An Experimental Study on The Effect of Chemical Composition on The Strength Behaviour of Geopolymer Mortar

Abstract

Abstract Sustainable development in the construction industry aims to improve the lifetime standards of present and future generations. Among industrial by-products, Ground Granulated blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) powder is employed as a cementitious material. This work investigates the properties of geopolymer binders prepared using the GGBS without conventional cement. The individual properties of the Geopolymer mortar (GPM) samples such as compressive strength and chemical composition were evaluated as per relevant IS Standards. Cubes of size (70.6×70.6×70.6) mm were cast and cured at ambient conditions for molarity 8M, 10M, and 12M with different fine aggregates, i.e., River sand, M-Sand, and GGBS. Compressive strength for 3, 7, and 28 days was evaluated. The results exhibit higher improvement in strength for 12M GPM’s with higher strength for river sand-based mixes. The chemical composition of GPM samples after 28 days of curing is determined. Essential chemical constituents such as SiO2 in 12M GPM’s considerably increased compared to 8M and 10M. The water absorption rate of samples with M-sand is greatly lowered with increasing molarity compared to those with river sand. The dry density of samples with M-sand exhibited higher improvement with increased molarity than those with river sand.