Behaviour of geopolymer concrete at elevated temperature- a comprehensive review

Abstract

In comparison to conventional materials made of concrete, geopolymer materials are sustainable, durable and strong. Geopolymer used should not only be sustainable but also fire-resistant for the necessary amount of time. The properties of geopolymer materials after high-temperature exposure, such as weight loss, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, and microstructure are reviewed and discussed in detail in the current study. In addition, the behaviour of Geopolymer concrete (GPC) at high temperatures with different recycled fibre additions as well as additions of crumb rubber is also examined in this article. The use of recycled fibres made from industrial wastes offers additional advantages, including resource conservation, waste reduction, lower costs of processing than normal fibres, and the removal of waste disposal in landfills. The latter offers a sustainable method for recycling tyres and helps slow down the depletion of natural aggregates. From the literature, it is revealed that at 800–1000 °C, compared to the OPC concrete specimens, the GPC samples had less cracking damage and also substantial spalling was seen in the OPC samples, but not in the GPC samples. GPC with recycled fibres has higher crack-resistant characteristics at elevated temperatures. Meanwhile, in a study at 800 °C, rubberized geopolymer showed more cracks compared to control GPC. This work also provides comprehensive reviews on the type of recycled fibres and rubber aggregates, spalling mechanisms, physical inspection and properties of rubberized geopolymer and recycled fibre-reinforced GPC. It also demonstrated the influence of elevated temperature on the characteristics of recycled fibre-reinforced GPC and rubberized geopolymer after high-temperature exposure.