11 - Chapter 3 PDF
11 - Chapter 3 PDF
11 - Chapter 3 PDF
CHAPTER 3
EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME
3.1 General
3.2 Materials
Fly ash is a fine powder recovered from the gases of burning coal
during the generation of electricity. These micron-sized earth elements consist
primarily of silica, alumina and iron. Fly ash particles are almost totally
spherical in shape, allowing them to flow and blend freely in mixtures. Fly ash
improves considerably the performance of binder paste and increases the
bonding action with aggregate and reinforcement. The properties of fly ash
may vary considerably according to several factors such as the geographical
origin of the source coal, conditions during combustion and sampling position
within the power plant. The major elemental constituents of fly ash are Si, Al,
Fe, Ca, C, Mg, K, Na, S, Ti, P and Mn. Nearly all naturally occurring elements
can be found in fly ash in trace quantities. Certain trace elements, including
As, Mo, Se, Cd and Zn, are primarily associated with particle surfaces. The
most abundant species in fly ash extracts are inorganic ions derived from Ca,
Na, Mg, K, Fe, S and C.
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Geopolymer concrete in this study was made from low calcium fly ash
with a combination of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate solution
(Na2SiO3). Fly ash used in this study was low-calcium (ASTM Class F) dry fly
ash from Ennore thermal power station, Chennai as shown in Table 3.1. The
chemical compositions of the fly ash from all batches as determined by X-Ray
Fluorescence (XRF) analysis are given in Table 3.2.
%
S.No Constituents
Composition
1. Silica (as SiO2) 48
2. Alumina (as Al2O3) 29
3. Ferric Oxide (as Fe2O3) 12.7
4. Calcium Oxide (as CaO) 1.76
5. Magnesium Oxide(MgO) 0.89
6. Sodium (as Na2O) 0.39
7. Potassium (as K2O) 0.55
8. Sulphur (as SO3) 0.5
9. Loss On Ignition 1.61
Alternatively the concentration of NaOH between 10M and 20M give small
effect on the strength. Test result of sodium silicate is shown in Table 3.3.
Percentage
S.No Constituents
Composition
1. Na2O 13.7
2. SiO2 29.4
3. Water 55.9
3.2.3 Aggregates
River sand available in Chennai was used as a fine aggregate and tested
as per IS: 2386 (part III). Sieve analysis results of fine aggregate are shown in
Table 3.4.
The coarse aggregate comprises the portion of the aggregate which has
large particle size. It may be either crushed or uncrushed. They generally
posses all the essential qualities of a good building stone showing very high
crushing strength, low absorption value, least porosity, interlocking textures
variety of appealing colors and susceptibility to perfect polish. In the present
study granite has been used as a coarse aggregate in concrete. Sieve analysis
of the coarse aggregate has been done and the percentage passing at different
sieves is presented in Table 3.5. Figure 3.1 shows the materials used in
preparing geopolymer concrete. The method of preparation of geopolymer
concrete is shown in Figure 3.2.
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3.3.1 Mixing
Alkaline Activator
Aggregate Fly ash (Sodium Hydroxide +
Sodium Silicate)
Geopolymerisation
(Open to atmosphere and
elevated temperature)
Storage open to
atmosphere
3.3.2 Curing
There are two types of curing used in this study viz., Curing at room
temperature and curing at an elevated temperature of 60ºC in laboratory oven.
After casting, the concrete mix is allowed to settle in the mould for 30
minutes. For air curing the specimens were allowed to cool in air, demoulded
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and kept open until the day of testing as shown in Figure 3.5. The specimens
were kept in the hot air oven for curing at 60oC as shown in Figure 3.6. During
the curing process, the geopolymer concrete experiences polymerization
process. Due to the increase in temperature, polymerization become more
rapid and the concrete gain 70% of its strength within 3 to 4 hrs of curing
(Kong and Sanjayan, 2008). Heat curing of GPC is generally recommended,
both curing time and curing temperature influence the compressive strength of
GPC (Mustafa Al Bakri, 2011). With curing temperature in range of 60 oC to
90oC within time in 24 to 72 hrs, the compressive strength of concrete can be
obtained about 400 to 500 kg/cm2 (Chanh et al, 2008 ).
30ºC and
GP1 1274 539 490 41 8M 103
GPC 60ºC
Hollow
Block (100 30ºC and
GP2 1274 539 490 41 10M 103
x 100 x 250 60ºC
mm) with
30ºC and
one hollows GP3 1274 539 490 41 12M 103
60ºC
of size 45x
75 x125mm 30ºC and
GP4 1274 539 490 41 14M 103
60ºC
Mix
Mix
Proportion of
Designation Type of Mix Proportion Proportion
mortar
of Prism Brick of Brick of Fly ash :
(Cement :
Binder)
Sand)
CBP Clay Brick Burnt Clay - 1: 4
Moulded
GBP (M1) Geopolymer 1:3 (Fly ash: 1: 0.54 1: 4
Brick Quarry Dust)
GBP (M2) Geopolymer 1: 1.1: 2.6 1:0.54 1: 4
Brick (Fly ash :sand:
Coarse
Aggregate)
3.5 Summary
This chapter enlists the materials used for making geopolymer concrete,
mixture proportions, manufacturing and curing of the test specimens. Fly ash
used in this study was low-calcium (ASTM Class F) dry fly ash from Ennore
thermal power station, Chennai. The alkaline liquid comprises a combination
of sodium silicate solution and sodium hydroxide solids. Coarse and fine
aggregates used in the local concrete industry were used. The coarse
aggregates were crushed granite-type aggregates comprising 20 mm, 14 mm
and 7 mm and the fine aggregate was fine sand. The mixture proportions used
in this study were developed based on previous study on fly ash-based
geopolymer concrete (Hardjito and Rangan, 2005). Molarity of sodium
hydroxide (NaOH) solution was chosen in the range of 8M to 14M. Ratio of
activator solution-to-fly ash by mass was fixed to be 0.40. Curing at elevated
temperatures was done in two different ways, i.e. curing at room temperature
and in the laboratory oven at 60ºC. Mix proportion used for geopolymer brick
to construct geopolymer prism and clay brick prism is also presented.