STUDIES ON ACID ATTACK RESISTANCE OF LOW CALCIUM FLYASH AND SLAG BASED GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE

T Srinivas, N V Ramana Rao

Abstract: It is required to bring down an effect of carbon dioxide, otherwise which leads to global warming as a result the researchers have started to search for sustainable building materials. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) is made using industrial waste like fly ash, silica fume (SF), rice husk ash (RHA) or GGBS. Alkali liquids (usually a soluble metal hydro-oxide and/or alkali silicate) can be used to react with silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3) and with fly ash to produce binders, such binders mixed with typical coarse and fine aggregates to form concrete, usually known as alkali activated concrete or geopolymer concrete. The main objective of this paper is to study the sustainable durability property like acid attack resistance on geopolymer concrete of M30 and M50 which are designated as G30 and G50 grades respectively. The alkaline solution used in this present study is combination of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), the ratio of Na2SiO3 to NaOH is 2.5 and SiO2 to Na2O is 2, since the strength is maximum at these ratios. The test specimens were cast and after one day rest period, half of the test specimens were cured in an oven at 60°C for 24 hours and the remaining period cured in sun light until the testing is done and remaining half of the test specimens were ambient cured. After 28 days the specimens were immersed in acids such as HCL and H2SO4 for 15, 45, 75 and 105 days then tested on 15th, 45th, 75th and 105th day according to codal procedures and the results are compared with the controlled concrete. From the test results it is observed that the geopolymer concrete has high resistance to acids than controlled concrete.

Keywords: Fly Ash, Geopolymer Concrete, GGBS, Oven curing, Alkaline solution and Acids

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2016.0532032