High-Strength Geopolymer Concrete- Properties, Advantages and Challenges

Abstract

Geopolymer is a noble material, made from reaction between aluminosilicate compounds and alkali solution which owns a good binding property. In last decades, lots of research and development works have been carried out globally to investigate the engineering, thermal, micro-structural and durability properties of geopolymer concrete as a sustainable alternative to Portland cement. Results from previous works indicated that geopolymer concrete exhibited better mechanical strength and durability properties than ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. Nowadays, high-strength concrete is increasingly used in major civil construction works, such as high-rise buildings and bridges because of its structural and economic benefits over normal-strength concrete. This paper reports the experimental results on engineering properties of high-strength geopolymer concretes of 65 and 80 MPa using geopolymer binders at ambient curing conditions. High-strength concrete produced in this study was able to set quickly in ambient conditions therefore can attain sufficient strength at early days as well as exhibited higher tensile and flexural strength than concrete from OPC. High-strength geopolymer concrete can be produced with very simple mix design; however, it has some limitation for commercial applications. This paper discusses about the advantages and limitations of geopolymer high-strength concrete for its application in concrete industry.