Behavior of Geo-polymer Concrete at Elevated Curing Temperature

Abstract

Production of Portland cement is resulting in two major environmental issues that are needed to be considered before it’s too late to find out the solution. Firstly, manufacturing of PC is emitting 5% of the global CO2 into the atmosphere causing global warming. Secondly, manufacture of PC requires limestone and clay that are depleting day by day. To produce 1 ton of PC, 1.6 tons of raw materials are needed to be extracted from the earth. To overcome the above problem a new concrete called Geopolymer is used. Geopolymer is an amorphous alumino-silicate product that exhibits the ideal hardening properties of elements. In the present study the strength development of geo polymer concrete is determined by varying temperature. To prepare geopolymer concrete the material used is Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag, sodium hydroxide activator and hydrated sodium silicate binder. The sodium hydroxide is varied in two molarities, 8 and 10 respectively. The sodium silicate had 30% water content in it. The curing was done in the oven with varying temperatures of 60, 80 and 100 degrees. The compressive strength test, split tensile test and flexural strength test showed higher strength at 8 molars and curing temperature being 100 degrees.