DOI: 10.23883/IJRTER.2017.3414.VFMNF 267
A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF GEO
POLYMER CONCRETE USING PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT
WITH GGBS
Subhashini Gatti1, Dr. D S V Prasad2
1Mtech Student, 2Hod & Principal
Department Of Civil Engineering, Bonam Venkata Chalamayya Engineering College, Odalarevu,
Andhrapradesh, India
Abstract: Portland cement production is under critical review due to the high amount of carbon
dioxide gas released to the atmosphere. But at the same time, disposal of huge quantity of fly ash
generated from the power plants is also becoming a big burning problem. GGBS is obtained by
quenching molten iron slag from a blast furnace in water or steam to produce glassy, granular
product, that is then dried and ground into a fine powder. This is detrimental to animal and plant life,
since it pollutes the environment as well as it requires large area for its disposal, when availability of
land get scarce day by day. Most of the plants now are facing shortage of dumping space of these
waste materials. Most of this by product material is a currently dumped inland fill, thus creating a
threat to the environment. In recent years attempts to increase the utilization of fly ash & GGBS to
partially replace the use of Portland cement in concrete are gathering momentum. Efforts are
urgently underway all over the world to develop environmentally friendly construction materials,
which make minimum utility of fast dwindling natural resources and help to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. In this connection, Geo polymers are showing great potential and several researchers have
critically examined the various aspects of their viability as binder system. Geo polymer concretes
(GPCs) are new class of building materials that have emerged as an alternative to Ordinary Portland
cement concrete (OPCC) and possess the potential to revolutionize the building construction
industry. Considerable research has been carried out on development of Geo polymer concretes
(GPCs), which involve heat curing. A few studies have been reported on the use of such GPCs f or
structural applications. An experimental investigation was carried out to study the material and
mixture proportions; the manufacturing processes, the fresh and hardened state characteristics of fly
ash based geo polymer concrete are evaluated. In the present study the compression behavior of geo
polymer concrete was assessed and the behavior was found to be considerably more than that of
conventional concrete.
Key Words: Geo polymer concrete, Alkaline Solutions, Portland cement, Fly, GGBFS…
I. INTRODUCTION
1.1 General The Ordinary Portland cement is widely used in the construction industry all over the world. But the
manufacturing of the cement has many disadvantages like liberation of high amount of carbon di-
oxide leading to global warming and also disintegration of materials. Hence alternate materials like
Fly ash, Slag, and Silica fume etc. may be used in place of cement. The replacement may be either
partial or full replacement. These alternate materials are the end products of different products and
are abundantly available. Making use of these waste materials effectively also reduces environmental
pollution. Geo polymer cement is an innovative material and a real alternative to conventional
Portland cement. Geo polymers are a type of inorganic polymer that can be formed at room
temperature by using industrial waste or by-products as source materials to form a solid binder that
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 268
looks like and performs similar functions to OPC. Instead, the base material such as fly ash, that is
rich in silica (si) &aluminum (Ai) is activated by alkaline solution to produce the blinder. Low
calcium fly ash (ASTM class F) is used as the base material. The Geo polymer paste binds the loose
coarse aggregates, fine aggregates and other un-reacted materials together to form the Geo polymer
concrete.
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is conventionally used as the primary binder to produce concrete
due to its availability of the raw materials over the world, its ease for preparing and fabricating in all
sorts of conceivable shapes. The application of concrete in the realms of infrastructure, habitation,
and transportation has greatly promoted the development of civilization, economic progress, and
stability and of quality of life. Nowadays with the occurrence of high performance concrete (HPC);
the durability and strength of concrete have been improved largely. However, due to the restriction
of the manufacturing process and the raw materials, some inherent disadvantages of Portland cement
are still difficult to overcome. The environmental issues associated with the production of OPC are
well known. The amount of the carbon dioxide released during the manufacture of OPC due to the
calcinations of limestone and combustion of fossil fuel is in the order of one ton for every ton of
OPC produced. In addition, the extent of energy required to produce OPC is only next to steel and
aluminum. When used as a partial replacement of OPC, in the presence of water and in ambient
temperature, fly ash reacts with the calcium hydroxide during the hydration process of OPC to form
the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel. The development and application of high volume fly ash
concrete, which enabled the replacement of OPC up to 60% by mass is a significant development.
On the other hand, the abundant availability of fly ash worldwide creates opportunity to utilize this
by-product of burning coal, as a substitute for OPC to manufacture cement products.
The geo polymer technology is proposed by Davidovits and gives considerable promise for
application in concrete industry as an alternative binder to the Portland cement. In terms of reducing
the global warming, the geo polymer technology could reduce the CO2 emission in to the
atmosphere, caused by cement and aggregate industries about 80%. In this technology, the source
material that is rich in silicon (Si) and Aluminum (Al) is reacted with a highly alkaline solution
through the process of geo polymerization to produce the binding material. The term “geo polymer‟
describes a family of mineral binders that have a polymeric silicon-oxygen-aluminum framework
structure, similar to that found in zeolites, but without the crystal structure. The polymerization
process involves a substantially fast chemical reaction under highly alkaline condition on Si-Al
minerals that result in a three-dimensional polymeric chain and ring structure consisting of Si-O-Al-
O bonds. Geo polymer concrete is emerging as a new environmentally friendly construction material
for sustainable development, using flash and alkali in place of OPC as the binding agent. This
attempt results in two benefits. i.e. reducing CO2 releases from production of OPC and effective
utilization of industrial waste by products such as flash, slag etc by decreasing the use of OPC.
1.2 Low-Calcium Fly Ash-Based Geo polymer Concrete In the present work, low-calcium (ASTM class F) fly ash-based geo polymer is used as the binder,
instead of Portland or other hydraulic cement paste, to produce concrete. The fly ash-based geo
polymer paste binds the loose, fine aggregates and other un-reacted materials together to form the
geo polymer concrete, with or without the presence of admixtures. The manufacture of geo polymer
concrete is carried out by using the usual concrete technology methods. As in the case of ordinary
Portland cement concrete, the aggregates occupy about 75-80% by mass, in geo polymer concrete.
The silicon and aluminium in the low-calcium (ASTM class F) fly ash react with an alkaline liquid
that is a combination of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide solutions to form the geo polymer
paste binds the aggregates and other un-reacted materials.
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 269
Flow diagram
1.3 Objectives of the Work As mentioned earlier, most of the published research on geo polymers studied the behaviors of pastes
using various types of source materials. The present study dealt with the manufacture and the short-
term properties of low-calcium (ASTM Class F) fly ash based geo polymer concrete.
The aims of the study are:
To study the short term engineering properties of low calcium fly ash based geo polymer
concrete when fly ash is partially replaced by cement.
To study the compression strength of geo polymer concrete
1.4 Scope of Work The present work is based on the low-calcium (ASTM class F) fly ash as the base material for
making geo polymer concrete. The fly ash was obtained from only one source. As far as possible, the
technology and the equipment currently used to manufacture OPC concrete were used to make the
geo polymer concrete.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 General This chapter presents the background to the needs for the development of alternative binders to
manufacture concrete and the use of fly ash in concrete. The available published literature on
geopolymer technology is also briefly reviewed in this chapter.
P. Usha, L.Chris Anto, Dr.N.S.Elangovan, D. Prasannan(2016) A Strength characteristics of
concrete containing meta kaolin and GGBS. Cement consumption in the world has increased
exponentially. since 1926 and is continuing to increase because of its scale of consumption and
manufacture. Cement production in 2003 was approximately1.2 billion tonnes/year and this was
expected to grow to about 3.5 billion tonnes/year by 2015. The reason for this reflects population
growth and global developments in infrastructure and the excellent mechanical and durability
properties that concrete provides. In this paper deals with study the applicability performance,
availability, complexity & the effect of using local calcined kaolin or MK obtained commercially as
pozzolana on the development of high strength and permeability/durability characteristics of
concrete designed for a very low w/b ratio of 0.4 & also the purpose of establishing standard
procedures for Destructive testing & non destructive testing (NDT) of concrete cubes & cylinders is
to qualify and quantify the material properties of in-situ concrete with intrusively examining the
material properties. shows that optimal performance is achieved by replacing 7% to 15% of the
cement with metakaolin. While it is possible to use less, the benefits are not fully
Realized until at least 10% metakaolin is used.
Geo polymer paste
NaOH +Na2Si2O3
Fly ash
Bind the aggregate from the un reacted materials
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 270
Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri1*, H. Mohammed2, H. Kamarudin1, I. Khairul Niza3 and Y.
Zarina1(2010). Review on fly ash-based geo polymer concrete without Portland Cement. The
consumption of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) caused pollution to the environment due to the
emission of CO2. As such, alternative material had been introduced to replace OPC in the concrete.
Fly ash is a by-product from the coal industry, which is widely available in the world. Moreover,
the use of fly ash is more environmental friendly and save cost compared to OPC. Fly ash is rich in
silicate and alumina, hence it reacts with alkaline solution to produce alumino silicate gel that binds
the aggregate to produce a good concrete. The compressive strength increases with the increasing of
fly ash fineness and thus the reduction in porosity can be obtained. Fly ash based geo polymer also
provided better resistance against aggressive environment and elevated temperature compared to
normal concrete. As a conclusion, the properties of fly ash-based geopolymer are enhanced with few
factors that influence its performance. Fly ash-based geopolymer is better than normal concrete in
many aspects such as compressive strength, exposure to aggressive environment, workability and
exposure to high temperature.
MohanJee Karn1, Junaid Shaikh2, Maheer Naru3, P.V. Kulkarni4(2017) Partial Replacement of
Cement Using GGBS A Sustainable Approach. GGBS is a by-product in pig iron manufacture, as
been found to be an ideal material to replace ordinary Portland cement used in concrete and it
improves the durability of concrete. GGBS slag is obtained by quenching molten iron slag from a
blast furnace in water or steam, to produce a glassy, granular product that is then dried and ground
into a fine powder. In this project, it is proposed to study the Economical, Eco-Friendly, and Strength
aspects. Low W/C ratio will ultimately result in increase of compressive strength. Loss of weight due
to chloride attack in orthodox concrete is 1.02% whereas GGBS Concrete Loss of weight observed
was 0.963%. Appreciable increase in workability was noted with increases in percentage of GGBS.
Therefore less water cement ratio can be adopted to keep slump constant.
N A Lloyd*, B V Rangan,(2010) GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE : A REVIEW OF
DEVELOPMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES.
Geopolymer results from the reaction of a source material that is rich in silica and alumina with
alkaline liquid. It is essentially cement free concrete. This material is being studied extensively and
shows promise as a greener substitute for ordinary Portland cement concrete in some applications.
Research is shifting from the chemistry domain to engineering applications and commercial
production of geopolymer concrete. It has been found that geopolymer concrete has good
engineering properties with a reduced global warming potential resulting from the total replacement
of ordinary Portland cement. The research undertaken at Curtin University of Technology has
included studies on geopolymer concrete mix design, structural behavior and durability. This paper
presents the results from studies on mix design development to enhance Workability and strength of
geopolymer concrete. The influence of factors such as, curing temperature and régime, aggregate
shape, strengths, moisture content, preparation and grading, on workability and strength are
presented. The paper also includes brief details of some recent applications of geopolymer concrete.
M. Lenin Sundar1, Sherine Raj(2017) Study on Characteristics of Geopolymer Concrete with E-
Waste. The usage of industrial by-products in construction industry can be reduced the pollution
effects on environment. Geopolymer concrete is a concrete in which Portland cement is fully
replaced by fly ash and GGBS (Ground granulated blast furnace slag). The present study covers the
use of E-Waste as partial replacement of fine aggregate in Geopolymer concrete. Sand is replaced
with E-Waste at 10, 20 and 30percentage.Alkaline liquids used in this study are the solutions of
sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3). Molarity of sodium hydroxide (12M) is
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 271
considered. Fly ash and GGBS were used in the combination of 90 and 10 percent respectively. This
study conducted to know the compressive and tensile strengths of Geopolymer concrete with E-
waste and to compare the same with Geopolymer concrete. It has been revealedthat 20 percentage
replacement with E-Waste attained higher strength than the normal Geopolymer concrete of M40
grade. Geopolymer concrete with E- Waste gives high compressive and tensile strength than
conventional Geopolymer concrete.
III. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
3.1 General Based on the extensive literature review an attempt has been made to verify the possibility of
preparing low calcium (ASTM Class F) fly ash based Geopolymer concrete economically to suit the
Indian conditions. In order to develop the fly ash based Geo polymer concrete technology, therefore,
a rigorous trail-and error process was adopted. In order to simplify the development process, the
compressive strength was selected as the benchmark parameter. The focus of the study was mainly
on the engineering properties of fly ash based Geo polymer concrete and also for partial replacement
of fly ash with cement. The current practice used in the manufacture and testing of Ordinary Portland
Cement (OPC) concrete was followed, even for Geo polymer concrete. It is to ease the promotion of
this „new‟ material to the concrete construction industry. Although Geo polymer concrete can be
made from various source materials, in the present study only low-calcium (ASTM class F) dry fly
ash was used, as it is easily available at low price in India. Also, as in the case of OPC, even in the
Geo-polymer concrete, the aggregates occupy 50-75 % of the total mass of matrix.
3.2 Materials
3.2.1 Fly ash& GGBS Fly Ash: The Fly ash was used as a partial replacement for cement. The fly ash used in the
experiments was from Ramagundam thermal power station (NTPC). The specific gravity was 2.17.
The fly ash had a silica content of 63.99%, silica+ alumina +iron oxide content of 92.7%, Calcium
oxide of 1.71% , Magnesium oxide of 1.0%, Sulphuric anhydride of 0.73% , water and soluble salts
of 0.04%, ph value of 10 and a loss on ignition of 2.12
Here we are using Ground Granulated Blast furnace Slag (GGBS) about 4 to 5 % for 1 cube.
3.2.2 Alkaline Liquid In the present study we have used a combination of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate
(Na2SiO3) solutions. The sodium hydroxide solids were either a technical grade in flakes form (3
mm), 98% purity, and obtained from National scientific company, Vijayawada, or a commercial
grade in pellets form with 97% purity, obtained from National Scientific centre, Vijayawada.
Figure 1: Sodium Silicate and Sodium Hydroxide Solution
The sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was prepared by dissolving either the flakes or the pellets in
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 272
the Potable water. The mass of NaOH solids in a solution varied depending on the concentration of
the solution expressed in terms of molar, M. Molar concentration or molarities is most commonly in
units of moles of solute per liter of solution. For use in broader applications, it is defined as amount
of solute per unit volume of solution.
3.2.3 Aggregates Fine aggregate: The fine aggregate conforming to Zone-2 according to IS: 383[1970] was used. The
fine aggregate used was obtained from a nearby river source. The bulk density, specific gravity and
fineness modulus of the sand used were 1.43g/cc, 2.62 and 2.59 respectively.
3.2.4 Water Potable water was used in the experimental work for both mixing and curing.
3.2.5 Cement
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is conventionally used as the primary binder to produce concrete
due to its availability of the raw materials over the world, its ease for preparing and fabricating in all
sorts of conceivable shapes.
3.2.6 Galvanized Iron mesh: Galvanized Iron Wire mesh: The galvanized iron wire mesh of square grid fabric is used in the Ferro
cement. The properties of the wire mesh are
Table 3.1: Galvanized Iron mesh Properties
Diameter of wire Grid spacing of mesh wire (mm) Yield strength of Ultimate
mesh (mm) Longitudinal Transverse mesh wire (Mpa) strength (Mpa)
0.46 2.80 2.80 350 450
3.2.7 Mould a) Cubes: Standard cube moulds of 150mmx150mm x 150mm made of cast iron were used for
casting and testing specimens in compression.
3.3 MIXTURE PROPORTIONS OF GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE
The primary difference between Geo polymer concrete and Portland cement concrete is the binder.
The silicon and Aluminium oxides in the low –calcium fly ash reacts with the alkaline liquid to from
the geo polymer paste that binds the loose coarse and fine aggregates and other unreacted materials
to form the geo polymer concrete. As in the case of Portland cement concrete the coarse and fine
aggregates occupy about 75% to 80% of the mass of Geo polymer concrete. This component of Geo
polymer concrete mixtures can be designed using the tools currently available for Portland cement
concrete .The compressive strength and workability of geo polymer concrete are influenced by the
proportions and properties of the constituent materials that make the geo polymer paste.
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 273
Experimental results have shown the following
As the H20- Na20 molar ratio increases ,the compressive strength of Geo polymer
Concrete decreases
Higher the concentration of Sodium hydroxide solution results in higher compressive
Strength of geo polymer concrete.
Higher the ratio of Sodium silicate to Sodium hydroxide by mass higher the compressive
Strength.
Based on the above guide lines the trial mixture is Designed as follows.
DESIGN MIX OF G 40.
Design stipulations
Assume density of aggregate as unit weight of concrete = 2400 kg/m3.
Mass of Combined aggregate = 75-80 % (consider 0.77%)
= 2400 x 0.77%
= 1848 kg/m3
now, mass of combined aggregate = 1848 kg/m3
Mass of Fly ash and alkaline Liquid = 2400-1848 = 552 kg/m3
let us take alkaline liquid to fly ash ratio as 0.4.
Now the mass of fly ash = (552)/(1+0.4) = 394.28 kg/m3
Mass of alkaline liquid = 552-394.28 = 157.21 kg/m3
Let us consider the ratio of NaoH to Na2sio3 as 2.5.
Now mass of NaoH solution =(157.21)/(1+2.5)=45.06 kg/m3
Mass of Na2sio3 solution = 157.21-45.06 = 112.64 kg/m3
calculating the total amount of mass of water and mass of solids in the sodium hydroxide
and sodium silicate solution,
Sodium Hydroxide solution (NaoH) :
Considering 8M,10M,12M,14M,16M concentration, where in the solution consists of 44.4% of
solids(pallets) an 63.5% of water.
Mass of solids =(44.4/100) x (45.06) = 20.00 Kg
Mass of water = 45.06 - 20.00 = 25.06 Kg
Sodium Silicate Solution (Na2sio3) :
Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (JCIET), ISSN 2347 –4203 (Print), ISSN 2347
4211 (Online) Volume 1, Issue 1, July-December (2013), © IAEME18
The water content in the silicate solution in observed as 63.5%.
So, the Mass of Water = (63.5/100) x (112.64) = 71.52 Kg
Mass of solids = 112.64 – 71.52 = 41.11 Kg
Total mass of water:
mass of water in NaoH solution + mass of water in Na2sio3 solution
= 25.60 + 71.52 = 96.58 Kg.
Total mass of solids :
mass of solids in NaoH soluion+ mass of solids in Na2sio3solution + mass of Fly ash
= 20.00+ 41.11 + 394.28 = 455.39 Kg.
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 274
Ratio of water to Geopolymer Solids :
Ratio = (96.58) / (455.39) = 0.21.
Till today the published literature contained very little on the manufacture of fly ash based geo
polymer concrete and much of the work was done on using the geo polymer pastes and mortars.
Based on the limited past research on geo polymer pastes available in the literature and the
experience gained during the preliminary experimental work, fly ash is partially replaced with
cement to produce geo polymer paste.
3.4 Casting For casting the specimens of geo polymer concrete, the following procedure was adopted. The fine
aggregate were prepared in saturated-surface-dry condition, and were batched and were kept in the
gunny bags just before casting.
The solids constituents of the fly ash-based geo polymer concrete, i.e the fine aggregate and the fly
ash, were dry mixed in the pan mixer for about three times. Then the liquid part of the mixture, the
alkaline solution was added to the initially mixed fly ash and the fine aggregate. The whole mix is
thoroughly mixed for about 5 to 10 minutes. The above procedure is done casting the geo polymer
specimens when fly ash was partially replaced by cement.
The fresh fly ash-based geo polymer concrete was dark in color and shiny in appearance. The
mixtures were usually cohesive. The fresh concrete in the moulds was compacted by applying sixty
manual strokes per layer in three equal layers. The ferro cement mesh was kept in the layers along
Flyash+
GGBS
Coarse
agg
Fine agg NAOH Water NaSIO3 Water
900gm+
444gm
3.58 kg 2.8 kg 85 gms 110 ml 240 ml 345 ml
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 275
with mortar. After compaction the top surface was leveled with a trowel. Then the specimens were
cured at room temperature.
3.5 Curing Preliminary tests also revealed that fly ash based geo polymer concrete did not harden immediately
at room temperature was less than 300c, the hardening did not occur at least for 24 hours. The
handling time is a more appropriate parameter (rather than setting time used in case of OPC
concrete) for fly ash based geo polymer concrete. The demoulded specimens were left in sunlight
until tested without any special curing regime. For each set of parameter, 3 prisms were cast, three
each for determining 28 days strengths.
Detention period After the curing process, the moulds are taken out and cooled at room temperature for 1 day before
demoulding for test.
3.6 Method of testing
Initial setting &final setting time:
Initial setting time is that time period between the time water is added to cement and time at
which 1 mm square section needle fails to penetrate the cement paste, placed in the Vicat’s mould 5
mm to 7 mm from the bottom of the mould. Final setting time is that time period between the time
water is added to cement and the time at which 1 mm needle makes an impression on the paste in the
mould but 5 mm attachment does not make any impression.
(a)Test Block Preparation 1. Before commencing setting time test, do the consistency test to obtain the water required to
give the paste normal consistency (P).
2. Take 400 g of cement and prepare a neat cement paste with 0.85P of water by weight of
cement.
3. Gauge time is kept between 3 to 5 minutes. Start the stop watch at the instant when the water
is added to the cement. Record this time (t1).
4. Fill the Vicat mould, resting on a glass plate, with the cement paste gauged as above. Fill the
mould completely and smooth off the surface of the paste making it level with the top of the mould.
The cement block thus prepared is called test block.
(b)Initial Setting Time 1. Place the test block confined in the mould and resting on the non-porous plate, under the rod
bearing the needle.
2. Lower the needle gently until it comes in contact with the surface of test block and quick
release, allowing it to penetrate into the test block.
3. In the beginning the needle completely pierces the test block. Repeat this procedure i.e.
quickly releasing the needle after every 2 minutes till the needle fails to pierce the block for about 5
mm measured from the bottom of the mould. Note this time (t2).
(c)Final Setting Time 1. For determining the final setting time, replace the needle of the Vicat’s apparatus by the
needle with an annular attachment.
2. The cement is considered finally set when upon applying the final setting needle gently to the
surface of the test block; the needle makes an impression thereon, while the attachment fails to do so.
Record this time (t3).
Calculation Initial setting time=t2-t1
Final setting time=t3-t1,
Where,
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 276
t1=Time at which water is first added to cement
t2=Time when needle fails to penetrate 5 mm to 7 mm from bottom of the mould
t3=Time when the needle makes an impression but the attachment fails to do so.
Precautions o Release the initial and final setting time needles gently.
o The experiment should be performed away from vibration and other disturbances.
o Needle should be cleaned every time it is used.
o Position of the mould should be shifted slightly after each penetration to avoid penetration at
the same place.
o Test should be performed at the specified environmental conditions
compression test:
Out of many test applied to the concrete, this is the utmost important which gives an idea
about all the characteristics of concrete. By this single test one judge that whether Concreting has
been done properly or not. For cube test two types of specimens either cubes of 15 cm X 15 cm X 15
cm or 10cm X 10 cm x 10 cm depending upon the size of aggregate are used. For most of the works
cubical moulds of size 15 cm x 15cm x 15 cm are commonly used.
o This concrete is poured in the mould and tempered properly so as not to have any voids. After
24 hours these moulds are removed and test specimens are put in water for curing. The top surface of
these specimen should be made even and smooth. This is done by putting cement paste and
spreading smoothly on whole area of specimen.
o These specimens are tested by compression testing machine after 7 days curing or 28 days
curing. Load should be applied gradually at the rate of 140 kg/cm2 per minute till the Specimens
fails. Load at the failure divided by area of specimen gives the compressive strength of concrete.
o The same procedure is used at the OPC is partially replaced with GGBS at the % of
20%,30%,40%&50% and same procedure is followed at mixing,curing &testing.
Figure 2:compression testing machine
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 277
Compression test process by flow chart
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Partial replacement of cement with the fly ash at 3 days,7days & 28 days for the cube the
results are shown in table
S.no No of curing days Compressive strength(N/mm2)
1 3 days 27.11
2 7 days 39.39
3 28 days 52
Partial replacement of cement with the fly ash at 3 days,7days & 28 days for the cube the
results are shown in graph
27.11
39.39
52
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Stre
ngt
h N
/mm
2
Curing ( Days )
Graphical representation
Series1
Mould size (15xcmx15cmx15cm)cube test
Tempered 24hours (heating)
Water curing,3days ,7days,28 days
Load applied by 140kN/cm2/minute
The Specimen kept under compaction Test
Till the specimen fails(crocks occurred)
Comprassive strength of the concrete
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 278
Partial replacement of cement with the fly ash at 3 days,7days & 28 days for the cube the
results are shown in bar graph
GEO POLYMER ( NaoH & Na2sio3) concrete solutions in molarities Vs strength are shown in
the table.
GEO POLYMER ( NaoH & Na2sio3) concrete solutions in molarities Vs strength are shown in
the GRAPH.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
3 DAYS 7DAYS 28DAYS
CO
MP
RES
SIV
E ST
REN
GT
H N
/mm
2
NO OF CURING DAYS
3 DAYS
7DAYS
28 DAYS
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
8M 10M 12M 14M 16M
AVG. COMP STRENGTH
AVG. COMPSTRENGTH
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 279
GEO POLYMER ( NaoH & Na2sio3) concrete solutions in molarities
Vs strength are shown in the bar graph.
REPLACEMENT OF GGBS WITH OPC IS SHOWN IN THE TABLE AT CRUSHED SAND s.no % of the GGBS Compressive
strength of GGBS
concrete in N/mm2
% increased in
compressive
strength
1 20 27.11 5.86
2 30 29.78 16.28
3 40 26.37 2.97
4 50 22.22 -13.24
REPLACEMENT OF GGBS WITH OPC IS SHOWN IN THE TABLE AT NATURAL SAND
s.no % of the GGBS Compressive strength of GGBS
concrete in N/mm2
% increased in compressive strength
1 20 31.11 6.87
2 30 32.59 11.95
3 40 30.7 5.46
4 50 27.74 -4.71
REPLACEMENT OF GGBS WITH OPC IS SHOWN IN THE GRAPH OF % OF GGBS VS
COMPRESSIVE STRNGTH
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
8 10 12 14 16
load 1
load 2
load 3
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 280
V. CONCLUSIONS
6.1 Conclusions
From the experiments conducted on the geo polymer concretes developed in the concrete technology
lab
The geo polymer concrete specimens load carrying capacity is more than cement mortar
specimens
The cost of fly ash based geo polymer concrete is high compared to Ordinary Portland
Concrete.
Workability of geo polymer mortar decreases with the increase in concentration of sodium
hydroxide.
All geo polymer concrete mixes does not exhibited similar nature as that of ordinary Portland
cement concrete 28 day for compression strength.
6.2 Limitations of Study
Due to the constraints of equipments such as temperature controlled air-drying, for finding
the chemical composition of the materials, the work was limited only to some extent.
Curing temperatures influences the compressive strength of the geopolymer concrete.
6.3 Scope for further work
1. For a particular alkaline/fly ash ratio the strength varations may be studied by variaying the rest
period from 1 to 4 days
2. Further investigation may be done by decreasing the molarities of NaOH and attain the same
strength at the ordinary temperatures only.
6.4 Limitations Of Geo polymer Concrete
The followings are the limitations
Bringing the base material fly ash to the required location
High cost for the alkaline solution
Safety risk associated with the high alkalinity of the activating solution
REFERENCES I. P. Usha, L.Chris Anto, Dr.N.S.Elangovan, D. Prasannan(2016) A Strength characterstics of concrete containing
meta kaolin and GGBS
II. Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri1*, H. Mohammed2, H. Kamarudin1, I. Khairul Niza3 and Y. Zarina1(2010). Review
on fly ash-based geopolymer concrete without Portland Cement
III. MohanJee Karn1, Junaid Shaikh2, Maheer Naru3, P.V. Kulkarni4(2017) Partial Replacement of Cement Using
GGBS A Sustainable Approach
IV. N A Lloyd*, B V Rangan,(2010) GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE : A REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT AND
OPPORTUNITIES.
V. M. Lenin Sundar1, Sherine Raj(2017) Study on Characteristics of Geopolymer Concrete with E-Waste.
VI. D. Suresh1 and K. Nagaraju2(2015) Ground Granulated Blast Slag (GGBS) In Concrete.
VII. Sagar R. Raut, R.S.Kedar P. P. Saklecha(2015) Review on Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag as a
Supplementary Cementitious Material.
VIII. Bharat Bhushan Jindal#1, Kamal Khetarpal(2015) Geopolymer Concrete
The geo polymer concrete specimens load carrying capacity is more than cement
mortar specimens
The cost of fly ash based geo polymer concrete is high compared to Ordinary Portland
Concrete.
Workability of geo polymer mortar decreases with the increase in concentration of
sodium hydroxide.
International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering & Research (IJRTER) Volume 03, Issue 08; August - 2017 [ISSN: 2455-1457]
@IJRTER-2017, All Rights Reserved 281
IX. K.Prasanna, Lakshminarayanan.B, Arun Kumar.M, Dinesh Kumaran.J.R(2016) FLYASH BASED
GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE WITH GGBS
X. Sourav Kr. Das1, Amarendra Kr. Mohapatra2 and A.K. Rath(2014) Geo-polymer Concrete–Green Concrete for
the Future
XI. Balaraman R, Vinodh K.R, Nithiya R and Arunkumar S(2016) COMPARATIVE STUDY GEOPOLYMER
CONCRETE IN FLYASH WITH CONVENTIONAL CONCRETE
XII. Veeresh Karikatti1 Dr. Manojkumar Chitawadagi2(2016) Geopolymer Concrete with FlyAsh and GGBS at
Ambient Temperature