Shear Strength of Fly Ash and GGBS Based Geopolymer Concrete

Abstract

Concrete is being acknowledged as the second mostly used material worldwide after water but unfortunately, it is also the second largest generator of carbon dioxide from cement production after the automobile industry. It has become inevitable to find a better suitable alternative for cement to reduce carbon footprint. Geopolymer concrete is in fact, a step towards this direction in which concrete is being produced without the use of conventional cement. It also encourages the use of industrial wastes as binder due to its chemical action with alkaline solutions to produce in-organic molecule. The present application of geopolymer concrete is mostly restricted to precast construction. In precast construction, connective distress is witnessed in shear interface regions where shear stresses may lead to sliding failure along the well-defined plane in structures like corbel, bearing shoe, etc. This paper deals with interfacial shear strength study on fly ash and ground granulated blast slag (GGBS) based geopolymer concrete for different grades of concrete without and with shear reinforcement. An equation is developed for shear strength of geopolymer concrete.