Geopolymer Concrete Using Lime, With Ambient Curing

Abstract

Geo-polymer materials represent an innovative technology that is generating huge amount of interest in the construction industry considering sustainable material. Although geo-polymer concrete is a new technology but the use of this technology has started from the time of pyramids though that time it did not come in the front of the researchers like now to grasp their interest in it. The name “Geo-polymer” was coined by Prof. J. Davidovits in 1978 and he found that the polymerization process involves a substantially fast chemical reaction under alkaline condition on Si-Al minerals that result in 3D polymeric chain and ring structure consisting of Si-O-Al-O bonds. The strength of geopolymer depends on the nature of source material, chemical composition, types of activator solution, solution to fly ash ratio, rest period, types of curing and curing temperature. But in practice it is not possible to produce the temperature curing to structure. Without temperature cutting the geopolymer concrete cannot set early and gain strength. But it is possible by using lime in some percentage with fly ash. Hydraulic lime is a general term for varieties of lime (calcium oxide), or slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), used to make lime mortar which set through hydration. It gains strength over time hence providing flexibility and avoiding the need for expansion joints. This paper presents information on fly ash based geopolymer mortar with ambient curing. In this experimental works the paper covers the materials and chemical proportions, curing temperature and type and the effect of addition of lime in geopolymer concrete. In addition to that the hydrated lime will be used as curing agent. In this project we will study the processing of geopolymer using lime with alkaline activators. The factors that influence early age compression strength such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) molarity and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) with theirratios will be studied, sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate withtheir ratios as (Na2SiO3/NaOH) 2 and NaOH molarity 13 with addition of 5% - 20% of lime will be added as per results based on trial taken into account.