Mechanical Properties of Wood Fiber Reinforced Geopolymer Composites with Sand Addition

Abstract

ABSTRACT Fly ash-based geopolymers can be considered as a greener alternative to ordinary Portland cement, featuring comparable properties and cost yet with lower CO2 emissions. New wood fiber reinforced geopolymer composites with sand addition (WFSGC) have been synthesized at room temperature by mixing powder (fly ash, sand and randomly reinforced wood fiber) with sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide as alkaline activators. New WFSGC were cured at 90°C for 24 h. The design and investigation of WFSGC were based on a fix 5 wt.% percentage of sand, with variable wood fiber (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 wt.%) and fly ash percentages. These WFSGC showed decreasing mechanical properties with increasing wood fiber addition as measured by the compressive strength at the cylindrical test (21.76–42.52 MPa), the compressive strength at the cubic test (31.79–39.17 MPa), the force load at upper yield at the cylindrical test (1.27–3.58KN), the flexural strength (7–10.76 MPa), compressive modulus at the cylindrical test (590,75–1021.17 MPa), the compressive modulus at cubic test (787.92–1059.79 MPa) and the flexural modulus (298.03–737.83 MPa). The density of WFRGC decreases with the addition of wood fiber (1.49–1.71 g/cm3). WFSGC with addition wood fibers up to 15 wt.% could be the limit for a promising green material for construction.