Abstract
This exertion introduces polyvinyl alcohol fiber/silica nanoparticles (poly vinyl alcohol (PVA)/SiO2 NPs) in the fly ash-based geopolymer at ambient curing temperature. The present study aims at investigating the structural properties (compressive, bond strength, fracture parameters (fracture toughness (KIc), crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD)), cyclic compression), durability (freeze-thaw), and fire resistivity of the newly developed PVA/SiO2 NPs mediated geopolymer. The outcomes suggest that geopolymers incorporated with 5% PVA fibers showed improved structural properties and durability as compared to other specimens. Investigation on the fire resistivity of the geopolymers exposed to different heating temperatures (400 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C), showed that geopolymers with PVA/SiO2 NPs significantly prevented the explosive concrete spalling. Microstructural studies confirmed that PVA fibers in the geopolymeric matrixes were well distributed and developed a fiber-bridging texture with improved performance. Addition of the nano-silica particles accelerated the heat evolution during the hydration process and the geopolymeric reaction (formation of sodium aluminosilicate N-A-S-H gel) at ambient curing environment.
Highlights
Class F fly ash, an industrial byproduct of coal fired power stations containing high amounts of silicon and aluminum, has been used in different ways for the production of green cementitious composites and advanced durable geopolymer materials [1,2]
The specimens with poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers may have controlled the propagation of cracks because of the bridging effect
Xu et al [36] found that, as the content of PVA fibers increased, the compressive and flexural strengths were increased. They concluded that the compressive strength of the specimen, with larger amounts of PVA fibers (2% vol.), was 72.7% higher than that of the control sample after 28 days of curing
Summary
Class F fly ash, an industrial byproduct of coal fired power stations containing high amounts of silicon and aluminum, has been used in different ways for the production of green cementitious composites and advanced durable geopolymer materials [1,2]. Nanosilica was found to be a beneficial additive in improving the microstructure and mechanical properties of the fly ash-based geopolymer, cured at ambient temperature [21,22]. The researchers [5] studied the influence of different concentrations of nano-SiO2 on the mechanical development of the fly ash-based geopolymer. The aim of the present exertion is to develop an optimum PVA/SiO2 NPs reinforced the fly ash-based geopolymer binder to improve the properties, namely the fracture toughness, bond strength, and cyclic response of the material. Microstructural analyses via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) have been executed
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