Fire resistance of geopolymer concrete produced from Elazığ ferrochrome slag

This paper presents the effect of elevated temperatures up to 700 °C on compressive strength and water absorption of two alkali‐activated aluminosilicate composites (one of them is river sand aggregate geopolymer concrete; the other one is crushed sand aggregate geopolymer concrete) and ordinary Portland cement based concretes. To obtain binding geopolymer material, Elaz?? ferrochrome slag was ground as fine as cement, and then it was alkali activated with chemical (NaOH and Na₂SiO₃). Geopolymer concrete samples were produced by mixing this binding geopolymer material with aggregates. At each target temperature, concrete samples were exposed to fire for the duration of 1 h. Fire resistance and water absorption of geopolymer and ordinary Portland cement concrete samples were determined experimentally. Experimental results indicated that compressive strength of geopolymer concrete samples increased at 100 °C and 300 °C temperatures when compared with unexposed samples. In geopolymer concrete samples, the highest compressive strength was obtained from river aggregates ones at 300 °C with 37.06 MPa. Water absorption of geopolymer concrete samples increased at 700 °C temperature when compared with unexposed samples. However, a slight decrease in water absorption of concrete samples was observed up to 300 °C when compared with unexposed samples. SEM and X‐ray diffraction tests were also carried out to investigate microstructure and mineralogical changes during thermal exposure. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of binder content on the performance of alkali-activated slag concretes

This paper assesses the mechanical and durability performance of concretes produced using alkali silicate-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag as sole binder. Alkali-activated concretes are formulated with 300, 400 and 500 kg slag per m³ of fresh concrete, and their performance is compared with reference concretes produced using Portland cement (OPCC). Regardless of the binder content, the alkali-activated slag concretes (AASC) develop higher compressive strength than the comparable reference concretes. A higher binder content leads to increased strength in both AASC and OPCC at 28 days. However, at 90 days, the performance penalty for low binder content is more significant in the OPCC than AASC samples. Permeability, water sorption and carbonation resistance properties are also improved at higher binder contents. By controlling mix design parameters, it is possible to produce AASC with mechanical strength and durability comparable to conventional Portland cement concretes.     

碱–磷渣–粉煤灰混凝土力学性能和耐久性(英文)

研究了用碱激发磷渣_粉煤灰胶凝材料(atkali activated phosphor slag fly ash cement,AAPFC)制各的混凝土的力学性能和耐久性,并用扫描电子显微镜观察了形成的水泥石与骨料的界面结构.结果表明:相对于硅酸盐水泥混凝土,AAPFC混凝土具有强度高,弹性模量较低的特点;其抗冻性和抗氯离子渗透性显著优于硅酸盐水泥混凝土,但抗碳化性不及后者.硅酸盐水泥混凝土中水泥石与骨料界面上存在大量定向排列的Ca(OH)2,造成弱结合,而AAPFC混凝土中水泥石与骨料问结合紧密.     

Thermal expansion of Portland cement paste,mortar and concrete at high temperatures

Results of measurements of thermal expansion of Portland cement paste, mortar, concrete and a dolomitic rock aggregate are presented. Test temperatures ranged from 27 to 871°C. Cement paste contracted when subjected to temperatures from 204 to 871°C. Thermal expansion of mortar and concrete was dominated by thermal expansion characteristics of the mineral aggregate. However, expansion was moderated by contraction of the cement paste matrix at elevated temperatures. Average coefficients of expansion, over specific temperature ranges, are given for the materials tested. Equipment developed to control automatically the rate of heating and record strain vs. temperature relationships is described.     

Effect of transient creep on compressive strength of geopolymer concrete for elevated temperature exposure

The strength and transient creep of geopolymer and ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based material (paste and concrete) were compared at elevated temperatures up to 550 °C. The strength properties were determined using an unstressed hot strength test and unstressed residual strength test for paste and concrete, respectively. At 550 °C, compared with the original strength, the strength of geopolymer was increased by 192% while the strength of OPC paste showed little change. However, after exposure to 550 °C, the residual strength percentage of both geopolymer and OPC concretes was similar. Transient creep data show that geopolymer had little change in transitional thermal creep (TTc) between 250 and 550 °C while OPC paste developed significant TTc in this temperature range. In comparison with OPC concrete, a higher strength loss of geopolymer concrete is thus believed to be due to the absence of TTc to accommodate nonuniform deformation during thermal exposure.     

MgO和CaO对碱矿渣混凝土抗碳化性能的影响

与普通硅酸盐水泥(OPC)混凝土相比,碱矿渣混凝土(AASC)的抗碳化性能较差。为了提高AASC的抗碳化性能,本文采用MgO和CaO代替部分矿渣制备AASC,研究了加速碳化环境下掺MgO和CaO的AASC在不同碳化龄期的抗压强度和碳化深度,并结合 X 射线衍射(XRD)、同步热分析(TG-DTG)和扫描电镜-能谱(SEM-EDS)等技术分析了MgO和CaO对AASC抗碳化性能的改性机理。结果表明,MgO和CaO分别促进了AASC中Mg-Al水滑石和Ca-Al层状结构的生成,这两种水化产物在碳化过程中会吸收和消耗CO₂,缓解C-S-H的碳化分解。此外,加速碳化后,掺入MgO的AASC中有碳酸钙镁和碳酸镁生成,掺入CaO的AASC中碳酸钙的量明显增多,这些碳化产物可有效填充孔隙,阻碍CO₂向内部进一步的扩散。因此,在碳化环境下,掺MgO和CaO的AASC抗压强度保留率更高,碳化深度更低,表现出更好的抗碳化性能。     

Effect of elevated temperatures on mechanical properties of high‐strength concrete containing varying proportions of hematite

Aggregates typically constitute 70 to 80 wt% of concrete, and therefore their type, size, and structure play an essential role in modifying the properties of concrete. When concrete is used for shielding nuclear applications, temperature is also a key factor. This study investigates the effects of elevated temperatures (25 °C, 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C), heating durations (1, 2, and 3 h), and cooling regimes (air, and water cooling) on mechanical properties of concrete containing different proportions of hematite. A sample of plain concrete was produced for comparison purposes by using river sand, crushed sand, and crushed aggregates. Replacement ratios of 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% were used for hematite aggregates. The cement content and water–cement ratio were 450 kg/m³ and 0.38, respectively. Slump values of fresh concretes as well as unit weight, compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, and elasticity modulus values of hardened concrete were determined. The addition of hematite into concrete seems to improve its mechanical properties, and hematite concretes have better thermal stability at elevated temperatures than plain concrete does. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Compressive strength of fly‐ash‐based geopolymer concrete at elevated temperatures

This paper presents the compressive strength of fly‐ash‐based geopolymer concretes at elevated temperatures of 200, 400, 600 and 800 °C. The source material used in the geopolymer concrete in this study is low‐calcium fly ash according to ASTM C618 class F classification and is activated by sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions. The effects of molarities of NaOH, coarse aggregate sizes, duration of steam curing and extra added water on the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete at elevated temperatures are also presented. The results show that the fly‐ash‐based geopolymer concretes exhibited steady loss of its original compressive strength at all elevated temperatures up to 400 °C regardless of molarities and coarse aggregate sizes. At 600 °C, all geopolymer concretes exhibited increase of compressive strength relative to 400 °C. However, it is lower than that measured at ambient temperature. Similar behaviour is also observed at 800 °C, where the compressive strength of all geopolymer concretes are lower than that at ambient temperature, with only exception of geopolymer concrete containing 10 m NaOH. The compressive strength in the latter increased at 600 and 800 °C. The geopolymer concretes containing higher molarity of NaOH solution (e.g. 13 and 16 m ) exhibit greater loss of compressive strength at 800 °C than that of 10 m NaOH. The geopolymer concrete containing smaller size coarse aggregate retains most of the original compressive strength of geopolymer concrete at elevated temperatures. The addition of extra water adversely affects the compressive strength of geopolymer concretes at all elevated temperatures. However, the extended steam curing improves the compressive strength at elevated temperatures. The Eurocode EN1994:2005 to predict the compressive strength of fly‐ash‐based geopolymer concretes at elevated temperatures agrees well with the measured values up to 400 °C. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of cooling methods on residual compressive strength and cracking behavior of fly ash concretes exposed at elevated temperatures

This paper presents the effects of cooling methods on residual compressive strength and cracking behavior of concretes containing four different class F fly ash contents of 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% as partial replacement of cement at various elevated temperatures. The residual compressive strength of the aforementioned fly ash concretes is measured after being exposed to 200, 400, 600 and 800 °C temperatures and two different cooling methods, for example, slow cooling and rapid water cooling. Results show that the residual compressive strengths of all fly ash concretes decrease with increase in temperatures irrespective of cooling regimes, which is similar to that of ordinary concrete. Generally, control ordinary concrete and all fly ash concretes exhibited between 10% and 35% more reduction in residual compressive strength because of rapid cooling than slow cooling except few cases. Cracks are observed over concrete specimens after being exposed to temperatures ranging from 400 to 800 °C. Samples that are slowly cooled developed smaller cracks than those rapidly cooled. At 800 °C, all fly ash concretes that are exposed to rapid cooling showed the most severe cracking. X‐ray diffraction analysis shows reduction of Ca(OH)₂ peak and formation of new calcium silicate peak in concretes containing 20% and 40% fly ash when subjected to 800 °C in both cooling methods. Thermo gravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis results show increase in thermal stability of concrete with increase in fly ash contents. The existing Eurocode also predicted the compressive strength of fly ash concretes with reasonable accuracy when subjected to the aforementioned elevated temperatures and cooling methods. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of glass waste as an activator in the preparation of alkali-activated slag. Mechanical strength and paste characterisation

The alkaline activation of aluminosilicates yields alkaline cements, eco-efficient alternatives to ordinary Portland cements. Alkaline cements and concretes exhibit highest strength and longest durability when activated with a solution of alkaline silicate hydrates (waterglass). To obtain these alkaline silicates, however, an aqueous solution of the proper proportion of carbonate and silica salts must be heated to temperatures of around 1300 °C. The present paper explores the feasibility of using urban and industrial glass waste as a potential alkaline activator for blast furnace slag (AAS).AAS pastes were prepared with three activators: waterglass, a NaOH/Na₂CO₃ mix and the solutions resulting from dissolving glass waste in NaOH/Na₂CO₃. Mechanical, mineralogical (XRD, FTIR) and microstructural (porosimetry, NMR and SEM/EDX) trials were conducted to characterise the pastes obtained.The findings proved the feasibility of using glass waste to alkali activate slag. Treating glass waste with NaOH/Na₂CO₃ (pH = 13.6) favours the partial dissolution of the Si in the glass into its most reactive monomeric form.The solutions resulting from the treatment of glass waste act as alkaline activators, partially dissolving vitreous blast furnace slag. The composition and microstructure of the reaction products identified in the two types of paste were similar. Strength and microstructural development in the pastes activated with glass waste were also comparable to the parameters observed in AAS pastes prepared with conventional activators.     

Eco-friendly concretes with reduced water and cement contents — Mix design principles and laboratory tests

The major environmental impact of concrete is caused by CO₂-emissions during cement production. Great potential for reducing the impact is seen especially for concretes with normal strength. The use of superplasticizers and highly reactive cements as well as optimization of particle-size distribution and reduction in water content allows a significant reduction in Portland cement clinker in the concrete. Essential is the addition of mineral fillers (e.g. limestone powder) to provide an optimal paste volume. In addition, the already practicable substitution of secondary raw materials like fly-ash or furnace-slag for cement clinker is an appropriate option which is however limited by the availability of these resources.In several test series the fresh and hardened concrete properties of concretes with reduced water and cement contents were investigated, especially their workability, strength development, design-relevant mechanical properties as well as durability aspects such as carbonation. It was shown that concretes with cement clinker and slag contents as low as 150 kg/m³ were able to meet the usual requirements of workability, compressive strength (approx. 40 N/mm²) and mechanical properties. The carbonation depth of concretes with 150-175 kg/m³ clinker and slag was equal or lower than the depth of conventional reference concretes for exterior structures. The ecological advantages were identified, using environmental performance evaluation. A reduction of up to 35% in environmental impact was calculated compared with conventional concrete and of more than 60% with granulated blast-furnace slag. Practical application was verified by means of full-scale tests in a precast and ready-mix concrete plant.     

钢渣对硬化水泥浆体结构形成的影响研究

研究了钢渣对水泥强度及体积膨胀率的影响,采用SEM和EDXA分析了水化产物的形貌和微区化学成分,并用XRD对水化产物的矿物组成进行了分析研究。研究结果表明,钢渣的掺入会降低水泥净浆的早期抗压强度,但随钢渣水化的进行,掺钢渣的水泥浆体7d以后的强度增长较快,至120d时净浆抗压强度已与纯硅酸盐水泥相近。掺钢渣的水泥的体积膨胀率比纯硅酸盐水泥的体积膨胀率大,钢渣水泥的体积膨胀率主要取决于钢渣中的fCaO含量。掺钢渣水泥的主要水化产物组成和形貌与纯硅酸盐水泥无明显差别,所不同的是C-S-H凝胶中有较多的铁相。掺钢渣水泥的水化产物主要有C2SH(C)、AFt和Ca(OH)2。     

Properties of pumice aggregate concretes at elevated temperatures and comparison with ANN models

The mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of concretes including pumice aggregate (PA) exposed to elevated temperature were analyzed by thermal conductivity, compressive strength, flexure strength, dynamic elasticity modulus (DEM) and dry unit weight tests. PA concrete specimens were cast by replacing a varying part of the normal aggregate (0–2 mm) with the PA. All concrete samples were prepared and cured at 23 ± 10C lime saturated water for 28 days. Compressive strength of concretes including PA decreased that reductions were 14, 19, 25 and 34% for 25, 50, 75 and 100% PA, respectively. The maximum thermal conductivity of 1.9382 W/mK was observed with the control samples containing normal aggregate. The tests were carried out by subjecting the samples to a temperature of 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 500, 600 and 700 °C for 3 h, then cooling by air cooling or in water method. The results indicated that all concretes exposed to a temperature of 500 and 700 °C occurred a significant decrease in thermal conductivity, compressive strength, flexure strength and DEM. An artificial neural network (ANN) approach was used to model the thermal and mechanical properties of PA concretes. The predicted values of the ANN were in accordance with the experimental data. The results indicate that the model can predict the concrete properties after elevated temperatures with adequate accuracy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnesium sulfate attack on hardened blended cement pastes under different circumstances

This paper describes the sulfate resistance of some hardened blended Portland cement pastes. The blending materials used were silica fume (SF), slag, and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃, CC?). The blended cement pastes were prepared by using W/S ratio of 0.3. The effects of immersion in 10% MgSO₄ solution under different conditions (room temperature, 60 °C, and drying-immersion cycles at 60 °C) on the compressive strength of the various hardened blended cement pastes were studied. Slag and CC? improve the sulfate resistance of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) paste. Mass change of the different mixes immersed in sulfate solution at 60 °C with drying-immersion cycles was determined. The drying-immersion cyclic process at 60 °C accelerates sulfate attacks. This process can be considered an accelerated method to evaluate sulfate resistance of hardened cement pastes, mortars, and concretes.     

Effect of elevated temperatures on concrete incorporating ferronickel slag as fine aggregate

This study evaluates the effect of elevated temperature exposure on concrete incorporating ferronickel slag (FNS) as a replacement of natural sand. Concrete cylinders were exposed up to 800°C, and the changes in compressive strength, mass, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and microstructure were investigated. The concretes containing up to 100% FNS aggregate showed no spalling and similar cracking to that of the concrete using 100% natural sand. For exposures up to 600°C, the residual strengths of concretes containing 50% FNS were 7% to 10% smaller than the concrete with 100% sand. Use of 30% fly ash as cement replacement improved residual strength by pozzolanic reaction for exposures up to 600°C. An equation has been found from the correlation between residual strength and UPV. Therefore, UPV can be used as a nondestructive test to estimate the extent of postfire damage and residual strength of concrete incorporating FNS aggregate and fly ash.     

High temperature behaviour of ambient cured alkali-activated materials based on ladle slag

This paper investigates the thermal properties of alkali activated materials (AAMs) made from ladle slag, a by-product from electric arc furnaces. AAMs have the potential to exhibit improved durability in high temperature environments over conventional materials such as ordinary Portland cement due to a reduced concentration of hydrated phases in their structure. A series of samples with varying compositional ratios was synthesised from a combination of ladle slag and metakaolin or ladle slag and fly ash. Ambient cured AAMs of moderate compressive strengths (between 11 and 46 MPa) were achieved. Samples were exposed to temperatures up to 1000 °C and analysed for residual strength, thermal expansion, phase and microstructural changes. The ladle slag and fly ash based AAMs exhibited superior strength gains and better thermal stability than the ladle slag and metakaolin based AAMs believed to be due to unstable C–A–S–H phases formed in the latter group of samples.     

Prediction of capillary transport of alkali activated slag cementitious binders under unsaturated conditions by elliptical pore shape modeling

By modelling pore cross-sections as ellipses, this paper advances a recent model for predicted unsaturated water flow within concrete (Collins and Sanjayan, J Porous Mater doi:, 2008). Predicted and measured unsaturated flow within concretes composed of two different cementitious binders, namely alkali activated slag (AAS) and ordinary Portland cement (OPC), are contrasted. AAS has environmental benefit due to significantly less energy required (than OPC) during manufacture, however predictive modelling of unsaturated flow of water within AAS concrete has had no prior investigation. Factors that significantly affect unsaturated flow within concrete, including age of sample and the type of sample conditioning (curing) prior to testing, are analysed. The prediction model, incorporating elliptical cross-sectional pore shape, shows reasonable agreement with sorptivity test data for AAS, however the circular cross-section better predicts unsaturated flow within OPC concrete. Although, the actual pore cross-sections are neither truly circular nor elliptical, adoption of an equivalent ellipse for AAS significantly reduces the margin between the predicted and measured water uptake.     

The effect of temperature on the rate of sulfate attack of Portland cement blended mortars in Na2SO4 solution

Sulfate attack on Portland cement and Portland blended cement concretes is a well-researched field. However, the effect of varying temperature on the rate of sulfate attack requires further attention. This laboratory experiment studied temperatures of 23 °C, 10 °C, 5 °C, and 1 °C. Both Portland and Portland limestone cements were studied in combination with several supplementary cementing materials. The mortar bars were submerged in 5% Na2SO4 (33,800 ppm SO₄^2 −) solution for 15–30 months. At higher temperatures the supplementary cementing materials, particularly the fly ashes, greatly improved the resistance to external sulfate attack. At lower temperatures the metakaolin improved the resistance to sulfate attack; the fly ashes had little to no effect on the low-temperature sulfate resistance. The alterations to sulfate resistance are attributed to: dilution of Portland cement in the presence of supplementary cementing materials; additional nucleation sites provided by finely ground SCMs; and the pozzolanic and hydraulic reactions of the SCMs.     

Effect of blended inorganic salts containing negative hydration ions on hydration and properties of alkali-activated slag cement

Water glass (WG) is generally considered to be the most effective activator to prepare alkali-activated slag (AAS) cement in terms of strength and durability. However, the rapid setting and hardening of WG activated slag results in rapid loss of fluidity of AAS concrete mixture, which limits its engineering application. In the paper, the effect of blended inorganic salts containing negative hydration ions on the fluidity, setting time and mechanical strength of AAS cement was studied. The hydration process and hydration products were used to explore the action mechanism. Ba(NO₃)₂ greatly delayed the hydration of AAS cement. The four inorganic salts (KCl, KNO₃, KBr and NaCl) blended with a small amount of Ba(NO₃)₂ can improve both the initial fluidity and fluidity retention, and a wide setting time range can be obtained to meet engineering requirements. The compressive strength decreased with the increase of inorganic salts. The incorporation of inorganic salt did not change the composition of the main hydration products. Considering the fluidity required by construction, mechanical properties and the durability of structure, it is recommended to add 4%–5% KBr or KNO₃ blended with no more than 0.2% Ba(NO₃)₂ into AAS cement.     

Effect of elevated temperatures and cooling regimes on normal strength concrete

The compressive strength of normal strength concrete at elevated temperatures up to 700^°C and the effect of cooling regimes were investigated and compared in this study. Thus, two different mixture groups with initial strengths of 20 and 35 MPa were produced by using river sand, normal aggregate and portland cement. Thirteen different temperature values were chosen from 50 to 700^°C. The specimens were heated for 3 h at each temperature. After heating, concretes were cooled to room temperature either in water rapidly or in laboratory conditions gradually. The residual strengths were determined by an axial compressive strength test. Strength and unit weight losses were compared with the initial values. Throughout this study, ASTM and Turkish Standards were used. It was observed that concrete properties deteriorated with the heat; however, a small increase in strength was observed from 50 to 100^°C. Strength loss was more significant on the specimens rapidly cooled in water. Both concrete mixtures lost a significant part of their initial strength when the temperature reached 700^°C. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.