Durability properties of steel, polyamide, and polyethylene fiber-reinforced geopolymer mortar made with recycled concrete aggregate and glass powder as fillers

This research produced steel, polyamide, and polyethylene fiber-reinforced metakaolin-red mudbased geopolymer mortar with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and waste glass powder (GP) as fillers. To study the durability behavior, a series of experiments were conducted to investigate the resistance of manufactured geopolymer mortar against high temperatures (300 & DEG;C, 600 & DEG;C, and 900 & DEG;C), freeze-thaw (180 cycles), and sulfate attacks (10% sodium sulfate and 10% magnesium sulfate solution). According to the findings, using GP as a filler material by replacing RCA 50% produced the best strength results. Moreover, adding fibers to the mixture showed significant improvement in durability properties. Steel fiber-reinforced mixtures showed better resistance against high temperatures and freeze-thaw cycles than the rest of the series. Steel fibers improved the flexural strength to 15.58% at 300 & DEG;C, 19.26% at 600 & DEG;C, and 42.94% at 900 & DEG;C compared to the control mixture. Against sulfate attack, fiber-reinforced mixtures behaved better than nonfibrous control mixtures. Weight loss was observed after high-temperature exposure, while the increased weight of samples was observed after exposure to freeze-thaw cycles and sulfate attack. SEM analysis observed a weak interfacial transition zone between the matrix and the fibers.

Automated summary

This research developed a geopolymer mortar with steel, polyamide, and polyethylene fiber reinforcement, using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and waste glass powder (GP) as fillers. The durability behavior of the manufactured geopolymer mortar was studied through tests on resistance against high temperatures, freeze-thaw cycles, and sulfate attacks. Results showed that using GP as a filler material and adding fibers improved the strength and durability properties of the mortar.