Physical and mechanical properties of fly ash based geopolymer concrete compared to conventional concrete

Abstract

The potential of applying geopolymerization to a wide range of solid industrial waste and by-products is of great interest. In this research, the physical and mechanical properties of fly ash (FA)-based geopolymer concrete (GC), compared to those of cement concrete (CC), were studied. Three GCs with different content of FA and three appropriate CCs were designed, prepared, tested and evaluated. The results were compared with the requirements of Standards EN 206-1 and EN 1992-1-1. It was shown that in some cases minor adjustments of the regulations are needed, while in other cases complete revision is required. GC indicated competitive compressive strength compared to CC, tensile strength within the limits specified by Eurocode 2 for CC and modulus of elasticity about 50% less than that of CC. The ratio of binder (FA) to aggregates seems to have a significant effect on the properties of GC. The concrete with 750 kg/m3 FA seems to be the best choice taking into consideration both engineering and environmental criteria.