Effect of nano-silica on the chemical durability and mechanical performance of fly ash based geopolymer concrete

In this study, the effect of nano silica on the short term severe durability performance of fly ash based geopolymer concrete (GPC) specimens was investigated. Four types of GPC were produced with two types of low calcium fly ashes (FAI and FAII) with and without nano silica, and ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPC) concrete was also cast for reference. For the geopolymerization process, the alkaline activator has selected a mixture of sodium silicate solution (Na₂SiO₃) and sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) with a ratio (Na₂SiO₃/ NaOH) of 2.5. Main objectives of the study were to investigate the effect of usability or replaceability of nano silica-based low calcium fly ash based geopolymer concretes instead of OPC concrete in structural applications and make a contribution to standardization process of the fly ash based geopolymer concrete. To achieve the goals, four types of geopolymer and OPC concretes were subjected to sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) and seawater (NaCl) solutions with concentrations of 5%, 5%, and 3.5%, respectively. Visual appearances and weight changes of the concretes under chemical environments were utilized for durability aspects. Compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strength tests were also performed on specimens to evaluate the mechanical performance under chemical environments. Results indicated that FAGPC concretes showed superior performance than OPC concrete under chemical attacks due to low calcium content. Amongst the chemical environments, sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) was found to be the most dangerous environment for all concrete types. In addition, nano silica (NS) addition to FAGPC specimens improved both durability and residual mechanical strength due to the lower porosity and more dense structure. The FAIIGPC specimens including nano silica showed the superior mechanical performance under chemical environment.     

Resistance of geopolymer materials to acid attack

This article presents an investigation into durability of geopolymer materials manufactured using a class F fly ash (FA) and alkaline activators when exposed to 5% solutions of acetic and sulfuric acids. The main parameters studied were the evolution of weight, compressive strength, products of degradation and microstructural changes. The degradation was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The performance of geopolymer materials when exposed to acid solutions was superior to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) paste. However, significant degradation of strength was observed in some geopolymer materials prepared with sodium silicate and with a mixture of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide as activators. The deterioration observed was connected to depolymerisation of the aluminosilicate polymers in acidic media and formation of zeolites, which in some cases lead to a significant loss of strength. The best performance was observed in the geopolymer material prepared with sodium hydroxide and cured at elevated temperature, which was attributed to a more stable cross-linked aluminosilicate polymer structure formed in this material.     

Sulfate attack on alkali-activated slag concrete

This paper presents an investigation into durability of alkali-activated slag (AAS) concrete in sulfate environment. Two tests were used to determine resistance of AAS concrete to sulfate attack. These tests involved immersion in 5% magnesium sulfate and 5% sodium sulfate solutions. The main parameters studied were evolution of compressive strength, products of degradation, and microstructural changes. After 12 months of exposure to the sodium sulfate solution, the strength decrease was up to 17% for AAS concrete and up to 25% for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. After the same period of exposure to the magnesium sulfate solution, the compressive strength decrease was more substantial, up to 37% for OPC and 23% for AAS. The main products of degradation were ettringite and gypsum in the case of Portland cement and gypsum in AAS. OPC samples had significant expansion, cracking, and loss of concrete, while AAS samples were not expanded but cracked in the test. During experiments with the sodium sulfate solution, some increase in strength of AAS concrete was recorded, likely due to continuing hydration.     

Utilisation of steel furnace slag coarse aggregate in a low calcium fly ash geopolymer concrete

This paper evaluates the performance of steel furnace slag (SFS) coarse aggregate in blended slag and low calcium fly ash geopolymer concrete (GPC). The geopolymer binder is composed of 90% of low calcium fly ash and 10% of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Mechanical and physical properties, shrinkage, and detailed microstructure analysis were carried out. The results showed that geopolymer concrete with SFS aggregate offered higher compressive strength, surface resistivity and pulse velocity than that of GPC with traditional aggregate. The shrinkage results showed no expansion or swelling due to delayed calcium oxide (CaO) hydration after 320 days. No traditional porous interfacial transition zone (ITZ) was detected using scanning electron microscopy, indicating a better bond between SFS aggregate and geopolymer matrix. Energy dispersive spectroscopy results further revealed calcium (Ca) diffusion at the vicinity of ITZ. Raman spectroscopy results showed no new crystalline phase formed due to Ca diffusion. X-ray fluorescence result showed Mg diffusion from SFS aggregate towards geopolymer matrix. The incorporation of Ca and Mg into the geopolymer structure and better bond between SFS aggregate and geopolymer matrix are the most likely reasons for the higher compressive strength observed in GPC with SFS aggregate.     

铝土矿选尾矿制备硅铝聚合材料的反应产物及抗化学侵蚀性能(英文)

以煅烧铝土矿选尾矿为硅铝质原料,以矿渣微粉为促硬剂,以水玻璃为激发剂,制备得到了硅铝聚合材料。运用X射线衍射、扫描电镜、热分析研究了硬化浆体的反应产物及其微观形貌、热性质。通过观察3%硫酸钠溶液、3%硫酸镁溶液、5%硫酸溶液、5%盐酸溶液对砂浆试样外观、质量、强度的影响,研究了其抗化学侵蚀性能,并比较了其与铝酸盐水泥、快硬早强硫铝酸盐水泥、中抗硫酸盐硅酸盐水泥及矿渣硅酸盐水泥的区别。结果表明:反应并不生成晶体物质,而是无定形态的铝硅酸盐;硬化体中呈现片层状显微形貌的物质能够吸附水分,从而在灼烧过程中表现为脱水吸热及质量损失;该片层状物质随着龄期的延长而变得愈发细小和复杂,进而在宏观上表现为强度增长及脱水温度升高;硅铝聚合砂浆分别经3%硫酸钠溶液、3%硫酸镁溶液浸泡28d后,与各水泥砂浆试样比较,其不仅外观完整,而且强度并没有下降,反而具有几乎相同的强度增长,即说明其具有更优异的抗硫酸侵蚀性能;硅铝聚合砂浆与各水泥砂浆经稀酸溶液浸泡28d后,前者不仅能保持原始外观,而且表现为更低的质量及强度损失。     

干湿循环-硫酸盐侵蚀下矿物掺和料对混凝土耐久性的影响

研究了干湿循环-硫酸盐侵蚀耦合作用下,纯水泥混凝土、粉煤灰掺量10%和20%的粉煤灰混凝土及矿粉掺量15%和30%的矿粉混凝土的质量损失率、抗压强度和氯离子扩散系数的演变规律.采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、能谱分析研究了侵蚀后试件的微观形貌与物质元素组成.结果表明干湿循环-硫酸盐侵蚀耦合作用下混凝土性能发展分为2个阶段:即侵蚀初期性能的提高段与随后性能的劣化段:矿物掺和料的掺入不能改善混凝土的抗干湿循环-硫酸盐侵蚀性能.     

掺复合掺合料混凝土抗硫酸盐侵蚀性能研究

研究了钢渣-矿渣-粉煤灰复合掺合料的混凝土在硫酸盐及干湿交替硫酸盐环境中的强度、膨胀率及剥落量。结果表明:在干湿循环环境中,硫酸盐结晶引起的破坏远大于化学侵蚀引起的破坏。复合掺合料能有效抑制硫酸盐化学侵蚀引起的膨胀破坏,但掺加复合掺合料的混凝土抗硫酸盐结晶破坏的能力有明显降低。     

掺钢渣-矿渣-粉煤灰复合微粉混凝土性能研究

研究了由钢渣-矿渣-粉煤灰制备的复合微粉对混凝土强度、收缩性能和氯离子渗透性能的影响。结果表明：在同水胶比下,复合微粉等量取代水泥后,混凝土7d强度低于普通混凝土的强度,当复合微粉掺量小于45％时,其28d及以后强度高于普通混凝土。在同水胶比下,复合微粉等量取代水泥后,可有效降低混凝土的干燥收缩,且混凝土的抗氯离子渗透性能显著提高。     

地质聚合物的土木工程耐久性能的研究进展

地质聚合物是由硅铝酸盐材料通过碱激发形成,具有网络结构和无定形性质的胶凝材料。由于地质聚合物具有优于普通硅酸盐水泥的力学性能,并且制备过程中CO2排放量较少等优点,被认为是硅酸盐水泥的良好替代品。尽管相当部分的研究者认为地聚物的耐久性也要好于普通硅酸盐水泥,但其他研究者对此持怀疑态度并认为很多方面还需进一步的研究。本文回顾了近几年有关地聚物耐久性研究的现状和进展,总结和讨论了地聚物的吸水性、碳化、硫酸盐侵蚀、酸腐蚀、碱-集料反应和氯离子渗透等耐久性能及其作用机理的研究成果,并提出了现有研究存在的主要问题。     

大掺量矿物掺合料混凝土抗盐冻性能研究

开展了普通混凝土、复掺粉煤灰和矿粉的大掺量矿物掺和料混凝土(HVMAC)分别在清水、5％ MgSO4溶液、10％ NaCl溶液、5％ Na2SO4 +5％ MgCl2复合溶液中的快速冻融试验,以试件的质量、动弹性模量及抗压强度变化表征混凝土在盐冻作用下的抗冻性能.结果表明,两种混凝土试件在清水中的冻融破坏比盐溶液中严重,普通混凝土在MgSO4溶液中形成致密结构,破坏较小,在NaCl溶液中,HVMAC对溶液的吸收较小,其破坏程度较轻,混凝土在5％ Na2SO4 +5％ MgCl2复合溶液中几乎没有劣化,综合考虑,HVMAC的抗盐冻性最好.     

矿物掺合料与水胶比对混凝土耐久性的影响研究

为研究矿物掺合料与水胶比对混凝土耐久性的影响,测试了不同混凝土的抗氯离子渗透性、抗冻性、耐磨性和抗硫酸盐侵蚀性能,采用灰色关联分析的方法,分析了矿物掺合料掺量、水胶比和混凝土耐久性之间的关联程度和关联极性。研究结果表明:粉煤灰和矿渣粉掺入会提高混凝土的抗氯离子渗透性,并存在最佳掺量,本文水胶比为0.38的混凝土,粉煤灰和矿渣粉掺量为15%时,混凝土的抗氯离子渗透性最高。矿物掺合料掺量与混凝土相对动弹性模量、耐磨度和抗硫酸盐侵蚀系数为正关联;水胶比增大会导致混凝土的抗氯离子渗透性降低,与混凝土相对动弹性模量、耐磨度和抗硫酸盐腐蚀系数为负关联。     

利用电炉氧化钢渣制备混凝土矿物掺合料的研究

研究了磨细电炉氧化钢渣对水泥标准稠度需水量、水泥净浆流动度以及混凝土抗压强度、抗渗性、抗冻性、抗碳化等性能指标的影响.研究结果表明,磨细钢渣具有令人满意的减水效果且与混凝土减水剂有较好的适应性;适量磨细钢渣掺入混凝土中对混凝土抗压强度以及耐久性能影响不大;将磨细钢渣与磨细粉煤灰或矿渣混掺可以发挥复合效应,提高掺合料的活性,改善混凝土的性能.     

煤气化粗渣-矿渣基地质聚合物的制备与性能

在煤气化粗渣基地质聚合物中复掺矿渣可改善其早期力学性能。本文以煤气化粗渣和矿渣为原料制备地质聚合物,系统研究了不同矿渣掺量对煤气化粗渣基地质聚合物早期力学性能及微观结构的影响。利用X射线衍射、压汞测试、扫描电镜、傅里叶红外光谱等方法对煤气化粗渣-矿渣基地质聚合物的微观结构进行分析表征。结果表明,当矿渣掺量增加时,地质聚合物抗压强度呈逐渐增大趋势。矿渣掺量为40%(质量分数)时,样品28 d抗压强度高达53.1 MPa。由微观分析可知,掺入矿渣后地质聚合物表面生成了大量水化硅铝酸钙/钠(C(N)-A-S-H)凝胶,使地质聚合物微观结构更为致密,力学性能得到改善。     

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.     

Potential use of natural perlite powder as a pozzolanic mineral admixture in Portland cement

This paper investigates the effect of incorporating natural perlite powder (NPP) as a cement replacement on cementitious materials properties. For this purpose, cement pastes and mortars were prepared by replacing 5, 10, 15, and 20% of NPP by mass of the Portland cement. Physicomechanical performances of pastes and mortars based NPP were inspected using normal consistency, setting times, heat of hydration, and compressive strength testing. Resistance against sodium sulfate attack and sulfuric acid attack were also assessed to investigate the durability characteristics of different mortar mixes. Experimental results show that cement pastes and mortars incorporating up to 20% of NPP demonstrate satisfactory physical and mechanical properties with very comparable results to cementitious materials without NPP. In addition, improved sulfate and acid attacks resistance with increased NPP content were demonstrated. The X-ray diffraction analyses confirm that NPP can be considered as a good pozzolanic material that can be used satisfactorily as a mineral admixture in cement production.     

矿物掺合料对碱式硫酸镁水泥耐硫酸盐腐蚀性能的影响

为了研究粉碱式硫酸镁水泥耐硫酸盐腐蚀性能,对不同材料组成的碱式硫酸镁水泥浸入水和硫酸钠溶液中各龄期抗折强度、抗压强度、质量变化及水化产物进行了分析.结果表明,在0.3 mol/L的硫酸钠溶液试验环境下,掺入粉煤灰对水泥抗折抗蚀性能改善较为显著,而掺入矿渣对水泥抗压抗蚀性能改善较为显著.掺入粉煤灰和矿渣的碱式硫酸镁水泥180 d的抗折抗蚀系数和抗压抗蚀系数与未掺加矿物掺和料的碱式硫酸镁水泥相比分别提高了0.61和0.15;掺入粉煤灰和矿渣的碱式硫酸镁水泥各龄期的吸水率均低于未加外掺料的碱式硫酸镁水泥的吸水率,同时粉煤灰和矿渣的掺入能有效抑制Mg(OH)2晶相的产生.     

Assessment of recycling use of GFRP powder as replacement of fly ash in geopolymer paste and concrete at ambient and high temperatures

Environmental issues caused by glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) waste have attracted much attention. The development of cost-effective recycling and reuse methods for GFRP composite wastes is therefore essential. In this study, the formulation of the GFRP waste powder replacement was set at 20–40 wt%. The geopolymer was formed by mixing GFRP powder, fly ash (FA), steel slag (SS) and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with a sodium-based alkali activator. The effects of GFRP powder content, activator concentration, liquid to solid (L/S) ratio, and activator solution modulus on the physico-mechanical properties of geopolymer mixtures were identified. Based on the 28-day compressive strength, the optimal combination of the geopolymer mixture was determined to be 30 wt% GFRP powder content, an activator concentration of 85%, L/S of 0.65, and an activator solution modulus of 1.3. The ratios of compressive strength to flexural strength of the GFRP powder/FA-based geopolymers were considerably lower than those of the FA/steel slag-based geopolymers, which indicates that the incorporation of GFRP powder improved the geopolymer brittleness. The incorporation of 30% GFRP powder in geopolymer concrete to replace FA can enhance the compressive and flexural strengths of geopolymer concrete by 28%. After exposure to 600 °C, the flexural strength loss for geopolymer concretes containing 30 wt% GFRP powder was less than that of specimens without GFRP powder. After exposure to 900 °C, the compressive strength and flexural strength losses of geopolymer concretes containing 30 wt% GFRP powder were similar to those of specimens without GFRP powder. The developed GFRP powder/FA-based geopolymers exhibited comparable or superior physico-mechanical properties to those of the FA-based geopolymers, and thus offer a high application potential as building construction material.     

Effect of nano silica and fine silica sand on compressive strength of sodium and potassium activators synthesised fly ash geopolymer at elevated temperatures

Environment friendly geopolymer is a new binder which gained increased popularity due to its better mechanical properties, durability, chemical resistance, and fire resistance. This paper presents the effect of nano silica and fine silica sand on residual compressive strength of sodium and potassium based activators synthesised fly ash geopolymer at elevated temperatures. Six different series of both sodium and potassium activators synthesised geopolymer were cast using partial replacement of fly ash with 1%, 2%, and 4% nano silica and 5%, 10%, and 20% fine silica sand. The samples were heated at 200°C, 400°C, 600°C, and 800°C at a heating rate 5°C per minute, and the residual compressive strength, volumetric shrinkage, mass loss, and cracking behaviour of each series of samples are also measured in this paper. Results show that, among 3 different NS contents, the 2% nano silica by wt. exhibited the highest residual compressive strength at all temperatures in both sodium and potassium‐based activators synthetised geopolymer. The measured mass loss and volumetric shrinkage are also lowest in both geopolymers containing 2% nano silica among all nano silica contents. Results also show that although the unexposed compressive strength of potassium‐based geopolymer containing nano silica is lower than its sodium‐based counterpart, the rate of increase of residual compressive strength exposed to elevated temperatures up to 400°C of potassium‐based geopolymer containing nano silica is much higher. It is also observed that the measured residual compressive strengths of potassium based geopolymer containing nano silica exposed at all temperatures up to 800°C are higher than unexposed compressive strength, which was not the case in its sodium‐based counterpart. However, in the case of geopolymer containing fine silica sand, an opposite phenomenon is observed, and 10% fine silica sand is found to be the optimum content with some deviations. Quantitative X‐ray diffraction analysis also shows higher amorphous content in both geopolymers containing nano silica at elevated temperatures than those containing fine silica sand.     

矿粉掺量对偏高岭土基地聚合物性能和结构影响

以高炉矿渣、偏高岭土、水玻璃和氢氧化钠为主要原料,制备矿粉-偏高岭土体系地聚合物。通过调节矿粉掺量(0%~50%范围内),研究钙组分含量对地聚合物抗压强度、凝结时间、物相组成和微观结构的影响。结果表明:当矿粉掺量为30%时,地聚合物样品310 min初凝,395 min终凝,1、3、7和28 d抗压强度分别达到52.8、73.9、87.1和102.3 MPa,达到快凝、早强和高强的目的。     

Using limestone aggregates and different cements for enhancing resistance of concrete to sulphuric acid attack

A research program was undertaken to improve concrete's resistance against sulphuric acid attack. Six concretes were investigated, four using calcareous limestone aggregates and two using silicious aggregates. Cements used in these concretes included a portland cement, a binary cement containing ground granulated blast furnace slag, and two ternary cements containing slag and silica fume or fly ash and silica fume. All the concretes had the same water/cement ratio of 0.4, with compressive strengths in the range of 45 MPa and 58 MPa at the age of 28 days. In the experiment, concrete cylinders were immersed in 1% sulphuric acid solution and they were periodically examined for appearance, measured for mass change and tested in compression up to 168 days. The concrete using limestone aggregates and the ternary cement containing silica fume and fly ash performed the best.