OPTIMIZATION OF FLYASH BASED GEOPOLYMER

CONCRETE INCORPORATING WOLLASTONITE

A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED TO

VNR VIGNANA JYOTHI INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
HYDERABAD
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

IN

CIVIL ENGINEERING
SUBMITTED BY

AZMEERA BALARAJ (13071A0105)

SAI VINEETH SURE (13071A0144)

Y R SASHIDHAR REDDY (13071A0148)

U VENKATA SAI TARUN (13071A0149)

V BHANU SAI CHANDER (13071A0157)

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Dr. K RAMUJEE
Professor Of Civil Engineering

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

VNR VIGNANA JYOTHI INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

BACHUPALLY, (VIA) KUKATPALLY, HYDERABAD- 500090

APRIL – 2017

i
 BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified that this project report “OPTIMIZATION OF FLYASH

BASED GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE INCORPORATING WOLLASTONITE”
is the bonafide work of AZMEERA BALARAJ(13071A0105), SAI VINEETH
SURE(13071A0144), Y RAMA SASHIDHAR REDDY(13071A0148), U
VENKATA SAI TARUN(13071A0145), V BHANU SAI CHANDER(13071A0157)
in partial fulfillment of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering
from VNR VJIET who carried out the project work under my supervision.

Signature Signature
Dr. A MALLIKA Dr. K RAMUJEE
Professor & Head Of the Department Professor
Department Of Civil Engineering Project Guide
VNR VJIET Department Of Civil Engineering.
Bachupally, Nizampet(S.O) VNR VJIET
Hyderabad-500090 Bachupally, Nizampet(S.O)
Hyderabad-500090

ii
 DECLARATION
We, the undersigned declare that the project report entitled “ OPTIMIZATION
OF FLYASH BASED GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE INCORPORATING
WOLLASTONITE” written and submitted by us is an original work done
under the guidance of Dr.K RAMUJEE. The matter herein is not reproduced
from any other source.

AZMEERA BALARAJ SAI VINEETH SURE

(13071A0105) (13071A0144)

Y RAMA SASHIDHAR REDDY U VENKATA SAI TARUN

(13071A0148) (13071A0149)

V BHANU SAI CHANDER

(13071A0157)

Place:
Date:

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We feel privileged to express our deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to

our guide Dr. K RAMUJEE for sparing his valuable time to clarify our doubts
and gave valuable suggestions, patience, kind and constant encouragement.
We are grateful to Dr. A. MALLIKA, Head of the department for providing us
an opportunity to pursue the project and her immense guidance with keen
interest. We are thankful to Mr. G A V SANDEEP KUMAR, Assistant
professor and
Mr. NAGA BHUSHAN, lab assistant for allowing us to use concrete
technology lab and helping us in conducting tests. We sincerely thank our
principal
Dr. C D NAIDU for providing us infrastructural facilities. We would like to
thank the civil engineering faculty and supporting staff for lending a helping
hand in finishing the project.

iv
 ABSTRACT

Geopolymer concrete is an innovative construction material

which shall be produced by the chemical action of inorganic molecules. Fly
Ash, a by- product of coal obtained from the thermal power plant is plenty
available worldwide. Fly ash is rich in silica and alumina reacted with alkaline
solution produced aluminosilicate gel that acted as the binding material for the
concrete. It is an excellent alternative construction material to the existing plain
cement concrete. Geopolymer concrete shall be produced without using any
amount of ordinary Portland cement. However, despite these advantages
widespread commercial use of geopolymer concrete in the construction industry
has encountered numerous technical and institutional barriers which needs to be
addressed.
In the current study Fly ash is replaced with
wollastonite in different proportions as 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% by weight of
flyash and the Compressive strength characteristics of cubes are studied. In
addition to these comparison studies are made between Flyash based
GeoPolymer Conrete and wollastonite optimized Flyash based GPC for
Abrasion and Chloride Permeability

v
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DESCRIPTION OF THE TOPIC PAGE NO.

TITLE PAGE I

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE II

DECLARATION III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IV

ABSTRACT V

TABLE OF CONTENTS VI

INDEX VII

LIST OF TABLES VIII

LISTS OF SYMBOLS
ABBREVATIONS & NOMENCLATURE X

vi
 INDEX

S. No Content Pg. No
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 General 1
1.2 Geopolymer concrete 1
1.3 Aims and Objectives 3
1.4 Scope of work 3
1.5 Application of Geopolymer concrete 3

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 General 5
2.2 Review of past work 5
2.3 Critical appraisal 23

3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 General 24
3.2 Test program 26
3.3 Tests on Materials 27
3.4 Mixing 28
3.5 Casting 28
3.6 Curing 28
3.7 Testing 28
4 EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM

4.1 General 29
4.2 Materials 29
4.3 Physical properties of Materials 37
4.4 Mix Design 43
4.5 Procedure followed 45

5 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

5.1 Compressive Strength 55
5.2 Under Water Abrasion Test 58
5.3 Rapid Chloride Permeability Test 59

6 CONCLUSION 62
6.1 Scope for further study 62
7 REFERENCES 63

vii
 LIST OF TABLES

Pg
S.No
no.

1 Applications of Geopolymers Si/Al Application 4

Strength of AAS and FA-based geopolymer binder activated by different

2 13
type of activators

Typical dosage and modulus of sodium silicate based activator used by

3 16
several authors

4 Physical Properties of wollastonite 30

5 Physical Properties of Fine ggregate 31

6 Physical Properties of Coarse Aggregate 32

7 Physical properties of Flyash 34

8 Chemical properties of Flyash 34

9 Properties of Sodium silicate solution 35

10 Properties of Sodium Hydroxide 36

11 Fineness modulus of fine aggregate 39

12 Bulking of sand 40

viii
13 Physical properties of fine aggregate 41

14 Fineness modulus of coarse aggregate 42

15 Physical properties of coarse aggregate 43

16 Optimized mix proportions for various grades of Geopolymer concrete 44

17 Compressive strength results of motar mixes 55

18 Test results of fly ash-based Geopolymer concrete mixtures 56

19 Abrasion Test (Underwatermethod) result 58

Rapid chloride permeability tet

20 59

ix
LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVATIONS AND
NOMENCLATURE

x
µ Micron

G Specific Gravity

g Grams

mm Millimetre

Kg Kilogram

N Newton

FM Fineness Modulus

MAS Maximum aggregate size

Fct Target mean strength

fck Characteristic compressive

strength

S Standard deviation

11
 CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL
The global use of concrete is second only to water. As the demand for concrete as a
construction material increases, so also the demand for Portland cement. It is estimated that
the production of cement will increase from about from 1.5 billion tons in 1995 to 2.2 billion
tons in 2010. On the other hand, the climate change due to global warming and
environmental protection has become major concerns. The global warming is caused by the
emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide CO 2, to the atmosphere by human
activities. Among the greenhouse gases, CO2 contributes about 65% of global warming. The
cement industry is held responsible for some of the CO 2 emissions, because the production of
one ton of Portland cement emits approximately one ton of CO 2 into the atmosphere. The
environment must be protected by preventing dumping of waste/by-product materials in un-
controlled manners. Several efforts are in progress to address these issues. These include the
utilization of supplementary cementing materials such as fly ash, silica fume, granulated blast
furnace slag, rice-husk ash and metakaolin, and the development of alternative binders to
Portland cement. In this respect, the geopolymer concrete with a much lower environmental
footprint shows considerable promise for application in the concrete industry. In terms of
global warming, the geopolymer technology could significantly reduce the CO 2 emission to
the atmosphere caused by the cement industries as shown by the detailed analyses by Gartner.
This paper presents the study on Flexural Behavior of geopolymer concrete beams, focused
on the durability of concrete for three grades i.e., Ordinary, Standard and High strength
grades have been arrived and compared with that of ordinary Portland cement concrete.

1.2 GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE

The term ‘Geo polymer’ was coined by Davidovits in 1978 to describe a family of mineral
binders with chemical composition similar to zeolites but with an amorphous microstructure.
Two main constituents of geopolymers are source materials and alkaline liquids. The source
material should be rich in silicon (Si) and aluminium (Al). In this case, the source material
used

1
is fly ash. The chemical reaction which takes place in this case is a polymerization process.
Unlike ordinary Portland pozzolanic cements, geopolymers do not form calcium-silicate-
hydrates (CSHs) for matrix formation and strength, but utilize the polycondensation reaction
of silica and alumina where adjacent hydroxyl ions from these near neighbours condense to
form an oxygen bond linking the molecules, and a free molecule of water .The “monomers”
so formed in solution can be represented in 2-dimensions by - Si – O – Al – O -
(poly[silalate]), or, - Si – O – Al – O – Si – O - (poly[silalate-siloxi]), precursors to attain
structural strength; hence the term ‘Geopolymer’ was initiated to represent the binders.

Geopolymer is used as the binder, instead of cement paste, to produce concrete. The
geopolymer paste binds the loose coarse aggregates, fine aggregates and other unreacted
materials together to form the geopolymer concrete. The manufacture of geopolymer concrete
is carried out using the usual concrete technology methods. As in the Portland cement
concrete, the aggregates occupy the largest volume, that is, approximately 75 to 80% by
mass, in geopolymer concrete. The silicon and the aluminum in the fly ash are activated by a
combination of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions to form the geopolymer paste
that binds the aggregates and other unreacted materials.

Alkaline Aviator
Flyash
NaoH+Na2Sio3

Aggregate
 Geopolymerisati
Storage on
Fig.1.1Preparation of geopolymer
concrete
1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this experiment are
1) To Optimize M30 grade geo-polymer concrete with Wollastonite using accelerated curing.
2) To acess the mechanical properties (compressive strength) of GPC and wollastonite
replaced GPC.
3) To acess durability studies (RCPT and Abrasion Test) on Flyash based GPC and
wollastonite optimized Flyash based GPC .

1.4 SCOPE OF WORK

The investigation primarily focuses on the work on geo-polymer concrete, in an attempt to

determine whether wollastonite addition in flyash based geopolymer concrete would improve
the mechanical and durability properties of geopolymer concrete. The research utilized low-
calcium (ASTM Class F) fly ash as the base material for making geopolymer 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 geopolymer
concrete. Different mix proportions with the ratio of alkaline liquids to fly ash ratios, oven
curing temperature and time, concentration of sodium hydroxide, rest period are prepared and
standard specimens with a dimension 150mm×150mm×150mm of GPC and GPC with
flyash replaced by wollastonite for different proportions(10%,20%,30%,40%) without
reinforcement were cast and tested for mechanical properties such as compressive strength,
workability and durability properties such as RCPT and abrasion resistance.
1.5 APPLICATION OF GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE
Geopolymer concrete can be made to achieve the following properties:
1) High compressive strength gain.
2) Good abrasion resistance.
3) Rapid controllable setting and hardening.
4) Fire resistance (up to 1000ºC) and no emission of toxic fumes when heated.
5) High level of resistance to a range of different acids and salt solutions.
6) Not subject to deleterious alkali-aggregate reactions.

7) Low shrinkage and low thermal conductivity.

8) Adhesion to fresh and old concrete substrate, steel, glass, ceramics.
9) High surface definition that replicates mould patterns.
Davidovits (1999) proposed the possible applications of the geopolymers
Depending on the molar ratio of Si to Al, as given in Table 1.5.

Table 1.1: Applications of Geopolymers Si/Al Application

Si/Al Application
1 Bricks, ceramics, fire protection.
2 Low CO2 cements, concrete, radioactive & toxic waste
Encapsulation.
3 Heat resistance composites, foundry equipment’s, fiber glass
Composites.
>3 Sealants for industry.
20<Si/Al<35 Fire resistance and heat resistance fiber composites.
 CHAPTER-2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 GENERAL

A large amount of work has been done in studying and trying to improve the mix of
geopolymer concrete. Originally, the term geopolymer was first introduced by Davidovits in
1978 to represent the mineral polymers resulting from geochemistry. Geopolymers are the
alkali alumina silicates binders formed by the alkali silicate activation of alumina silicates
materials (Duxson, et al., 2005). They were mostly synthesized from silicon and aluminium
materials of geological origin. However, nowadays, geopolymers are manufactured from
secondary raw materials such as fly ash and slag. Geopolymers are alkali-activated alumina
silicates, with a much lower carbon dioxide emission than ordinary Portland cements
(Duxson et al, 2007). Industrial alumina silicates waste materials such as coal ash and blast
furnace slag are activated by alkali to form geopolymers. As reported by Duxson et al,
geopolymers demonstrate improved strength and chemical properties in addition to many
other characteristics which are potentially valuable. Depending on the selected raw material
and processing conditions, geopolymer concrete exhibit a variety of diverse properties,
including high compressive strength, low shrinkage, fast or slow setting, acid resistance, fire
resistance and low thermal conductivity.

2.2 REVIEW OF PAST WORK

Pawan kalla and Anurag Mishra on “Mechanical and Durability studies on concrete
containing wollastonite fly ash combination” showed that strength properties of concrete
mixes containing W-FA combination were observed increasing up to 55%cement replacement
at.55w/binder ratio and up to 60%cement replacement at 0.45, 0.50 watrer/binder ratios.
Permeability
Was found reducing with increase in cement replacement with W-FA combination upto 55%
at .55water/ binder ratio and up to 60%at .45,and.50w/b ratio.
Lloyd N A and Rangan B.V(2010): on “Geopolymer concrete with fly ash.” Lloyd et al.
devoted to heat-cured low-calcium fly ash-based Geopolymer concrete. The compressive
strength and the workability of Geopolymer concrete are influenced by the proportions and
properties of the constituent materials that make the Geopolymer paste. Research result
showed that the higher concentration (in terms of molar) of sodium hydroxide solution results
in higher compressive strength of Geopolymer concrete. Higher ratio of sodium silicate
solution-to-sodium hydroxide solution ratio by mass resulted in higher compressive strength
of Geopolymer concrete. The slump value of the fresh Geopolymer concrete increases when
the water content of the mixture increases. Superplasticizer may assist in improving
workability. As the H2O-to-Na2O molar ratio increases, the compressive strength of
Geopolymer concrete decreases.

Davidovits(1980) :Proposed that geopolymer is a new type of binder which should be

distinct from alkali activated aluminosilicate, most researchers preferred the name
“geopolymer” to name all the alkali activated siliceous-aluminous binders amongst the
aluminosilicate materials, metakaolin and fly ash are the most favorable raw materials for
geopolymer production. Metakaolin was used in the early development of geopolymer, and
continued to be used as raw material due to its pure aluminosilicate count.

Palomo et.al, Xu and van Deventer(2002): Geo-polymers are members of the family of
inorganic polymers. The chemical composition of the geo-polymer material is similar to
natural zeolitic materials, but the microstructure is amorphous instead of crystalline. Unlike
ordinary Portland / pozzolonic cements, geo-polymers do not form calcium silicate-hydrates
(C-S-H) for matrix formation, but utilize the poly-condensation of silica and alumina and a
high alkali content to attain structural strength. Therefore, geopolymers are sometimes
referred to as alkali activated alumina silicate binders. Geo-polymerization involves the
chemical reaction of alumina-silicate oxides (Si2O5, Al2O2) with alkali polysilicates yielding
polymeric Si-O-Al bonds.

Olivia M, Nikraz H and Ahmed M, F FadhilNuruddin, M Demie, S Shafiq(1998): One

Significant aspect of geopolymer concrete is that it is generally heat-cured. Whilst curing of
geopolymer concrete at ambient temperatures has been carried out, it is not recommended by
most researchers of GPC.
At ambient temperatures the reaction of FA-based geopolymeric materials is very slow, and
generally results in slower setting and strength development. Therefore heat-curing, in the
form of either dry-heat or steam, is required to increase the kinetic energy and degree of
reaction, subsequently increasing the density of the pore system and improving the
mechanical properties of the resulting composite. It is also believed that higher temperatures
0 0
activate alumina-silicate phases in the FA, so they are generally cured at 60 C-90 C. Also, the
alumina and silicate precursors more readily dissolve from the source material at elevated
temperatures. Early-age strength gain is a characteristic of heat-curing GPC, and can be best
exploited in the precast industry where steam-curing or heated-bed-curing is common.

Malhotra and Ramezanianpour (1994): Chemical composition, fineness and percentage of

amorphous or reactive silica present. It also depends on quality of coal used as fuel. The types
and relative amount of incombustible matter in the coal determine the chemical composition
of fly ash. Fly ash that results from burning sub bituminous coals is referred as ASTM Class
C fly ash or high calcium fly ash. It is typically contains more than 20 percent of CaO .On the
other hand, fly ash from the bituminous and anthracite coals is referred as ASTM Class F fly
ash or low calcium fly ash. It consists of mainly an aluminosilicate glass and has less than 10
percent of CaO. The color of fly ash can be tan to dark grey depending upon the chemical and
mineral constituents. The loss on ignition (LOI) is a measure of unburnt carbon remaining in
the ash. Fineness of fly ash mostly depends on the operating conditions of coal crushers and
the grinding process of the coal itself. Finer gradation generally results in a more reactive ash
and contains less carbon.

Kolli. Ramujee,(2013)Developed the Mix design for low calcium based Geopolymer
Concrete in ordinary standard and high strength grades Geopolymer, a member of inorganic
family, has been identified as a suitable substitute to cement gaining popularity globally
towards the sustainable development .It is a type of amorphous aluminosilicate cementitious
material which can be synthesized by polycondensation reaction of geopolymeric precursor
and alkali polysilicates. Beside fly ash, alkaline solution is utilized to make geopolymer paste
which binds the loose coarse and fine aggregates and other unreacted materials after a set of
chemical reactions takes place to form the geopolymer concrete
Very limited work has been reported in the area of development of mix design procedures. In
this paper an attempt is made to develop the mix design for Geopolymer concrete in ordinary
(M20), standard (M40) and higher (M60) grades and relative comparison has been made with
equivalent mix proportions of grades of OPC Concretes in both heat cured and ambient cured
conditions. About 7 different mixes for each grade is casted, tested and optimized and the
results are in agreement with mix design reported in the past literature. The design parameters
like alkaline liquid to fly ash ratio and water to Geopolymer solids ratio were proposed to
develop the Geopolymer concrete in all three grades.

Palomo et.al (2007): claimed that to produce optimal binding properties, the low-calcium fly
ash should have the percentage of unburned material (LOI) less than 5%, Fe 2O3 content
should not exceed 10%, and, reactive silica should be between 40 – 50%, and 80 – 90% of
particles should be smaller than 45 μm. Alkaline liquid plays an important role in the
polymerization process. Reactions occur at a high rate when the alkaline liquid contains
soluble silicate, either sodium or potassium silicate, compared to the use of only sodium
hydroxides. Addition of sodium silicate solution to the sodium hydroxide solution to prepare
the alkaline liquid enhanced the reaction between the source material and the solution. In
general the NaOH solution caused a higher extent of dissolution of minerals than the KOH
solution (Palomo et.al) .The compressive strength and the workability of geopolymer
concrete are influenced by the proportions and properties of the constituent materials that
make the geo-polymer paste.Water to Geo-polymer solid ratio by mass also plays important
role in development of concrete. It is the ratio of the total mass of water to the total mass of
geo polymer solids. The total mass of water is the sum of mass of water contained in the
sodium silicate liquid, the mass of water in the sodium hydroxide liquid and the mass of extra
water, if any added to the mixture. The total mass of geo-polymer solid is the sum of mass of
solids in the sodium silicate solution (i.e. the mass of Na2O and SiO2), the mass of sodium
hydroxide solids and the mass of fly ash.

Mehta (2009): Portland cement concrete industry has grown astronomically in recent years.
It will continue to grow as the result of continuous urban development. However, Portland
cement concrete posses problems such as durability and carbon dioxide emission. Many
concrete structures have shown serious deterioration, way before their intended service life,
especially those constructed in a corrosive environment.
Also proposed that binders could be produced by a polymeric reaction of alkaline liquids with
the silicon and the aluminum in source materials of geological origin or by-product materials
such as fly ash and rice husk ash. He termed these binders as geopolymers.

Joseph Davidovits (1981): coined the term ―geopolymer in 1978 to classify the newly
discovered geosynthesis that produces inorganic polymeric materials. The chemical
composition of the geopolymer material is similar to natural zeolitic materials, but the
microstructure is amorphous. Geopolymer material with sodium hydroxide and cured at
elevated temperature will attributed more stable cross- linked alumina silicate polymer
structure. The properties and uses of geopolymers are being explored in many scientific and
industrial disciplines OPC in concrete.

Davidovits (1979): suggested that it is preferable to mix the sodium silicate solution and the
sodium hydroxide solution together at least one day before adding the liquid to the solid
constituents. He also suggested that the sodium silicate solution obtained from the market
usually is in the form of a dimmer or a trimmer, instead of a monomer, and mixing it together
with the sodium hydroxide solution assists the polymerization process. When this suggestion
was followed, it was found that the occurrence of bleeding and segregation ceased. He
proposed that an alkaline liquid could be used to react with the Silicon (Si) & Aluminum (Al)
in source material of geological origin or in byproduct material such as Fly ash, Metakaolin,
Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) Rice husk ash (RHA) etc. to produce binders.

Hardijito, D. Wallah, S.E. Sumajouw, D.M.J andRangan (2008): on “Development of

Fly ash based Geopolymer concrete.” Hardijito et al. investigated the effect of various
synthesizing parameter on fly ash based Geopolymer concrete prepared by low calcium class
F fly ash with sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate activated solution. Four type of local
available aggregate of size 20 and 14 and 7 mm and fine sand. Mixture was casted using 100
x200 mm steel cylinder mould with 30-60 min rest period. The compressive strength test
specimen was performed to find the influence of various Geopolymer synthesizing
parameters such as (a) Concentration of sodium hydroxide (b) Sodium silicate to sodium
hydroxide liquid ratio (c) Curing time and curing temperature, (d) adding of High range water
reducing admixture(e) Handling time (f) Water content in the mixture. . Results revealed that
the higher concentration of sodium hydroxide solution result in a higher strength of
Geopolymer concrete.
Higher ratio of sodium silicate to sodium silicate by mass increases the compressive strength.
 0
Curing temperature in the range of 30 to 90 C and Curing time 6 to 96 Hours produce large
amount of compressive strength. Fresh Geopolymer concrete easily handle up to 120 min
without any setting. It was also observed that a little drying shrinkage and low creep with
high resistance against sodium sulfate.

HardijitoDjwantoro, WallahSteenieE,SumajouwDody M.J, Rangan B.V (2005):

on
“Geopolymer concrete: Turn waste into Environmentally Friendly Concrete.” In Geopolymer
concrete, the inorganic alumino-silicate polymer gel synthesized from source materials rich in
silicon and aluminum, such as low calcium (class F) fly ash, binds the loose course and fine
aggregates, and other un-reacted materials in the mix. The test results shows, the effect of
sodium silicate-to-NaOH ratio and concentration of sodium hydroxide effect the strength of
the mix. Higher curing temperature and longer curing time resulted in larger compressive
0
strength, curing temperature 60 C and 48 hours was the optimum value for increasing the
strength. The fresh concrete was allowed to stand at room temperature 60 minutes after
mixing. Compressive strength of Geopolymer concrete decreases as the ratio of water-to
Geopolymer solids by mass increases. Test results also reveal that Geopolymer concrete
undergoes very little drying shrinkage and moderately low creep, and possesses excellent
resistance to sulfate attack.

Palomo, et., al (2007): concluded that the curing temperature was a reaction accelerator in
fly ash-based geopolymers, and significantly affected the mechanical strength, together with
the curing time and the type of alkaline liquid. Higher curing temperature and longer curing
time were proved to result in higher compressive strength. Alkaline liquid that contained
soluble silicates was proved to increase the rate of reaction compared to alkaline solutions
that contained only hydroxide.

Barbosa, et al (1998): reported the importance of the molar composition of the oxides
present in the mixture and the water content. They also confirmed that the cured geopolymers
showed an amorphous microstructure and exhibited low bulk densities between 1.3 and 1.9.
Based on the study of geopolymerisation of sixteen natural Si-Al minerals.
Xu and van Deventer (2004) : reported that factors such as the percentage of CaO, K2O,
and the molar Si-to-Al ratio in the source material, the type of alkali liquid, the extent of
dissolution of Si, and the molar Si-to-Al ratio in solution significantly influenced the
compressive strength of geopolymers. He found that natural Al–Si minerals could be a source
material for geopolymers. However, they concluded that the reaction mechanisms involved in
the dissolution, gel formation, setting and hardening phases are extremely complex and
require a great deal of further research. It is still not possible to predict quantitatively whether
or not a specific Si–Al mineral will indeed be suitable for geopolymerisation.

Bakharev T (1997): on “Thermal behavior of Geopolymers prepared using class F fly ash
and elevated temperature curing.” a study of thermal stability of properties upon firing at
0 0
80 –120 °C of Geopolymer materials prepared using class F fly ash and Na and K alkaline
activators. Specimens prepared using Tarong and Gladstone fly ash with high silica content
0
had an expansion on firing. Materials were prepared and curing temperature 80-100 C.
0
Sodium base materials rapid deterioration and increase pore size at 80 C. Initially amorphous
structure was replaced by crystalline Na-feldspars. Potassium base materials strength was
0
significantly increase on heating, deterioration of strength started 100 C. After firing this
materials remained amorphous with reduced average pore size and significantly increase the
strength.

Hardijito et.al (2003) : introduced the early work on fly ash-based geopolymer concrete
dealing with the manufacturing process and the effect of curing period, curing temperature
and the age of concrete on the compressive strength of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete.
Moreover, the effect of alkaline ratio and the ratio of alkaline to water was also studied. More
research results on the factors affecting the compressive strength and other properties of fresh
and hardened fly ash-based geopolymer concrete were also reported.

Davidovits (1979) : proposed that an alkaline liquid could be used to react with the silicon
(Si) and the aluminum (Al) in a source material of geological origin or in by-product
materials such as fly ash and rice husk ash to produce binders. Because the chemical reaction
that takes place in this case is a polymerization process, he coined the term ‘Geopolymer’ to
represent these binders.
Palomo et al, (2004)(13)reported that the manufacture of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete
railway sleepers. They found that the geopolymer concrete structural members could easily
be produced using the existing current concrete technology without any significant changes.
The engineering performances of the products were excellent, and the drying shrinkage was
small. Earlier, Balaguru et al (1997; 1999) reported the use of geopolymer composites to
strengthened concrete structures as well as geopolymer coating to protect the transportation
infrastructures. They reported that geopolymer composites have been successfully applied to
strengthen reinforced concrete beams. The performance of geopolymers was better than the
organic polymers in terms of fire resistance, durability under ultra violet light, and did not
involve any toxic substances.

Van Jaarsveld, et al (2002) concluded that the water content and the curing and calcining
condition of kaolin clay affected the properties of geopolymers. However, they also stated
that curing at too high temperature caused cracking and a negative effect on the properties of
the material. Finally, they suggested the use of mild curing to improve the physical properties
of the material. Based on a statistical study of the effect of parameters on the polymerisation
process of metakaolin-based geopolymers.
Table 2.1 Strength of AAS and FA-based geopolymer binder activated by different type
of
activators

.
Djwantoro Hardjito,(2004)Geo polymer concrete mortar preparation is a complex,
challenging problem, making it difficult to perform with traditional analytical techniques. The
author presents a simulation methodology that research on the behavior of geopolymer
pastes. The present study deals with the manufacture of geopolymer concrete and the
influence of several parameters on the compressive strength. The research data presented in
this paper are useful to understand the behavior of geopolymer concrete.
Higher concentration (in terms of molar) of sodium hydroxide solution results in a higher
compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. Higher the ratio of sodium silicate-to-sodium
hydroxide liquid ratio by mass, higher is the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete.
As the curing temperature in the range of 30 to 90 °C increases, the compressive strength of
geopolymer concrete also increases. Longer curing time, in the range of 6 to 96 h (4 days),
produces larger compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. However, the increase in
strength beyond 48 h is not significant. The addition of high-range water-reducing admixture,
up to approximately 2% of fly ash by mass, improved the workability of fresh geopolymer
concrete with very little effect on the compressive strength of hardened concrete. The rest
period between casting of specimens and the commencement of curing up to 60 min has no
effect on the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. The fresh geopolymer concrete is
easily handled up to 120 min without any sign of setting and without any degradation in the
compressive strength. As the ratio of water-to-geopolymer solids by mass increases, the
compressive strength of the concrete decreases.

Duxson, et al., (2005) Proposed that Geopolymers are the alkali aluminosilicates binders
formed by the alkali silicate activation of aluminosilicates materials. They were mostly
synthesized from silicon and aluminium materials of geological origin. Geopolymer concrete
has emerged as a new engineering material with the potential to form an important
contributor towards environmentally sustainable construction and building products industry.
Geopolymers are alkali-activated aluminosilicates, with a much lower carbon dioxide
emission than ordinary Portland cements. Industrial aluminosilicates waste materials such as
coal ash and blast furnace slag are activated by alkali to form geopolymers. As reported by
Duxson et al, geopolymers demonstrate improved strength and chemical properties in
addition to many other characteristics which are potentially valuable. Depending on the
selected raw material and processing
conditions, geopolymer concrete exhibit a variety of diverse properties, including high
compressive strength, low shrinkage, fast or slow setting, acid resistance, fire resistance and
low thermal conductivity.

Fernandez-Jimenez, et al., (2005) proposed a model for the activation mechanism for
aluminosilicate materials. This model was divided into three steps: (a) destruction–
coagulation,
(b) coagulation–condensation, and (c) condensation– crystallization.

Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri, et.al(2011)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 aluminosilicate 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
geopolymer 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.

Bakharev,(2005)He proposed a similar approach for GPC preparation by using an activator

dosage in terms of the mass ratio of Na to fly ash, however for the sodium silicate based
activator, the mass ratio of Na2O in the activator solution to fly ash was found to be more
suitable since the grade of sodium silicate solution is usually specified by the ratio of SiO2 to
Na2O (which make the mix calculation easier).
The typical dosage and modulus activator adopted by several authors has been calculated and
presented in Table 2.3. It can be seen from Table 4 that a higher dosage was needed for an
FA-based geopolymer (5.3% - 16%) than that for an AAS binder (3% - 6%)
 Table 2.2 Typical dosage and modulus of sodium silicate based activator used by
several
Authors

Davidovits (1979): claims that the Egyptian Pyramids were built by casting geopolymer on
site. He also reported that this material has excellent mechanical properties, does not dissolve
in acidic solutions, and does not generate any deleterious alkali-aggregate reaction even in the
presence of high alkalinity. Some of the immediate applications of geopolymer concrete are
marine structures, precast concrete products such as railway sleepers, sewer pipes, pre-
fabricated units for the housing market etc., as well as waste containment or encapsulation.

Hardijito,D. Wallah S.E. and Rangan B.V (1998): reported the manufacturing process and
the effect of various parameters such as curing temperature, curing time, sodium silicate-to-
sodium hydroxide ratio, sodium hydroxide-to-free water ratio and the age of concrete on the
compressive strength of geopolymer concrete.

M.F. Nuruddin1, A. Kusbiantoro1, S. Qazi1, M.S. Darmawan, and N.A. Husin

(2011) :
Geopolymer is a part of inorganic polymer material that has similar bonding function like
cement in concrete. It consists of alkaline solutions and geological source material. Alkaline
liquids used in this research are 8 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution and sodium silicate
(Na2SiO3) solutions, while source materials are fly ash and microwave incinerated rice husk
ash (MIRHA). Three different curing regimes, namely hot gunny curing, ambient curing, and
external exposure curing, were applied to obtain suitable method that was suitable with cast
in situ application. Geopolymer concrete samples were tested on their compressive strength
and microstructure properties. It was found that external exposure curing had the highest
compressive strength compared to other two curing methods. Scanning electron microscopy
analysis also showed better improvement in interfacial transition zone for concrete sample
with external exposure curing.

Davidovits (1989): The geopolymer technology was first introduced by Davidovits in 1978.
His work considerably shows that the adoption of the geopolymer technology could reduce
the CO2 emission caused due to cement industries. Geopolymers are members of the family
of inorganic polymers. The chemical composition of the geopolymer material is similar to
natural zeolitic materials, but the microstructure is amorphous. Any material that contains
mostly silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al) in amorphous form is a possible source material for
the manufacture of geopolymer.The chemical composition of the geopolymer material is
similar to natural zeolitic materials, but the microstructure is amorphous. Any material that
contains mostly silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al) in amorphous form is a possible source
material for the manufacture of geopolymer. Metakaolin or calcined Kaolin, low calcium
ASTM Class F fly ash, natural Al-Si minerals, combination of calcined minerals and non-
calcined minerals, combination of fly ash and metakaolin, combination of granulated blast
furnace slag and metakaolin have been studied as source materials. The most common
alkaline liquid used in geopolymerisation is a
combination of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide and sodium silicate or potassium
silicate.

Rangan (2005): In the design of geopolymer concrete mix, coarse and fine aggregates
together were taken as 75-80% of entire mixture by mass. This value is similar to that used in
OPC concrete in which it will be in the range of 75 to 80% of the entire mixture by mass.
Fine aggregate was taken as 30% of the total aggregates. The density of geopolymer concrete
is taken similar to that of OPC as 2400 kg/m3.

Hardijito and Mustafa Al Bakri (1999): Heat curing of GPC is generally recommended,
both curing time and curing temperature influence the compressive strength of GPC. For easy
working of fresh GPC mixes Superplasticizer Conplast SP-430 was used. After casting the
specimens, they were kept in rest period for two days and then they were demolded. The
demolded specimens were kept at 60°C for 24 hours in an oven.

Anurag Mishra, DeepikaChoudhary, Namrata Jain, Manish Kumar, Nidhi

Sharda,
DurgaDutt (2014): The experiments were conducted on fly ash based geopolymer concrete
by varying the concentration of NaOH and curing time. Total nine mixes were prepared with
NaOH concentration as 8M, 12M, 16M and curing time as 24hrs, 48hrs, and 72hrs.
Compressive strength, water absorption and tensile strength tests were conducted on each of
the nine mixes. Results of the investigation indicated that there was an increase in
compressive strength with increase in NaOH concentration. Strength was also increased with
increase in curing time, although the increase in compressive strength after 48hrs curing time
o
was not significant. Compressive strength up to 46 MPa was obtained with curing at 60 C.
The results of water absorption test indicated that % water absorption of cubes decreased with
increase in NaOH concentration and curing time. Hence, geopolymer concrete has a great
potential for utilization in construction industry as it is environmental friendly and also
facilitates the use of fly ash, which is a waste product from coal burning industries.

Vijay K., Kumutha R. And Vishnuram B. G (2009 ): Effect of types of curing on

strength of geopolymer concrete .The polymerization process is generally
accelerated in the higher temperature than ambient. Fly ash based geopolymers
produced in ambient temperature achieves lower strength in the early days as
compared to heat cured samples but in ambient curing the compressive strength
increases as the age of concrete increases from 7 days to 28 days. The compressive
strength of hot cured fly ash based geopolymer concrete does not increase
substantially after 7 days.

Hardijito (2003): The fresh concrete was cast into moulds immediately after mixing and it is
important to note that the fresh fly ash-based Geopolymer concrete could be handled up to at
least two hours without any sign of setting and degradation in compressive strength. The
fresh concrete is casted in to 150 X 150 X 150 mm Cubes, 150 X 300 mm Cylinders and 100
X 100X 500 mm Prisms, to find the compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural
strength respectively. The specimens were prepared in accordance with IS-516:1959. The
compaction is achieved by giving sixty manual strokes for each layer by using tamping rod
and followed by compaction on vibrating table for about 30s.

Hardijito and Rangan (2008): After casting all the specimens were covered using polythene
sheets to avoid the quick evaporation of moisture from the concrete and then all the
specimens were kept at room temperature for three days. It is stated in the literature that
postponing the curing for period of time causes an increase in the compressive strength of
concrete .At the end of three days the specimens were placed inside the hot air curing
O
chamber [HACC] and cured at 60 C for 24 h. After curing, the specimens were taken out
from the chamber and kept to air-dry at room temperature and after achieving the room
temperature the specimens were demolded. Further the specimens were left in the laboratory
at ambient temperature until the day of testing. All the test specimens were tested for 7th day
from the date of casting.

Rangan (2003): Some simple guidelines for the design of heat-cured low calcium fly ash-
based geopolymer concrete are proposed. The role and the influence of aggregates are
considered to be the same as in the case of Portland cement concrete. The mass of combined
aggregates may be taken to be between 75% and 80% of the mass of geopolymer concrete In
order to meet these performance criteria, the alkaline liquid-to-fly ash ratio by mass, water-to-
geopolymer solids ratio by mass, the wet-mixing time, the heat-curing temperature, and the
heat - curing time are selected as parameters. After number of trials alkaline liquid to fly ash
ratio by mass in the range of 0.35 and 0.40 resulted in good compressive strength. Note that
wet-mixing time of 4 minutes, and steam-curing at 60 o C for 24 hours after casting are
proposed. In other words, the coarse and fine aggregates in a geopolymer concrete mixture
must neither be too dry
to absorb water from the mixture nor too wet to add water to the mixture. In practical
applications, aggregates may contain water over and above the SSD condition.

Wallah SE, Rangan BV(2005): Low-Calcium Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete

compared with ordinary Portland cement concrete, geopolymers show many advantages.
Low-calcium fly ash-based geopolymer concrete has excellent compressive strength, suffers
very little drying shrinkage and low creep, excellent resistance to sulfate attack, and good
acid resistance. Geopolymer concrete is suitable for structural applications and the design
provisions contained in the current standards and codes can be used to design reinforced fly
ash-based geopolymer concrete structural members.

Malhotra (1999): Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials; it is
usually associated with Portland cement as the main component for making concrete. The
demand for concrete as a construction material is on the increase. It is estimated that the
production of cement will increase from about from 1.5 billion tons in 1995 to 2.2 billion tons
in 2010.

Vijay, K. Kumutha, and R.Vishnuram (2014): Geopolymer concrete results from the
reaction of a source material that is rich in silica and alumina with alkaline liquids.
Geopolymer is an inorganic alumina-silicate polymer synthesized from predominantly silicon
and aluminum materials of geological origin or by-product materials. Fly-ash (FA) has been
the most studied by-product material to be used. The focus of this research is upon Class F
FA-based GPC, and the investigation of a possible mix design process. Geopolymer concrete
is fundamentally different to OPC concrete in that its binder,the result of chemical reactions
that produce a material which hardens the mix into a stiff matrix, acts upon different
chemistry and with different materials.
Kolli.Ramujee, Dr.M.Potharaju (2013) Geopolymer concrete is a cement less concrete
gaining popularity globally towards the sustainable development .It is a type of amorphous
alumino-silicate cementitious material which can be synthesized by polycondensation
reaction of geopolymeric precursor and alkali polysilicates. Beside fly ash, alkaline solution
is utilized to make geopolymer paste which binds the aggregates to form geopolymer
concrete. Even though some studies could be seen in literature on geopolymer concrete, not
much work has been reported in the area of development of mix design procedures for
different grades, In addition, some of the conclusions are contradictory.. In this paper an
attempt is made to develop the mix design for Geopolymer concrete in low, medium and
higher grades and relative comparison has been made with equivalent mix proportions of
grades of OPC Concretes in both heat cured and ambient cured conditions. About 7 different
mixes for each grade is casted, tested and optimized and the results are in agreement with mix
design reported in the Reference.

Glukhovsky(1950), Alkali activated aluminosilicate materials were first discovered

by
Glukhovsky , however, not until Davidovits introduce the term “geopolymer” in 1979 for his
binder, which consisted of mixed alkalis with a burnt mixture of kaolinite, lime stone and
dolomite, did the research on the alkali activated aluminosilicate materials became of major
interest. He classified alkaline activator into six groups according to their chemical
composition:
(1) Caustic alkalis: MOH; (2) Non-silicate weak acid salts: M2CO3, M2SO4, M3PO4, MF, etc;
(3) Silicates: M2O·nSiO2 (4) Aluminates: M2O.nAl2O3; (5) Aluminosilicates M2O·Al2O3·(2-
6)SiO2; and (6) Non-silicate strong acid salts: M2SO4.For basic slag, independent of the
hardening conditions, alkaline activators from the first 3 groups can be used. For neutral and
acid slag, activator from the first and the third groups ensure hardening in normal conditions.
In combination with activators from groups 1 or 3, activators from group 2 can be used for
neutral and acid slag.
Olivia M, Nikraz H (2013): Many by-product materials fit the above criteria, and include
FA, silica fume, granulated blast furnace slag, rice-husk ash and red mud. Geopolymer
concrete utilizing FA has been the most broadly studied type of by-product GPC, largely due
to the environmental advantages, its abundance, and its high silicon and aluminum content.
The production of FA in Australia in 2007 was approximately 14.5 million tones, of which
only 2.3 tones were utilized in beneficial ways. FA is a heterogeneous material of variable
chemical composition, and is defined as the finely divided residue that results from the
combustion of ground or powdered coal that is transported by flue gasses from the
combustion zone to the particle removal system of coal power stations. The alkaline liquids
component is from soluble alkali metals that are usually sodium or potassium based. The
most common alkaline liquid used to create geopolymerisation is a combination of sodium
hydroxide and sodium silicate, or potassium hydroxide and potassium silicate.
Xu and van Deventer (2007): reported that the proportion of alkaline solution to alumino-
silicate powder by mass should be approximately 0.33 to allow the geopolymeric reactions to
occur. Alkaline solutions formed a thick gel instantaneously upon mixing with the alumino
silicate powder. The specimen size in their study was 20x20x20 mm, and the maximum
o
compressive strength achieved was 19 MPa after 72 hours of curing at 35 C with stilbite as
the source material.

Van Jaarsveldet.al (2014): reported the use of the mass ratio of the solution to the powder of
about 0.39. In their work, 57% fly ash was mixed with 15% kaolin or calcined kaolin. The
alkaline liquid comprised 3.5% sodium silicate, 20% water and 4% sodium or potassium
hydroxide. In this case, they used specimen size of 50x50x50 mm. The maximum
compressive strength obtained was 75 MPa when fly ash and builders’ waste were used as the
source material.

Barbosa et.al (2005): prepared seven mixture compositions of geopolymer paste for the
following range of molar oxide ratios: 0.2<Na 2O/SiO2<0.48, 3.3<SiO2/Al2O3<4.5 and
10<H2O/Na2O<25. From the tests performed on the paste specimens, they found that the
optimum composition occurred when the ratio of Na2O/SiO2 was 0.25, the ratio of H 2O/Na2O
was 10.0, and the ratio of SiO2/Al2O3 was 3.3. Mixtures with high water content, i.e.
H2O/Na2O = 25, developed very low compressive strengths, and thus underlying the
importance of water content in the mixture. There was no information regarding the size of
the specimens, while the moulds used were of a thin polyethylene film.
2.3 CRITICAL APPRAISAL
From the above studies most of the results were explained on performance of W-FA
combination geo polymer concrete, plain gpc and various variables (alkaline activators) to be
considered for developing the geo polymer concrete. Most of the studies made an attempt to
determine the durability of geopolymer concrete in corrosive environment. The past reports
on development of Low calcium flyash based geopolymer in terms of Compressive strength,
Split tensile and Durability studies such as resistance to acid attack and Sulphate attack.
Some studies can be seen in the area of wollastonite being added to OPC concrete to improve
mechanical and durability properties. However, no work has been reported on flyash of
Geopolymer concrete being replaced with wollastonite to enhance mechanical and durability
properties.
 CHAPTER-3

METHODOLOGY

3.1 GENERAL

A Methodology flowchart is a type of diagram that represents an algorithm, workflow or

process, showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting them with
arrows. This diagrammatic representation illustrates the Methodology adopted in evaluating
the compression and Flexural strength.
In order to achieve a clear knowledge in the field of Geo polymer concrete and
preparation techniques, a literature review was performed. Large numbers of studies have
been conducted globally for developing the geo polymer concrete. This chapter introduces a
general view about project. The need for preparing the geopolymer concrete is been
predicted, the parameters requirements for preparing GPC concrete and method adopted is
mentioned. Various and different approaches modelling the behavior of GPC and GPC with
flyash replaced by wollastonite concretes have also been discussed in chapter 2
 LITERATURE SURVEY

PROCUREMENT
PROCUREMENT OFOFMATERIALS
MATERIALS

TESTS
TESTS ONON FLYASH &
FLYASH & WOLLASTONITE
WOLLASTOITE TESTS
TESTS ON ON AGGREGATE
AGGREGATES

SPECIFIC GRAVITY 1.SPECIFIC GRAVITY ON FINE AND

COARSE AGGREGATE
2.BULKING OF SAND
3.FINENESS MODULUS ON FINE AND
COARSE AGGREGATE

CASTING OF GPC CUBES

COMPRESSION TEST ON CUBES

RCPT

ABRASION TEST
(UNDERWATER METHOD)

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

DOCUMENTATION

Fig.3.1 methedology adopted for study area

3.2 TEST PROGRAM

Compression test is conducted on GPC cubes of 150 x 150 x 150 mm length, breadth and
height.. The mix designs followed for GPC concrete were G30. Similarly, the mix designs
followed for Geopolymer concrete are G30 with flyash being replaced with wollastonite. The
above mix designs were referred from a paper published by Sri. K. Ramujee (2013) in the
Indian Concrete Institute journal (ICI).

3.2.1 Mix design calculations


Mix design for G30:

Assume density of aggregate as unit weight of concrete = 2400 kg/m3.

Mass of Combined aggregate = 70 %
= 2400 x 0.7%
= 1680 kg/m3
Now, mass of combined aggregate = 1680 kg/m3
Mass of Fly ash and alkaline Liquid = 2400-1680 = 720
kg/m3 Let us take alkaline liquid to fly ash ratio as 0.4.
Now the mass of fly ash = (720)/(1+0.4) = 514
kg/m3 Mass of alkaline liquid = 720-514 = 206
kg/m3
Let us consider the ratio of NaOH to Na2sio3 as 3
Now mass of NaOH solution =(206)/(1+3)=51.5 kg/m3
Mass of Na2Sio3 solution = 206-51.5 = 154.5 kg/m3
Now 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 16M concentration, where in the solution
consists of 44.4% of solids(pallets) and 63.5% of water.
Mass of solids = (44.4/100) x (45.06) = 20.00 Kg
Mass of water = 45.06 - 20.00
  Sodium Silicate Solution (Na2SiO3) :

The water content in the silicate solution in observed as 63.5%.

So, the Mass of Water = (63.5/100) x (154.5) = 98.1 Kg
Mass of solids = 154.5-98.1=56.1 Kg

 Total mass of water:

Mass of water in NaOH solution + mass of water in Na2Sio3.
Solution = 98.1 + 32.7 = 130.8 Kg.

 Total mass of solids :

Mass of solids in NaOH solution + mass of solids in Na2Sio3
Solution + mass of Fly ash = 56.1+ 514 + 18.8= 588.9 Kg.

Ratio of water to Geopolymer Solids:

Ratio = (130.8) / (588.9) = 0.22.

It is clear that for Water/binder ratio & alkaline liquid/fly ash ratio are the governing factors
in designing the geopolymer mix design for various grades. The water/binder ratios of 0.22
and Alkaline liquid to fly ash ratios of 0.40 for G30 with 16M concentration.

(Note: the mix design for both geo polymer concrete and geo polymer concrete with
wollastonite is same but the flyash is replaced with wollastonite, water is replaced by alkali
activators)

3.3 TESTS ON MATERIAL

Before going to make a Geo polymer concrete, first we have to determine the
properties of materials. A number of tests have been performed on fly ash, wollastonite, fine
aggregate and coarse aggregate to know the various physical properties, such as specific
gravity, fineness, compressive strength etc. of each material.
3.4 MIXING
After collecting all the materials in the required proportions i.e. Fly Ash,
wollastonite, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate extra water
for Geopolymer concrete specimens. They are mixed in the concrete mixer continuously for a
time period of 3minutes.After mixing, the concrete is tested for workability using slump cone
test.

3.5 CASTING
A total of 68 specimens were casted i.e. 30 cubes of GPC concretes and 5 abrasion
discs of GeoPpolymer Concrete concretes and 15 specimens of RCPT.

3.6 CURING
In this process the Conventional concrete cubes are placed in water in a curing tank
for a total period of 28 days after demolding. The Geopolymer concrete moulds are placed in
the Hot air oven for heat curing and then they are demolded and placed for ambient curing
(kept in air) for the desired period OF 24 hours at 80degrees centigrade.

3.7 TESTING
The concrete specimens are tested for compressive strength. The cubes are casted for
compression test, the abrasion discs are tested for abrasion and the specimen are used to
conduct Rapid chloride permeability test and the workability of different grades of GPC
concretes are been determined.
 CHAPTER-4
EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM

4.1 GENERAL
In this work, wollastonite, low-calcium (ASTM Class F) fly ash-based geopolymer is used as
the binder, instead of Portland or other hydraulic cement paste, to produce concrete. The fly
ash-based geopolymer paste binds the loose coarse aggregates, fine aggregates and other un-
reacted materials together to form the geopolymer concrete, with the presence of admixtures.
The silicon and the aluminum in the low-calcium fly ash react with an alkaline liquid that is a
combination of sodium Hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions to form the geopolymer
paste that binds the aggregates and other un-reacted materials.
The main objective of the present experimental investigation is to obtain specific
experimental data, which helps to understand the durability, mechanical properties of
Geopolymer concrete and wollastonite added Geopolymer concrete.

4.2 MATERIALS
The properties of various ingredients such as wollastonite, fly ash, Fine
aggregate, Coarse aggregate, alkaline solutions used in the GPC and wollastonite added
GeoPolymer Concrete are presented in this section.

4.2.1 WOLLASTONITE
The chemical formula of wollastonite is CaSiO3. It is composed of calcium (Ca) and silicon
and oxygen (SiO2, silica) Wollastonite has a high pH of 9.9 in a 10 percent water slurry That
can stabilize acidity .Application of wollastonite in concrete mixes as partial replacement of
cement, sand or both was reported by CRRI. From the results of study it was evident that
incorporation of wollastonite in concrete increases flexural and compressive strength.
 Fig.4.1 WOLLASTONITE
Table 4.1:Properties of wollastonite

Property Value for cement (OPC)

Specific Gravity 3.15
Consistency 31.5 %
Initial setting time 91
Final setting time 211
Soundness 2.8

4.2.2 Fine aggregate

Sand generally greater than 70 micron and less than 4.75 mm is used as fine aggregate
in concrete. It is a granular form of silica. In concrete, sand acts as a filling material, which
fills the gap between coarse aggregate. This will provide carbon dioxide required for
hydration. This gives additional strength to concrete and prevents it from shrinkage and
cracking due to creep etc. Locally available River sand is used as fine aggregate and is tested
for various properties required. The sand passing through IS sieve 2.36mm was taken.
 .
Fig.4.2Fine aggregate

Table 4.2: Physical Properties of Fine Aggregate

Physical Property Tested Result Obtained

Specific Gravity 2.66

Fineness Modulus 2.64
Water absorption 0.90%

4.2.3 Coarse aggregate

This may be uncrushed, crushed or partially crushed gravel or stone. They should be
hard, strong, dense, durable, clear and free from veins and adherent coatings and free from
injurious amounts of disintegrated pieces, alkali organic matter. Tests are conducted to
determine
its physical properties. The aggregates passing through IS 20mm sieve and retaining on
12.5mm sieve were taken for the experimental procedures
Size of aggregate: 20mm

Fig.4.3Coarse aggregate

Table 4.3: Physical Properties of Coarse Aggregate

Physical Property Tested Result Obtained

Specific Gravity 2.72
Fineness Modulus 5
Water absorption 0.45%

4.2.4 Water
Water is an important ingredient of concrete, as it actively participates in the chemical
reaction with cement. The strength of cement concrete comes mainly from the bonding action
of
hydrated gel. The requirement of water should be reduced to that required for chemical
reaction of unhydrated cement, as excess water would end up in the formation of undesirable
voids in the

hardened concrete.

Water used for mixing and curing is fresh potable water, conforming to IS: 3025 – 1964 part
22, part 23 and IS: 456 – 2000.

4.2.5 Fly ash

Fly ash is the waste obtained as a residue from burning of coal in furnaces and
locomotives. It is obtained in the form of powder. It is a good pozzalona .The colour of fly
ash is light grey.
In the present experimental work, low calcium Class F fly ash is used and it is
obtained from Kakatiya thermal Power station (KTPC), warangal, Telangana.The physical
and chemical properties of the fly ash presented in table 4.1.

Fig.4.4 Flyash

Table 4.4: Typical Oxide Composition of Indian fly ash

S No Components Percentage

1. Silica, SiO2 49-67

2. Alumina Al2O3 16-28

3. Iron oxide Fe2O3 4-10

4. Lime Ca O 0.7-3.6
 5. Magnesia Mg O 0.3-2.6

6. Sulfur Trioxide SO3 0.1-2.1

7. Loss on Ignition 0.4-1.9

Table 4.5: Physical properties of Flyash

SI. Test Conducted Results Requirements as Per

No IS;3812;2003 (Reaffirmed 2007)
Part 1 Part 2
1 Specific Gravity 2.07 --- ---
2
2 Fineness–Specific Surface in m /Kg 428 Minimum 320 Minimum
By Blaine’s Permeability method 200
3 Lime Reactivity – Average 4.6 Minimum 4.5 ---
2
Compressive strength in N/mm
4 Compressive strength at
2
28 days, N/mm
1) Test Sample 31.5 ---
2) Plain cement motar cube 33.0 ---
3) Compressive strength in percent 95.0 Not less than 80%
of the strength of
corresponding plain
cement motar cubes
5 Soundness by Autoclave test 0.004 Maximum 0.8 Maximum
Expansion of specimens, percent 0.8
6 Residue on 45 micron sieve, 22.2 Maximum 34 Maximum
percent 50

Table 4.6: Chemical properties of Flyash

SI. Test Conducted Results Requirements as Per

No IS;3812;2003 (Reaffirmed 2007)
Silicious Calcareous
Pulverized Fuel Pulverized Fuel
Ash Ash
1 Silicion dioxide(SiO2) plus 93.72 70.0% 50.0%
Aluminium oxide (Al2O3) plus
Iron oxide (Fe2O3),percent by
Mass,(Minimum)
2 Silicion dioxide(SiO2),percent 61.20 35.0% 25.0%
by Mass,(Minimum)
 s3 Magnesium oxide (MgO), 0.77 5.0% 5.0%
percent by Mass,(Maximum)
4 Total sulphur as sulphur 0.93 3.0% 3.0%
trioxide(SO3),percent by mass,
(Maximum)
5 Loss on ignition,percent by 0.29 5.0% 5.0%
Mass,(Maximum)

4.2.6 Alkaline liquids:

. The alkaline solution was prepared by mixing both sodium silicate solution and
sodium
hydroxide solution together at least one day prior to use. The ratio of sodium silicate to
sodium hydroxide solution was fixed as 2.5.
Sodium silicate:
Sodium silicate is also known as water glass or liquid glass, available in liquid (gel)
form. In present investigation sodium silicate 2.0 (ratio between Na 2O to SiO2) is used. As
per the manufacture, silicates were supplied to the detergent company and textile industry as
bonding agent. The chemical composition of sodium silicate presented in table 3.2.
The Sodium Silicate liquid used in this study was provided in liquid form by S.U.Fine
Chemicals Limited, Hyderabad.

Table 4.7: Properties of Sodium silicate solution

Specific gravity 1.6

Molar mass 122.06 gm/mol

Na2O ( by mass ) 14.70%

SiO2 ( by mass ) 29.40%

Weight of solids (by mass) 44.1%

Water ( by mass ) 55.90%

Weight ratio (SiO2 to Na2O) 2.00

Molar ratio 2.06

Fig.4.5 Sodium silicat
Sodium hydroxide:
Generally the sodium hydroxides are available in solid state by means of pellets and
flakes. The cost of the sodium hydroxide is mainly varied according to the purity of the
substance. In this investigation the sodium hydroxide pellets of purity 97 % were used. The
chemical composition of sodium hydroxide presented in table 3.2.

Fig.4.6 Sodium Hydroxide

Table 4.8: Properties of Sodium Hydroxide

4.3
Molar mass 40 gm/mol
PHYSICAL
Appearance White solid

Density 2.1gm/cc

0
Melting point 318 C

0
Boiling point 1390 C

Amount of heat liberated when dissolved

266 cal/gm
in water
PROPERTIES OFMATERIALS

4.3.2 Tests on fine aggregate

4.3.2.1 Specific gravity of fine aggregate

Code: IS 2386 Part-III
Apparatus: Pycnometer
Description: Specific gravity test is used to find the specific gravity of fine aggregate sample
by determining the ratio of weight of given volume of aggregate to the weight of equal
volume of water. Aggregate specific gravity is needed to determine weight-to-volume
relationships.
 (w  w1 )
G= 2
(w  w )  (w3  w4 )
2 1

W1 = Empty weight of pycnometer - 643

rd gm
W2 = Pycnometer + 1/3 of FA
- 138
W3 = Pycnometer + cement + kerosene 6gm
W4 = Pycnometer + complete kerosene
- 194
6gm
- 149
5gm
 Fig.4.14Pycnometer
Result: Specific gravity of fine aggregate is 2.54
IS limit: As per code specific gravity of fine aggregate has to range between 2.5-2.6
Hence ok

4.3.2.2 Fineness modulus of fine aggregate:

Code: IS 2386 Part-1
Apparatus: Sieves, sieve analysis machine.
Description: Fineness modulus (FM) is defined as an empirical figure obtained by adding the
total percentage of the sample of an aggregate retained on each of a specified series of sieves,
and dividing the sum by 100. In general fineness modulus is defined as size of the aggregate.
Result: The fineness modulus of fine aggregate is 2.7
IS limits: As per code fineness modulus should range from 2-4
Hence ok
Table 4.13Fineness modulus of fine aggregate

Weight Cumulative Cumulative Grading Limits

Cumulative
Sl no. IS Sieve Size retained Weight %Weight IS 383-1970
% Passing
gm. retained gm retained Zone II

1 10 mm 0 0 0 100 100
2 4.75mm 0 4 0.4 99.6 90-100

3 2.36mm 40 44 4.9 94.9 75-100

4 1.18mm 184 228 22.8 75.9 55-90

5 600microns 355 583 58.3 39.9 35-59

6 300 microns 310 909 90.9 8.9 8-30

7 150 microns 75 984 98.4 1.4 0-10

8 <150microns 14 -- -- -- --

9 Total 1000 275.7

Fineness Modulus = 256/100 = 2.56

4.3.2.3 Bulking of sand

Code: IS 2386 Part-1
Apparatus: Measuring cylinder, weighing balance, steel rule.
Description: Bulking of sand means increase in its volume due to presence of
surface moisture. The volume increases with increase in moisture content. Due
to moisture in each particle of sand, sand gets a coating of water due to surface
tension which keeps the particles apart. This causes an increment in volume of
sand known as Bulking.
Empty weight of cylinder = w1 = 2601Height of Cylinder =17cm
rd
Height of sand = 2/3 Height of Cylinder = 11.4cm
Weight of sand + cylinder = w2 = 5853g
Weight of sand = w2-w1 = 3252g

Fig.4.15Bulking of sand

Table 4.14 Bulking of sand

Height of sand
% of bulking
Sl. No. % of water added after adding water
((h1-H)/H)×100
(h1)

1. 1 12.8 12.28

2. 2 13.4 17.54

3. 3 14.4 26.31

4. 4 13.3 16.6
 Table 4.15 Physical properties of fine aggregate

Physical Property Is Specifications Results Obtained

Tested

Specific gravity 2.5– 2.6 2.55

Fineness modulus 2– 4 2.7

Bulking of sand < 40 % 26.31%

4.3.3 Tests on coarse aggregate

4.3.3.1 Specific gravity of coarse aggregate
Code: IS 2386 part-III
Apparatus: Pycnometer
Description: Specific gravity test is used to find the specific gravity of coarse aggregate
sample by determining the ratio of weight of given volume of aggregate to the weight of
equal volume of water. Aggregate specific gravity is needed to determine weight-to-volume
relationships.
 (w  w )
2 1
G= (w  w )  (w  w )
2 1 3 4

W1 = Empty weight of pycnometer - 643

rd gm
W2 = Pycnometer + 1/3 of CA
- 143
W3 = Pycnometer+CA+water
3gm
W4 = Pycnometer + water
- 199
6gm
- 149
5gm
Result: specific gravity of coarse aggregate is 2.7
IS limit: As per code specific gravity of coarse aggregate ranges between
2.6-2.7
Hence ok
4.3.3.2 Fineness modulus of coarse aggregate
Code: IS 2386 Part-1
Description: Fineness modulus (FM) is defined as an empirical figure obtained by adding the
total percentage of the sample of an aggregate retained on each of a specified series of sieves,
and dividing the sum by 100. In general fineness modulus is defined as size of aggregate.
Result: the fineness modulus of coarse aggregate is 7.71
IS limit: As per code the fineness modulus of coarse aggregate should range from 5.5-8
Hence ok

Table 4.16 Fineness modulus of coarse aggregate

Cumulative
Sl. Weight retained
IS Sieve size %weight retained Percentage Weight
No gm.
retained
1 40 mm 0 0 0

2 20 mm 3550 71 71

3 10 mm 1450 29 100

4 4.75 mm 0 0 100

5 2.36 mm 0 0 100
1.18 mm
6 0 0 100

7 600 microns 0 0 100

8 300 microns 0 0 100
9 150 microns 0 0 100

10 Total 5000 771

Fineness Modulus = 771/100 = 7.7

 Table 4.17 Physical properties of coarse aggregate

Physical Property Results Obtained

Is Specifications
Tested

Specific gravity test 2.6 – 2.7 2.7

Fineness modulus 5.5 – 8 7.63

4.4 MIX DESIGN:

The mix designs taken in this investigation were followed from the mix designs developed by
Sri. K. Ramujee et al in his paper published in the Indian Concrete Institute (ICI) journal in
2013. Six specimens each for five mixes were casted for different proportions corresponding
to 10%,20%,30%,40% and plain Geopolymer concrete.
 3
Table 4.18 Optimized mix proportions of Geopolymer concrete (Kg/m )

Mix Proportions Geopolymer concrete (Kg/m3)

Fly Ash 514 405

Wollastonite ---- 105

Fine Aggregate 630 630

Coarse Aggregate 1050 1050

NaOH Conc 16 M 16 M

Na2SiO3 154.5 154.5

Ratio of mixture 1:1.22:2.05 1:1.22:2.05

proporions

Liquid/Binder Ratio 0.4 0.4

Water/Geopolymer 0.22 0.22

Solids ratio

The primary difference between Geopolymer concrete and Wollastonite based Gpc is the
replacement of flyash. The silicon and aluminium oxides in the low –calcium fly ash reacts
with the alkaline liquid to form the geopolymer paste that binds the loose coarse and fine
aggregates and other unreacted materials to form the geopolymer concrete therefore the
cement is replaced by fly ash and the water is replaced by the alkaline activators.
4.5 PROCEDURE FOLLOWED
4.5.1 MIXING
The prepared solution of sodium hydroxide was mixed with sodium silicate solution
one day before mixing the concrete to get the desired alkalinity in the alkaline activator
solution. Initially fine aggregates, fly ash and coarse aggregates were dry mixed in a
horizontal pan mixer for three minutes. After dry mixing, alkaline activator solution was
added to the dry mix and wet mixing was done for 4 minutes. Finally extra water was added
to get workable geopolymer concrete.

Fig.4.16 (a) pan mixer (b) GPC mix after addition of liquids

After mixing the fresh concrete is to be tested for slump in a slump cone apparatus which has
been properly greased and fitted to the base plate. The fresh concrete is placed in slump cone
in 3 layers, each layer is tamped 25 times by a tamping rod. After the top layer is tamped, the
concrete is struck off level with trowel and tamping rod .the mould is removed from concrete
immediately by raising it slowly and carefully in vertical direction. This allows the subsided
concrete to measure. The difference in height in mm is taken as slump of concrete.

Fig.4.17 (a) mix of concrete (b) Slump of GPC concrete

4.5.2 CASTING
Cubes of size 150mm×150mm×150mm were casted for plain Gpc and Wollastonite
replaced GPC the procedures are common to both Geopolymer Concrete specimens and
Wollastonite replaced GPC specimens. After the sample has been mixed and check for slump
and then fill the cube moulds after applying grease to all the faces. The concrete is to be
poured in three layers and compacted with manual strokes by applying 25 blows to each layer
with the help of a tamping rod. The moulds can then be placed on a vibrating table for further
compaction.
All abrasion specimen of size 300mm diameter and 100mm thickness were casted for
plain GPC and wollastonite based GeoPolymer Concrete. The mix was poured into the
moulds as three layers of equal thickness each layer should be tampered by giving 25 strokes
continuously. And six moulds for RCPT of 100mm diameter and 50mm thickness were casted
for plain Geopolymer conrete and wollastonite based Geopoymer concrete.
Specimens are placed on vibrating table for further compaction. Immediately after making
the cubes they should be marked clearly.

Fig.4.18 (a) Casting of moulds (b) Identification of moulds

Fig.4.19 (a) Durability specimen

4.5.3. CURING

After casting, the specimens should be kept in a mould for 1 day. For Geopolymer
concrete the specimens were demolded after 1 day. The moulds were cured using accelerated
curing method by placing the moulds in an oven for 24hrs by maintaining a temperature of
80ºC and allowed to cool down slowly at room temperature to prevent formation of cracks.
The term rest period indicates the time taken from the completion of casting of test specimens
to the start of curing at an elevated temperature. After one day the specimens are covered
with polythene sheet and cured in oven at 80°C for 24 hours and then demoulded the
specimens after 24 hours or until testing.
 o
Fig.4.20 (a) Curing GPC cubes Specimens in Oven Heating at 80 Cfor 24 hrs

4.5.4. TESTING

4.5.4.1.Workability : (Slump Cone Test)

Workability is the ease with which the concrete can be measured. As we increase the amount
of water in the concrete mix (if water to cement ratio is increased) then the concrete is more
workable. Workability is measured using slump cone. There are 3 types of slumps true, shear,
collapse slumps. If true slump is attained then the concrete mix is good .shear slump indicates
that the concrete is non cohesive and shows segregation of concrete .collapse slump indicates
failure of mix.
The slump cone was filled with freshly mixed geopolymer concrete and was
compacted with a tamping bar in four layers. The top of the slump cone was leveled off, then
the cone was lifted vertically up and the slump of the sample was immediately measured.
 Fig.4.21Types of shear
4.5.4.2 Compression Test:
The cube specimens of size 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm were tested in accordance
with
IS: 516 – 1969. The testing was done on a compression testing machine of 200 ton capacity.
The test setup was shown in the figure. Before subjected to the test, weight of each specimen
was recorded and density of each specimen was calculated by dividing the weight of the
specimen by its volume. Specimens were placed in the machine in such a manner that the
load shall be applied to opposite sides of the cubes as cast, that is, not to the top and bottom.
Test set up is shown in Figure .The load was applied without shock and increased
2
continuously at a rate of approximately 14 N/mm /min until the resistance of the specimen to
the increasing load breaks down and no greater load can be sustained. The maximum load
applied to the specimen was recorded. The compressive strength of the specimen was
calculated using the equation

fc= P/A

Where fc is the compressive strength,

P is the maximum load applied to the specimen,

A is the cross-sectional area of the specimen.

 Fig.4.22 Compression Testing Machine

4.5.4.3RAPID CHLORIDE PERMEABILITY TEST (RCPT)

A permeable concrete is more susceptible to ion penetration (which can lead to
corrosion of metals—usually steel reinforcement), to stresses that are induced by the
expansion of water as it freezes, and to chemical attack (leaching, efflorescence, sulphate
attack). If properly cured, most concretes become significantly less permeable with time.
Therefore,it is important to specify the age at which the permeability is measured. There is no
universally accepted standard test method for measuring the permeation properties of
concrete. Permeation procedures may be categorized by their respective transport
mechanisms as given below.
(1) Water absorption
(2) Water permeability (flow)
(3) Ionic flow (Rapid Chloride Permeability Test).
The RCPT method is the fastest method of those mentioned and is often used for
Specification and quality control purposes. Rapid Chloride Permeability Test Equipment
(RCPT) consists of multi-port testing facilities designed to test concrete samples of 100mm
diameter with 50mm thickness and cells. All the cells are provided with connecting rubber
gasket and washers for achieving leak proof. The diffusion cell consists of two chambers.
NaCl solution concentration 2.4M and NaOH solution concentration 0.3 M are prepared.
NaCl solution concentration 2.4M is filled in one chamber and in another chamber 0.3 M
NaOH solution is taken. The chloride ions were forced to migrate through the centrally
placed vacuum saturated concrete specimen under an impressed DC voltage of 60 Volts. Fig
shows the top view of RCPT set up.
 Fig shows a multi port testing facility and cell

The procedure of this test method for measuring the resistance of concrete to chloride ion
penetration has no bias because the value of this resistance can be defined only in terms of a test
method. The method relies on the results from a test in which electrical current passes through a
concrete sample during a six-hour exposure period. The interpretation is that the larger the
Coulomb number or the charge transferred during the test, the greater the permeability of the
sample. The more permeable the concrete, the higher the coulombs; the less permeable the
concrete,the lower the coulombs. The method has shown good correlation with chloride tests
.The following formula, based on the trapezoidal rule can be used to calculate the average current
flowing through one cell.
Q = 900(I0+2I30+2I60+2I90+2I120+…+2I300+2I330+I360)
Where,
Q = current flowing through one cell (coulombs)
I0 = Current reading in amperes immediately after voltage is applied, and
It = Current reading in amperes at t minutes after voltage is applied
The table shows the rating of chloride permeability according to ASTM C 1202-97

Charge passing in coulombs Chloride permeability rating

Greater than 4000 High
2001 to 4000 Moderate
1001 to 2000 Low
100 to 1000 Very Low
Less than thousand Negligible

4.5.4.4ABRASION TEST (UNDERWATER METHOD):

 This test method is used for determining the relative resistance of concrete (including
concrete overlays and impregnated concrete) to abrasion under water. This procedure
simulates the abrasive action of waterborne particles (silt, sand, gravel, and other solids).
Significance and Use:
 This test method is intended to qualitatively simulate the behavior of swirling water
containing suspended and transported solid objects that produce abrasion of concrete
and cause potholes and related effects.
 This test method should provide a relative evaluation of the resistance of concrete to
such action.
 The results are expected to be useful in selection of materials, mixtures, and
construction practices for use where such action is to be expected.
 The test method is not intended to provide a quantitative measurement of the length of
service that may be expected from a specific concrete.
Apparatus
1. Rotating Device—A drill press or similar device with a chuck capable of holding and
rotating the agitation paddle under test conditions at a speed of 1200 rpm shall be used.
2. Test Container—A steel pipe, 305 mm (12 6 1⁄4-in.) inside diameter by 450 mm high,
fitted with a watertight steel base shall be used.
3. Abrasive Charges—Seventy grade 1000 chrome steel grinding balls with nominal sizes as
specified in Table shall be used. The steel of which the balls are made shall have a Rockwell
C-scale hardness of 65 as determined by Test Methods E 18. The balls shall have a smooth
texture and no apparent mold seam
NUMBER OF BALLS NOMINAL SIZE MINIMUM DIAMETER
10 1.00 INCH 25.3MM
25 0.75 INCH 19.0MM
35 0.50 INCH 12.6MM

4.Scales—A platform scale having a capacity of at least 45 kg (100 lb) or more and accurate
to within at least 5.0 g (0.01 lb) at any point within the range used in this test shall be used.
The scale shall be equipped with a suitable apparatus for suspending the sample in its
container in water from the center of the weighing platform.
5.Weighing Basket—A wire basket or other suitable support shall be provided for weighing
the specimen in water. The weighing basket shall be constructed to prevent entrapping air
when it and the specimen are submerged.
6. Water Tank—A suitable watertight tank into which the basket and the specimen can be
suspended below the scale shall be furnished.
7. Seating Block—A minimum of three steel blocks 25 by25 by 25 mm (1 by 1 by 1 in.) shall
be used to support the specimen.

Test Specimens
1. The test specimen shall be cylindrical in shape, having a diameter approximately 6-mm
(1⁄4-in.) less than that of the inside diameter of the test container and a height of 100 6 13 mm
(4 6 1⁄2 in.). It may be molded from freshly mixed concrete or cored from hardened concrete
(see Note 3). Cores shall be taken in accordance with Methods C 42.
2. If the specimen has a membrane curing compound on the surface, remove it completely by
steel wire brushing prior to the soaking period. Soak the specimen in lime-saturated water or
in the water to which the concrete shall be subjected in service for a minimum of 48 h prior to
testing.
3. Determine the average diameter of the top surface of the specimen to be tested to the
nearest 2 mm (1⁄16 in.) by averaging two diameters measured at right angles to each other.
This average diameter shall be used in calculating the top surface area.
4. Surface dry the specimen. Determine and record the mass in air to the nearest 25.0 g (0.05
lb). Determine and record the apparent mass of the specimen immersed in water to the nearest
25.0 g (0.05 lb). The procedure of Test Method C 642 shall be followed using water at 23 °C
(73.4 63°F) having a density of 997 kg/m3. Remove all entrapped air by shaking the
specimen while it is immersed in the water for weighing.

Procedure
1. Place the specimen in the test container with the surface to be tested facing up and the
seating blocks in place.
2. Position the specimen so that its surface is normal to the drill shaft and the center of the
specimen coincides with the drill shaft.
3. Mount the agitation paddle in the drill press. The bottom of the agitation paddle shall be
38mm above the surface of the specimen.
4. Determine and record the mass of the abrasive charge to the nearest 10 g (0.02 lb). Place it
on the surface of the specimen and add water of the same type as used in the saturation period
to 165MM above the surface of the specimen.
5. Start the paddle rotating and check that the paddle is rotating at the required speed with the
paddle immersed.
6. Remove the specimen from the test container at the end of every 12 h of operation. Flush
off the abraded material and surface dry. Determine and record the mass of the specimen in
air and in water.
7. The standard test shall consist of six 12-h periods for a total of 72 hours.
Calculation
Calculate the abrasion loss as follows:
Calculate the volume of the specimen at any time as follows:
Vt=(Vair-Vwater)/Gw
Where:
Vt =volume of the specimen at the desired time, m3,
Wair = mass of the specimen in air at the desired time kg,
Wwater = apparent mass of the specimen in water at the desired time, kg, and
Gw =unit weight of water kg/m3.
Calculate the volume of concrete lost at the end of anytime increment of testing as follows:
VLt = Vi –Vt
Where:
VLt =volume of material lost by abrasion at the end of the test increment in question, m3,
Vi = volume of specimen before testing, m3, and
Vt = volume of the specimen at the end of the test increment in question m3.
Should it be desired to calculate the average depth of wear at the end of any time increment
of testing based on volume of abraded material, it may be done as follows:
ADAt = VLt/A
Where: ADAt = average depth of abrasion at the end of the test increment in question, m

CHAPTER-5
 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

5.1 COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH RESULTS

Compressive strength of mortar cubes
Code: IS 4031 Part-VI
Apparatus: Mould of (7.06*7.06) cm dimensions, CTM
Description: Compressive strength is the capacity of a material or structure to withstand
axially directed pushing forces. It provides data of force vs. deformation for the conditions of
the test method.
Cement mortar: 1:3 binder and sand
Alkali liquid: NaOH+Na2SiO3
Weight of Wollastonite+flyash=200gms
Weight of sand=600gms
3 2
7 days strength = P/A =165x10 /50x10
=33N/mm

7 DAYS 28 DAYS

GPC 24.76 26.13

GPC 30.41 34.73

(25%)Wollastonite

GPC 15.96 17.83

(50%)Wollastonite

Compressive strength of concrete cubes

The7 days and 28 days compressive strength result were presented along with the workability
of different grades of concrete. The compressive strength of concrete goes on increases with
the decrease in water cement ratio for ordinary concrete, but the workability increases with
the increase in water cement ratio to an extent .If the amount of water added to the mix is
more than cement will not bind the aggregate and we attain collapse slump. In geo polymer
concrete the compressive strength increased with reduction in alkaline liquid to fly ash ratio
but the workability reduces. The results of the test conducted on partial replacement of
cement with fly ash in concrete for mechanical properties have been tabulated as following.

7 DAYS(MPa) 28 DAYS(MPa) SLUMP

GPC 27.7 30.5 180(Collapse)

10% 32.6 36.8 35(true )

20% 40.8 44.7 34(true)

30% 33.8 36.5 25(true)

40% 24.6 26.9 104(shear)

Slump indicates characteristic of concrete, if the concrete slump is even then it is called
true slump. The true slump indicates that the concrete is workable. If one half of the cone
slides down is called shear slump which indicates that the concrete is noncohesive and
shows characteristics of segregation.

5.2 ABRASION TEST :( UNDERWATER METHOD)

Abrasion test on fly ash based GPC

HOURS Wair Wwater Vt VLt Avg. depth of

abrasion(mm)
0 16.203 11.076 5.127 - -
12 15.671 10.807 4.864 0.263 3.72
24 15.239 10.589 4.650 0.214 3.02
36 14.888 10.412 4.476 0.174 2.46
48 14.551 10.242 4.309 0.167 2.36
60 14.248 10.089 4.159 0.150 2.12
72 13.940 9.934 4.006 .0.153 2.16

For GPC the total abrasion is 15.84 mm

Abrasion Test on wollastonite optimized GPC

HOURS Wair Wwater Vt VLt Avg. depth of

abrasion(mm)
0 14.940 9.896 5.044 - -
12 14.550 9.699 4.851 0.193 2.73
24 14.197 9.521 4.676 0.175 2.47
36 13.976 9.300 4.566 0.110 1.55
48 13.804 9.290 4.514 0.052 0.74
60 13.623 9.232 4.391 0.090 1.27
72 13.495 9.167 4.328 0.063 0.89

For wollastonite optimized GPC the total abrasion was 9.65mm

5.3 RAPID CHLORIDE PERMEABILITY TEST

Chloride Permeability For Fly ash based GPC

TIME IN MINUTES CURRENT IN mAmp

CH-1 CH-6 CH-7
0 40 45 37
 30 55 60 46
60 62 79 60
90 78 83 79
120 95 101 91
150 102 112 110
180 111 138 118
210 135 151 134
240 141 169 157
270 157 175 179
300 163 189 191
330 185 201 202
360 210 222 208
Icum 1409 1591 1489

CURRENT VS TIME PLOT FOR GPC

ICUM = 1623mA
Q = 900*2*1496 = 2692C
1000
Chloride Permeability For Fly ash based GPC optimized with Wollastonite:

TIME IN MINUTES CURRENT IN mAmp

CH-1 CH-6 CH-7
0 30 35 28
30 42 46 31
60 54 55 37
90 63 62 42
120 69 67 49
150 72 70 54
180 75 73 59
210 80 81 66
240 86 84 71
270 91 92 78
300 95 97 84
330 99 101 89
360 102 105 97
Icum 892 898 722
 CURRENT VS TIME PLOT FOR GPC (20%WOLLASTONITE)

ICUM = 903 mA
Q= 900*2*837 = 1506C
1000
 CHAPTER-6
CONCLUSIONS

1) The difference in strength attainted for 7 days and 28 days differ by atmost 10%.

2) In geopolymer concrete the high grades mixes are less workable when compared with
lower grade concrete, as extra water is added to the low grade mix.

3) Compressive strength increases with increase in the wollastonite content upto 20% of
flyash content and then decreases.

4) It is observed that 90% of strength is achieved within 7 days.

5) From results it is clear that charge passed through flyash based GPC optimized with
wollastonite is 44% less compared to charge passed through flyash based GPC. The 20%
substitution of flyash with wollastonite acts as filler material and yields a significant
reduction in total charge passed.

6) From results wollastonite optimized GPC is more underwater abrasive resistant than
normal GPC.

6.1 SCOPE FOR FURTHER STUDIES

The present work is concentrated on the Wollastonite based Geopolymer Concrete

with different proportions. The same work can be extended by adding materials rich in
silica and alumina.
 CHAPTER-7
REFERENCES

1. Ahmed M.F, Fadhil Nuruddin M, Demie S, Shafiq N, Effect of Curing Conditions on

Strength of Fly Ash-based Self-Compacting Geopolymer Concrete. International
Journal of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 2011. 3(3): p. 183-186.
2. Diaz-Loya E, Allouche E, Vaidya S, Mechanical Properties of Fly-Ash-Based
Geopolymer Concrete. ACI Materials Journal, 2011. May-June 2011: p. 300-306.
3. Duxson P, Fernandez-Jimenez A, Provis J, Lukey G, Palamo A, van Deventer J,
Geopolymer Technology: The Current State of the Art. J Mater Sci (Advances in
geoploymer Science & Technology), 2007. 42: p. 2917-2933.
4. Hardjito D, Rangan BV, Development and properties of low-calcium fly ash-based
geopolymer concrete, Research Report GC, Faculty of Engineering, Curtin University
of Technology, Perth, Australia, 2005, pp. 1-130.
5. Hardjito D, Rangan B, Development and Properties of Low-Calcium Fly Ash-Based
Geopolymer Concrete, 2005, Faculty of Engineering, Curtin University of Technology:
Perth, Australia.
6. Hardjito D, Wallah SE, Rangan BV. Study on engineering properties of fly ash-based
geopolymer concrete. Journal of the Australian Ceramic Society, No. 1, 38(2002) 44-7.
7. Hardjito D, Wallah S, Sumajouw D, Rangan B, Introducing Fly Ash-Based
Geopolymer Concrete: Manufacture and Engineering Properties, in 30th Conference
on Our World In Concrete & Structures2005, CI-Premier PTE LTD: Singapore.
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 SHOW AND TELL

A project entitled “OPTIMIZATION OF FLYASH BASED GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE

INCORPORATING WOLLASTONITE” was demonstrated in “SHOW AND TELL” at
PANDA PUNNAIAH SQUARE on 10th may 2017 under the guidance of Dr.K RAMUJEE

TITLE: OPTIMIZATION OF FLYASH BASED GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE

INCORPORATING WOLLASTONITE’
GUIDE: Dr.K RAMUJEE, Professor of Civil Engineering, VNR VJIET
PROJECT TEAM: AZMEERA BALARAJ - 13071A0105
Y R SASHIDHAR REDDY - 13071A0148
SAI VINEETH SURE - 13071A0144
U V SAI TARUN - 13071A0149
BHANU SAI CHANDER - 13071A0157