Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties and Drying Shrinkage Compensation of Solidified Ultra-Fine Dredged Sand Blocks Made with GGBS-Based Geopolymer

Abstract

As natural aggregates become increasingly scarce, attention has turned to ultra-fine dredged sand (UDS) generated in waterway regulation engineering. UDS is typically challenging to utilize due to its high clay content and high water demand. This article uses ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS)-based geopolymer to solidify UDS, along with sodium silicate (SS) and sodium hydroxide (SH) as alkaline activators. This paper explores the effects of SS modulus (SiO2/Na2O molar ratio) and mass percentage content of Na2O on the fluidity, setting time, mechanical properties, and shrinkage behavior of hybrid UDS-GGBS geopolymer (HUGG) paste. According to the research findings, increased SS modulus and Na2O content lead to decreased fluidity and setting time. When the Na2O content reaches 6%, flash coagulation occurs in the slurry, leading to more internal shrinkage cracks and pores. This has been confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. When Na2O content is 5%, and SS modulus is 1.0, the 90-day maximum compressive strength reaches 56.53 MPa, corresponding to a splitting tensile strength of 6.83 MPa, which can be considered the optimal formulation. Meanwhile, basalt and polypropylene fibers (BF and PPF) are chosen to compensate for the susceptibility to drying shrinkage. Both BF and PPF can significantly inhibit the linear drying shrinkage of the HUGG paste. The BF’s ability to enhance mechanical properties is more robust than PPF’s, which can make the paste more homogeneous. The research contributes an effective method for the resource utilization of UDS.