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Journal ArticleDOI

Optimisation of GBFS, Fly Ash, and Nano-Silica Contents in Alkali-Activated Mortars.

TL;DR: In this article, the mechanical properties of AAM made with binary binders, involving fly ash (FA) and granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) as well as bottle glass waste nano-silica powder (BGWNP), were opti-mised using both experimentally and optimisation modelling through three scenarios.
Abstract: Although free-cement-based alkali-activated paste, mortar, and concrete have been recognised as sustainable and environmental-friendly materials, a considerable amount of effort is still being channeled to ascertain the best binary or ternary binders that would satisfy the requirements of strength and durability as well as environmental aspects. In this study, the mechanical properties of alkali-activated mortar (AAM) made with binary binders, involving fly ash (FA) and granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) as well as bottle glass waste nano-silica powder (BGWNP), were opti-mised using both experimentally and optimisation modelling through three scenarios. In the first scenario, the addition of BGWNP varied from 5% to 20%, while FA and GBFS were kept constant (30:70). In the second and third scenarios, BGWNP (5–20%) was added as the partial replacement of FA and GBFS, separately. The results show that the combination of binary binders (FA and GBFS) and BGWNP increased AAM’s strength compared to that of the control mixture for all scenarios. In addition, the findings also demonstrated that the replacement of FA by BGWNP was the most significant, while the effect of GBFS replacement by BGWNP was less significant. In particular, the highest improvement in compressive strength was recorded when FA, GBFS, and BGWNP were 61.6%, 30%, and 8.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the results of ANOVA (p values 0.9, RAE < 0.1, RSE < 0.013, and RRSE < 0.116) confirmed that all the models were robust, reliable, and significant. Similarly, the data variation was found to be less than 5%, and the difference between the predicted R2 and adj. R2 was very small (<0.2), thus confirming that the proposed non-linear quadratic equations had the capability to predict for further observation. In conclusion, the use of BGWNP in AAM could act as a beneficial and sustainable strategy, not only to address environmental issues (e.g., landfill) but to also enhance strength properties.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , nano-modified alkali-activated composites (AACs) or geopolymers have attracted attention owing to their excellent performance and modification mechanisms, and the results mostly indicated that while increasing nano-additives proportion to a certain extent improves the mechanical characteristics, including compressive, flexural, tensile, and impact strengths, incorporation beyond that amount deteriorates them.

23 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article , the authors comprehensively review the rheological, strength and durability properties of inorganic geopolymer composites, along with shedding light on their recent key advancements.
Abstract: The discovery of an innovative category of inorganic geopolymer composites has generated extensive scientific attention and the kaleidoscopic development of their applications. The escalating concerns over global warming owing to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a primary greenhouse gas, from the ordinary Portland cement industry, may hopefully be mitigated by the development of geopolymer construction composites with a lower carbon footprint. The current manuscript comprehensively reviews the rheological, strength and durability properties of geopolymer composites, along with shedding light on their recent key advancements viz., micro-structures, state-of-the-art applications such as the immobilization of toxic or radioactive wastes, digital geopolymer concrete, 3D-printed fly ash-based geopolymers, hot-pressed and foam geopolymers, etc. They have a crystal-clear role to play in offering a sustainable prospect to the construction industry, as part of the accessible toolkit of building materials—binders, cements, mortars, concretes, etc. Consequently, the present scientometric review manuscript is grist for the mill and aims to contribute as a single key note document assessing exhaustive research findings for establishing the viability of fly ash-based geopolymer composites as the most promising, durable, sustainable, affordable, user and eco-benevolent building materials for the future.

18 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article , a comparative study of the fracture features, strength and deformation properties of pseudo strain-hardening composites based on alkali-activated slag and Portland cement matrices with polypropylene microfiber was carried out.
Abstract: A comparative study of the fracture features, strength and deformation properties of pseudo strain-hardening composites based on alkali-activated slag and Portland cement matrices with polypropylene microfiber was carried out. Correlations between their compositions and characteristics of stress–strain diagrams under tension in bending with an additional determination of acoustic emission parameters were determined. An average strength alkali-activated slag matrix with compressive strength of 40 MPa and a high-strength Portland cement matrix with compressive strength of 70 MPa were used. The matrix compositions were selected for high filling the composites with polypropylene microfiber in the amount of 5%-vol. and 3.5%-vol. ensuring the workability at the low water-to-binder ratios of 0.22 and 0.3 for Portland cement and alkali-activated slag matrices, respectively. Deformation diagrams were obtained for all studied compositions. Peaks in the number of acoustic signals in alkali-activated slag composites were observed only in the strain-softening zone. Graphs of dependence of the rate of acoustic events occurrence in samples from the start of the test experimentally prove that this method of non-destructive testing can be used to monitor structures based on strain-hardening composites.

18 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2022-Polymers
TL;DR: In this article , compressive strength of GPCs was predicted using machine learning (ML) approaches, i.e., one single method (SVM) and two ensembled algorithms (gradient boosting (GB) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB)).
Abstract: Geopolymers might be the superlative alternative to conventional cement because it is produced from aluminosilicate-rich waste sources to eliminate the issues associated with its manufacture and use. Geopolymer composites (GPCs) are gaining popularity, and their research is expanding. However, casting, curing, and testing specimens requires significant effort, price, and time. For research to be efficient, it is essential to apply novel approaches to the said objective. In this study, compressive strength (CS) of GPCs was anticipated using machine learning (ML) approaches, i.e., one single method (support vector machine (SVM)) and two ensembled algorithms (gradient boosting (GB) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB)). All models’ validity and comparability were tested using the coefficient of determination (R2), statistical tests, and k-fold analysis. In addition, a model-independent post hoc approach known as SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was employed to investigate the impact of input factors on the CS of GPCs. In predicting the CS of GPCs, it was observed that ensembled ML strategies performed better than the single ML technique. The R2 for the SVM, GB, and XGB models were 0.98, 0.97, and 0.93, respectively. The lowered error values of the models, including mean absolute and root mean square errors, further verified the enhanced precision of the ensembled ML approaches. The SHAP analysis revealed a stronger positive correlation between GGBS and GPC′s CS. The effects of NaOH molarity, NaOH, and Na2SiO3 were also observed as more positive. Fly ash and gravel size: 10/20 mm have both beneficial and negative impacts on the GPC′s CS. Raising the concentration of these ingredients enhances the CS, whereas increasing the concentration of GPC reduces it. Gravel size: 4/10 mm has less favorable and more negative effects. ML techniques will benefit the construction sector by offering rapid and cost-efficient solutions for assessing material characteristics.

16 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article , the relationship between the structure and properties of geopolymer concretes in aggressive environments was determined, and it was quantitatively expressed in increased compressive strength and tensile strength in bending by 81.0% and 73.5% respectively.
Abstract: The problem of increasing the service life of buildings and structures for agricultural purposes operated in aggressive environments is relevant. The aim and scientific novelty of the work were to determine the relationship between the structure and properties of geopolymer concretes in aggressive environments. The properties of various concrete compositions under the influence of a solution of lactic, acetic, and oxalic acids were studied. With an exposure time of 90 days in an aggressive environment, samples of concrete based on a geopolymer binder had up to 6% less loss of strength and up to 10% less weight loss than concrete based on a cement binder. The effectiveness of the developed composition and technological solutions was confirmed, and it was quantitatively expressed in increased compressive strength and tensile strength in bending by 81.0% and 73.5%, respectively. It has been established that raising the heat treatment temperature to 80 °C leads to increased compressive strength for all compositions of geopolymer binders. The most favorable heat treatment conditions are created at 80 °C. The relations of the strength characteristics of geopolymer binders are revealed, which allow a detailed quantitative and qualitative assessment of the influence of the studied factors on the change in the system “composition—hardening conditions—properties” and can be used in the development of production compositions of binders and composites based on them, as well as their regulation—physical, mechanical, and operational characteristics.

11 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of nano-SiO 2 (NS) addition on properties of hardened cement paste (hcp) as compared with silica fume (SF) has been studied through measurement of compressive and bond strengths of hcp, and by XRD and SEM analysis.

1,039 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the effects of various additives in portland cement and found that a relatively small amount (1−4 wt %) of well-dispersed calcium silicate hydrate (C−S−H), a pure form of the main hydration product, significantly increased both the early hydration rate and the total amount of hydration during the early nucleation and growth period (the first ∼24 h), as measured by calorimetry.
Abstract: The fundamental chemical hydration process of portland cement and its main mineral component, tricalcium silicate, was studied by investigating the effects of various additives. A relatively small amount (1−4 wt %) of well-dispersed calcium silicate hydrate (C−S−H), a pure form of the main hydration product, significantly increases both the early hydration rate and the total amount of hydration during the early nucleation and growth period (the first ∼24 h), as measured by calorimetry. This is attributed to a seeding effect whereby the C−S−H additive provides new nucleation sites within the pore space away from the particle surfaces. This mechanism is verified by a digital simulation of the hydration process that reproduces key features of the hydration kinetics. The results provide strong evidence that the hydration process is autocatalytic such that the C−S−H gel product stimulates its own formation. The seeding effect of C−S−H also provides a new explanation of the hydration-accelerating effects of var...

597 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of water in the hydration process of Ca 3 SiO 5 (C 3 S) cement is investigated, and accelerating effects of adding colloidal silica (CS) are established.

562 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented the effect of nano-silica on the hydration and microstructure development of UltraHigh Performance Concrete (UHPC) with a low binder amount.

407 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an experimental program has been taken up on low calcium fly ash geopolymer mortar having three molar concentrations (8,M, 10,M and 12,M) of activator liquids along with different percentage of nano silica addition (0, 4, 6, 8% and 10% of fly ash).

249 citations