Study on Mechanical Properties of Mortar using Alccofine and Graphene Oxide

Abstract

Abstract The inclination of the construction industry to use sustainable materials in producing a more benign concrete is gaining popularity. In addition to this, economic viability along with performance plays a key role in the contemporary research work on various new alternatives and substitutes. This paper deals with the partial replacement of cement with Alccofine and addition of 0.1% wt/volume water dispersed Graphene Oxide in 1:3 cement sand mortar mix. The w/c ratio was maintained at 0.30 along with water reducing agent. The study initially focused on arriving at the optimum Alccofine replacement percentage. Compressive and flexural strength of the systems with varying dosages of Alccofine replacement level at 10%, 15% and 20% showed promising improvement at 15% replacement level, when compared system CM-0AL. GO was introduced in the Alccofine optimized mix at dosage rate of 0.03%, 0.05%, 0.09%, 0.15% and 0.21%. The addition of water dispersed GO showed an improvement in both compressive and flexural properties, peaking at 0.05% followed by slow decline in the strength parameters. GO accelerates the rate of hydration along with acting as nano-scale fibres filling the micro-pores and voids, attributing to the improved results. However at higher levels, the agglomeration of GO contributes to the improper filling of voids. The workability increased considerably by the addition of Alccofine. Thus, it is inferred from the study that the partial replacement of cement with Alccofine serves a dual fold benefit being eco-friendly material, reducing the carbon footprint whilst improving the workability and mechanical strength. The addition of water dispersed GO augmented the results obtained with the optimized mix. The best results were observed for the system with 15% Alccofine replacement along with 0.05% water dispersed GO.