Rubberized Geopolymer Concrete: Application of Taguchi Method for Various Factors

Abstract

The effect of different factors on the compressive strength of fly ash based rubberized geopolymer concrete has been established using Taguchi method. The factors include alkaline solution/fly ash ratio; ratio of Na2SiO3/NaOH, molarity concentration of NaOH, temperature of curing, time period for curing, water content, rest period and amount of superplasticizer as an additional material are considered. Total twenty-seven experiments have been conducted in accordance with Taguchi orthogonal array L27. Different mixtures of the fly ash based rubberized geopolymer concrete have been examined for compressive strength at seven days. ANOVA (Variance Analysis) method was used to evaluate the influence of each factor and to identify the test mixture with the highest compressive resistance. The results of experiments show that the alkaline-to-fly ash mixture is 0.35, Na2SiO3/NaOH 2.5, 14 M NaOH, 90°C temperature for curing, 48-hour curing time, 20% water content, 1 day resting period, and 2 percent addition of superplasticizer acquires the greatest compression strength of 59.08 MPa. The curing temperature was also identified as the main factor influencing a rubberized fly ash-based geopolymer concrete's compression strength.