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Alkali-activated materials are ideal for the repair of concrete structures in harsh environmental conditions due to their high durability in chemically aggressive environments. However, slag-based mortars, in particular, are prone to shrinkage and associated cracks. In this respect, the application of steel fibres is one solution to reduce the formation of shrinkage induced cracks and to improve post cracking behaviour of these mortars. This study investigated the influence of two different types of steel fibres on the tensile properties of two alkali-activated mortars. Direct tensile tests and single fibre pull-outs were performed to analyse the determining failure modes both on macro and micro scale. Mechanical testing was accompanied by non-destructive testing methods such as digital image correlation and acoustic emission for a detailed analysis of the fracture process.
Additive manufacturing of alkali-activated materials currently attracts a lot of attention, because of the possibility to produce customized high-performance elements for a range of applications, potentially being more resource-efficient than conventionally produced parts. Here, we describe a new additive manufacturing process for alkali-activated materials that is based on selective laser-heating of lithium aluminate/microsilica slurries. The new process-material combination allows to manufacture elements with complex geometries at high building rates and high accuracy. The process is versatile and transferrable to structures of sizes differing by orders of magnitude. The mechanical strength of the obtained materials was in the range of values reported for conventional metakaolin-based geopolymers, and superior to what has been hitherto reported for alkali-activated materials produced by additive manufacturing. This mechanical performance was obtained despite the fact that the degree of reaction of the lithium aluminate and the microsilica was low, suggesting that significant reactions took place only at the surface of the microsilica particles.
Properties of alkali-activated mortars with salt aggregate for sealing structures in evaporite rock
(2021)
Concrete structures for sealing of tunnels in the host rock are an essential part of systems for nuclear waste storage. However, concretes based on blended cements or magnesium oxychloride cements, which are commonly considered for this application, can deteriorate severely due to a significant heat of hydration and associated deformation and cracking. Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) offer a potential solution to this problem because of their low heat release during hardening. To explore their suitability for the construction of sealing structures in evaporite rock, various AAMs with salt aggregate were studied regarding fresh properties, heat release, mechanical properties and microstructure. The heat of reaction of the AAMs was up to 55% lower than that of a blended cement designed for sealing structures, indicating significant benefits for the intended application. Other relevant properties such as mechanical strength and permeability depended strongly on the mix-design of the AAMs and curing conditions.
Mixing and curing of geopolymers and related alkali-activated materials without storage and handling of highly alkaline solutions possesses advantages regarding safety and economic viability. One possible approach is to produce these materials from solid silica feedstocks and solid sodium aluminate, and subsequent mixing with water. We present a comparison between geopolymers and aluminosilicate gel-zeolite composites synthesized by this route from different silica feedstocks (by-product silica from chlorosilane production, microsilica, rice husk ash) and with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios, using results from XRD, NMR, SEM, thermal analysis, mechanical and acid resistance testing. The use of rice husk ash favors formation of a fully amorphous geopolymer with high strength. Utilization of the other silica feedstocks leads to formation of aluminosilicate gel-zeolite composites, the amount and kind of zeolites depending on the feedstock and the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio. These composites show beneficial dehydration behavior, viz. no distinct dehydration step of thermal strain, with the phase assemblage after heating to 1000°C controlled by the starting composition. Mortars produced from both, the geopolymers as well as the composites, exhibit high resistance to sulfuric acid attack, making them promising materials for the construction and the repair of industrial and sewer structures.
Alkali-activated materials such as geopolymers are currently receiving a lot of attention because of their potential to be used as binders for concrete with advantageous engineering properties and reduced manufacturing CO2 emissions. Knowledge of the durability of steel in these concretes and related properties of alkali-activated materials is a prerequisite for their application as building materials, if they are to be used for steel reinforced elements. However, to date only limited data exists on this topic. The present contribution focuses on durability-related transport properties of geopolymer-based mortars (as model systems for concrete). We report results of accelerated carbonation, rapid chloride migration (RCM) and air permeability measurements as well as porosity data for fly ash-based geopolymer mortars, including mixes containing ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). In addition, we report polarization resistance data and corrosion potential vs. time curves for carbon steel bars embedded in two of the fly ash-based geopolymer mortars and a CEM I-based mortar (as reference).
Despite comparable total porosities, the carbonation depths, the chloride migration coefficients and the air permeabilities of the mortars differed significantly. In general, the addition of GGBFS to the binders improved the performance (decreased transport coefficients); however, this was not found to be true for the air permeability in all cases. This latter effect can be explained by drying damage of the C-(A-)S-H gel in GGBFS-containing binders. On the other hand, low transport coefficients can also be achieved by optimization of the binder formulation without the addition of GGBFS, which is also reflected in the material’s air permeability. Thus, there exists no simple correlation between air permeability (of harshly dried mortars) and durability-related transport coefficients for the studied alkali-activated materials.
The corrosion potential vs. time curves in combination with polarization resistance values reveal that the steel reinforcement in geopolymer mortars assumed a passive state. However, this happened considerably later than for steel in CEM I-based mortars. The free corrosion potential of carbon steel reinforcement in the geopolymer mortars had different values than the free corrosion potential values for the CEM I-based mortar for both the active and the passive state; possible reasons for this behavior are discussed.
Mortars for application on concrete, e.g. repair mortars or protective coatings, need to have a durable bond to the substrate. This bond is determined by the adhesion between the two materials and by the differential deformations of the mortar and the substrate. In the present contribution, the hygric deformations (shrinkage/expansion) of novel one-part alkali-activated mortars and their bond to concrete substrates are studied. Shrinkage of the mortars was studied at 50 % r.H., while expansion was studied on mortars stored over an open water surface (> 99% r.H.). The bond behaviour was studied by pull-off tests according to DIN EN 1542 and by optical microscopy.
The alkali-activated mortars exhibit hygric deformations much lower than the deformations of an established, commercial mortar for sewer maintenance that was tested as reference in parallel with the alkali-activated mortars. The bond behaviour of the alkali-activated mortars depends strongly on their mix-design and curing. Optical microscopy showed that in the
mortars with lower bond strength, cracks developed in the mortar during curing. Mortars with appropriate mix-design and curing did not exhibit cracking, and their pull-off strength (up to >3 MPa) conformed to the requirements of relevant standards.