Effect of Nanographite Conductive Concrete Mixed with Magnetite Sand Excited by Different Alkali Activators and Their Combinations on the Properties of Conductive Concrete

Abstract

In order to obtain conductive concrete with good electrical conductivity and good mechanical properties, nanographite and magnetite sand excited by different activators and their combinations are added to ordinary concrete to obtain high quality and efficient conductive concrete. The optimal mixture ratio of alkali-excited conductive concrete and the effects of different activators and their combinations on the mechanics and electrical conductivity of concrete were studied. The microstructure of alkali-excited conductive concrete was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study its conductive mechanism. Results show that the conductive concrete obtained by compounding sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfate and calcium hydroxide has optimal mechanical and electrical properties when the graphite is 6% cement, and magnetite sand is 40% fine aggregate. The conductive concrete sample prepared by this method has a flexural strength of 6.84 MPa, a compressive strength of 47.79 MPa and a resistivity of 4805 Ω·cm (28 days). Compared with ordinary concrete (no nanographite and no magnetite sand), the compressive strength of conductive concrete is increased by 122.3%, the bending strength is increased by 116.5%, and the resistivity is reduced by 99.1%. SEM shows that the distribution of conductive materials in concrete is more uniform due to alkali excitation and calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) gel can be formed, which leads to better performance. The research in this paper is only a preliminary exploration of the characteristics of green conductive concrete, and the conductive heating characteristics and electromagnetic wave absorption properties of concrete, along with strength characteristics after adding conductive fillers, need to be further studied. It is suggested that further research should be carried out on the deicing characteristics of conductive concrete and the electromagnetic wave absorption properties used in stealth military engineering.