Modelling the influence of density, curing time, amounts of lime and sodium chloride on the durability of compacted geopolymers monolithic walls

This research investigates the durability (throughout wetting and drying cycles) of compacted fly ash carbide lime blends to be used as monolithic walls submitted to heavy rainfall, high humidity and hot temperatures (as commonly found in tropical Brazil), considering the effect of four variables: carbide lime contents and sodium chloride contents, curing periods, and dry densities. Its main contribution is a statistic-based non-linear regression model for predicting the influence of such variables in durability (measured in terms of accumulated loss of mass). The four variables were found to be significant in altering the response variable (accumulated loss of mass). Dry unit weight is the main variable, followed by curing time, sodium chloride content, and carbide lime content, respectively. Finally, the R-2 statistic for the fitted non-linear regression model explains 89.1% of the variability in loss of mass. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.