Effect of Substitution of Fly Ash on the Strength of Geopolymer Concrete

Abstract

Concrete is most often used construction material for infrastructure, which includes structures such as buildings, bridges, roads, dams, and a variety of other structures. To fulfill the increased demand for constructing infrastructure, worldwide output of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is increasing. This suggests that concrete will continue to be the most widely used construction material for a long time. Cement production consumes a lot of energy and emits a lot of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Another ecologically friendly concrete option is to utilize geopolymer, which is an inorganic alumina silicate polymer created from natural or waste resources such as fly ash, which is high in silicon and aluminum. Geopolymer is an inorganic alumina silicate polymer that may be manufactured from natural resources or waste products such as fly ash. This research looked at how various elements impact the mechanical characteristics of concrete and how the concrete mix behaves. To do this, concrete mixtures were created. There are many factors to consider when designing a geopolymer manufactured from fly ash, including how much cement it contains, how much cement it replaces, and how much activator solution it contains. The testing revealed that utilizing a fly ash-based geopolymer instead of fly ash improved the durability of concrete. Concrete with a 50% replacement ratio is more durable than other forms of concrete. It outperforms other kinds of concrete in terms of splitting tensile strength, compressive strength, and flexural strength.