Strength Enhancement on Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Concrete with Magnetized Water and Recycled Coarse Aggregate

Abstract

Cement is probably the mostly widely used construction material in the world. However, the production of cement releases CO2 into the air. Greenhouse effect is mainly caused by carbon- di-oxide. Hence, there is a need to develop sustainable alternatives to Portland cement. One of the suitable alternatives is usage of Geo-Polymer Concrete (GPC) which is made from utilization of waste materials like fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) with suitable alkali activators. In general, chemical admixtures are added to get concrete with increased strength. The chemical admixtures for increasing the strength are not easily accessible in rural areas. The fresh and hardened properties of concrete are improved by using magnetic water. The scaling and corrosion are greatly reduced using magnetic water. It is due to the change in microstructure of water molecules making it soft water. Further, recycled coarse aggregate was used with coarse aggregate in the study. The specimens were cast and were investigated for Compressive strength, Split Tensile strength and Flexural strength test after 7 days and 28 days of ambient curing. It was observed that Compressive, Split Tensile and Flexural strength of the GPC specimen with magnetic water increased compared to other mix proportions.