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Advances in Concrete Construction Volume 11, Number 2, February 2021, pages 127-140 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/acc.2021.11.2.127 |
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Effect of molar ratios on strength, microstructure & embodied energy of metakaolin geopolymer |
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Aref A. Abadel, Abdulrahman S. Albidah, Ali H. Altheeb, Fahed A. Alrshoudi, Husain Abbas and Yousef A. Al-Salloum
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| Abstract | ||
| In this study, twenty-five geopolymer (GP) mixes were prepared by varying the alkaline solids to Metakaolin (MK) and sodium silicate to NaOH ratios from 0.1 to 0.5 and 0.2 to 1.0, respectively, thus giving a wide range of molar ratios of silica to alumina, sodium oxide to alumina and water to sodium oxide. The compressive strength of these GP mixes was determined for four curing schemes involving oven curing at 100oC for 24 h and three ambient curing with the curing ages of 3, 14, and 28 days. The test results revealed that for the manufacture of GP binder for structural applications of strength up to 90 MPa, the molar ratio of silica to alumina should be greater than 2.3, sodium oxide to alumina should be between 0.6 to 1.2, and water to sodium oxide should not exceed 12. The compressive strength of ambient cured GP mortar gets stabilized at 28 days of ambient curing. Experimental findings were also corroborated by GP microstructure analysis. The embodied energy of MK-based GP mortars, especially of high strength, is significantly less than the cement mortar of equivalent strength. | ||
| Key Words | ||
| metakaolin; geopolymer; compressive strength; microstructure; molar ratios; embodied energy | ||
| Address | ||
| Aref A. Abadel, Abdulrahman S. Albidah, Ali H. Altheeb, Fahed A. Alrshoudi, Husain Abbas and Yousef A. Al-Salloum: Chair of Research and Studies in Strengthening and Rehabilitation of Structures, Dept. of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P.O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia | ||
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