the fly ash precursor chemical and crystallographic compositions as well as particle size distribution, with the mechanical and chemical characteristics of the resulting geopolymer . Factors inherent to the fly ash stockpile such as particle size distribution, degree of vitrification and location of the glass diffraction maximum were found to play an important role in the fresh and hardened properties of the resulting geopolymer . Keyword: Fly ash; Geopolymer; Characterization

Damage behavior of geopolymer composites exposed to elevated temperatures

Cement and Concrete Composites Volume 30, Issue 10, November 2008, Pages 986-991

Daniel L.Y. Kong, Jay G. Sanjayan

Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia

Received 2 May 2007; revised 8 August 2008; Accepted 8 August 2008. Available online 14 August 2008.

Abstract
This paper presents a study on geopolymers and geopolymer /aggregate composites made with class F fly ash . Samples were heated up to 800 C to evaluate strength loss due to thermal damage. The geopolymers exhibited strength increases of about 53% after temperature exposure. However, geopolymer /aggregate composites with identical geopolymer binder formulations decreased in strength by up to 65% after the same exposure. Test data from dilatometry measurements of geopolymers and aggregates provides an explanation for this behavior. The tests show that the aggregates steadily expanded with temperature, reaching about 1.52.5% expansion at 800 C . Correspondingly, the geopolymer matrix undergoes contraction of about 1% between 200 C and 300 C and a further 0.6% between 700 C and 800 C . This apparent incompatibility is concluded to be the cause of the observed strength loss. This study presents the results of 15 different geopolymer combinations (i.e. mixture proportions, curing and age) and four different aggregates. Keywords: Geopolymer ; Fly ash; Elevated temperature; Dilatometry; Strength; Aggregates; Concrete

NaOH-activated ground fly ash geopolymer cured at ambient temperature

Fuel ,Volume 90, Issue 6, June 2011, Pages 2118-2124

Kiatsuda Somnaa, Chai Jaturapitakkulb, Puangrat Kajitvichyanukul

a

c ,d

, Prinya Chindaprasirte,

Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkuts University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkuts University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand National Center of Excellence for Environmental and Hazardous Waste Management, Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkuts University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand Sustainable Infrastructure Research and Development Center, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand

Received 8 March 2010; revised 11 January 2011; Accepted 12 January 2011. Available online 11 March 2011.

Abstract
NaOH-activated ground fly ash geopolymers, cured at room temperature, were studied in this paper. Ground fly ash (GFA), with a median particle size of 10.5 m, was used as source material. NaOH concentrations of 4.516.5 M (M) were used as an alkali activator. Compressive strength tests and microstructure observations using SEM, EDX, XRD and FTIR were performed. Results indicated that GFA gave higher strength geopolymer paste compared to original fly ash . Ground fly ash could be used as a source material for making geopolymers cured at room temperature. An increase in NaOH concentration from 4.5 to 14.0 M increased the strength of GFA geopolymer pastes. Microstructure studies indicated that NaOH concentrations of 12.014.0 M created new crystalline products of sodium aluminosilicate. The compressive strengths at 28 days of 20.023.0 MPa were obtained with the NaOH concentrations of 9.514.0 M. Increasing the NaOH concentration beyond this point resulted in a decrease in the strength of the paste due to early precipitation of aluminosilicate products.

Highlights
Sodium hydroxide-activated ground fly ash cured at room temperature can be produced with reasonable strength. A 28 day compressive strength of 20.0 23.0 MPa was obtained with NaOH concentration in the range 9.514.0 M. Ground fine high calcium fly ash can be used as a source material for making geopolymers cured at ambient temperature. Keywords: Geopolymer ; Fly ash; NaOH; Microstructure; Strength

Influence of calcium compounds on the mechanical properties of fly ash geopolymer pastes
Journal of Hazardous Materials Volume 167, Issues 1-3, 15 August 2009, Pages 82-88

J. Temuujin

, A. van Riessen, R. Williams

Centre for Materials Research, Department of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Received 6 August 2008; revised 1 December 2008; Accepted 17 December 2008. Available online 7 January 2009.

Abstract
The influence of calcium compounds (CaO and Ca(OH)2) on the mechanical properties of fly ash based geopolymers has been studied. Calcium compounds were substituted in fly ash at 1, 2 and 3 wt%, respectively. Curing of the geopolymers was performed at ambient temperature (20 C ) and 70 C . Addition of calcium compounds as a fly ash substitute improved mechanical properties for the ambient temperature cured samples while decreasing properties for the 70 C cured samples. Seven days compressive strength of the ambient temperature cured samples increased from 11.8 (2.9) to 22.8 (3.8) MPa and 29.2 (1.1) MPa for 3% CaO and 3% Ca(OH)2 additions, respectively.

Experimental investigations and ANFIS prediction of water absorption of geopolymers produced by waste ashes
Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids Volume 358, Issue 1, 1 January 2012, Pages 40-46

Ali Nazari
a

, a,

, Shadi Riahia

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran

Received 31 May 2011; revised 21 August 2011; Available online 17 September 2011.

Abstract
In the present work, percentage of water absorption of geopolymers made from seeded fly ash and rice husk bark ash has been predicted by adaptive network-based fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS). Different specimens, made from a mixture of fly ash and rice husk bark ash in fine and coarse, water glass and NaOH solution, were subjected to permeability tests at 7 and 28 days of curing. The curing regime was different: one set cured at room temperature until reaching to 7 and 28 days and the other sets were oven cured for 36 h at the range of 4090 C and then cured at room temperature until 7 and 28 days. A model based on ANFIS for predicting the percentage of water absorption of the specimens has been presented. To build the model, training and testing using experimental results from 120 specimens were conducted. According to these input parameters, in the ANFIS models, the percentage of water absorption of each specimen was predicted. The training and testing results in the ANFIS models have shown a strong potential for predicting the percentage of water absorption of the geopolymer specimens.

Highlights
Seeded mixture of waste FA and RHBA to produce geopolymers. Water permeability structure in conjunction with FT-IR. ANFIS to predict geopolymer properties. Keywords: Geopolymer; Percentage of water absorption; Fly ash; Rice husk bark ash; ANFIS

Stressstrain behaviour and abrupt loss of stiffness of geopolymer at elevated temperatures

Cement and Concrete Composites Volume 32, Issue 9, October 2010, Pages 657-664

Zhu Pana, Jay G. Sanjayanb,

a

Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia

Received 6 October 2009; revised 15 June 2010; Accepted 10 July 2010. Available online 15 July 2010.

Abstract
This paper reports stress versus strain curves of geopolymer tested while the specimens were kept at elevated temperatures, with the aim to study the fire resistance of geopolymer. Tests were performed at temperatures from 23 to 680 C and after cooling. Hot strengths of geopolymer increased when the temperature increased from 290 to 520 C, reaching the highest strength at 520 C, which is almost double that of its initial strength at room temperature. However, glass transition behaviour was observed to occur between 520 and 575 C, which was characterised by abrupt loss of stiffness and significant viscoelastic behaviour. The glass transition temperature is determined to be 560 C. Further, the strength reductions occurred during cooling to room temperature. This is attributed to the damage due to brittle nature of the material making it difficult to accommodate thermal strain differentials during cooling phase. Keywords: Geopolymer; Strength; Glass transition; Elevated temperatures; Fire; Stress versus strain; Hot strength

The effects of Na2O/SiO2 molar ratio, curing temperature and age on compressive strength, morphology and microstructure of alkali-activated fly ash-based geopolymers
Cement and Concrete Composites Volume 33, Issue 6, July 2011, Pages 653-660

Alexandre Silva de Vargasa, da Silva

a
d, e

, Denise C.C. Dal Molinb,

f,

, Antnio C.F. Vilelac,

, Felipe Jos

, Bruno Pavo , Hugo Veit

Materials Technology and Industrial Processes, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil Department of Civil Engineering, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFGRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFGRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil School of Civil Engineering, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFGRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFGRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil

Received 15 March 2009; revised 28 February 2011; Accepted 10 March 2011. Available online 21 March 2011.

Abstract

Fly ashes (FA) are byproducts of electricity production from mineral coal in thermoelectric power plants. The pozzolanic properties of FA have been utilized in various applications, including structural concrete, yet the large part of FA is still discarded into the environment. To promote greater FA usage, this study aims to produce a dense matrix, with mechanical properties satisfactory for civil engineering projects, from alkali-activated fly ash-based geopolymers. Three variables were studied: the Na2O/SiO2 molar ratio (N/S 0.20, N/S 0.30 and N/S 0.40); curing temperature in the first 24 h (50, 65 and 80 C); and age (1, 7, 28, 91 and 180 days). For this study, alkali-activated fly ash pastes and mortars were prepared. In pastes, morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS) and microstructural properties with X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. Mortars were evaluated according to their mechanical performance measured using compression strength tests. Compression strength results were analysed using ANOVA. The results show that the N/S molar ratio plays an important role in the mechanical and morphological characteristics of geopolymers. The mortars prepared with a N/S 0.40 molar ratio had the greatest compression strength. The analysis of paste morphology revealed that N/S 0.40 pastes had a denser appearance, which is in agreement with results of compression strength tests. Keywords: Fly ashes; Alkali activation; Residues; Geopolymers

Factors influencing softening temperature and hot-strength of geopolymers

Cement and Concrete Composites

Zhu Pana, Jay G. Sanjayanb,

a

Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia Faculty of Engineering & Industrial Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia

Received 23 March 2011; revised 26 September 2011; Accepted 27 September 2011. Available online 19 October 2011.

Abstract
This paper presents the effects of cation type , silicate concentration, compositions of low-calcium fly ash and test load on softening temperature and hot-strength (loaded while at high temperature) of fly ash - based geopolymers. It was found that softening temperature (Ts) of sodium (Na) based - geopolymer remained the same (610 C 20 C ) regardless of the silicate concentration, fly ash composition, and test load. However, when the cation was changed from sodium to potassium (K), the Ts increased to 800 C . Further, when Na/K is mixed, the Ts dropped to 570 C . Significant increases in hot-strengths (at 530 C and 730 C ) were found in all geopolymers. This increase in strength was observed to be in conjunction with heat release, indicating an exothermic reaction. Since the reaction

between fly ash and activators is exothermic, this reaction is believed to be the reason for the strength gain at high temperatures. Keywords: Geopolymer; High temperature; Compressive strength; Alkali activated cement; Glass transition