Synergic effect of some waste pozzolans on the mechanical and shielding properties of geopolymer concretes

Abstract

This work aimed to investigate the effect of raw materials to geopolymer concrete; such as silica fume, metakaolin, ground granulated blast-furnace slag, and quartz powder on mechanical (compressive strength, flexural strength), physical, transport, and nuclear radiation shielding properties. The silica fume, metakaolin, ground granulated blast-furnace slag, and quartz powder used singly and/ or in combination for geopolymer mixture along with sodium-based solutions. Four different geopolymer mixtures were prepared and cured at three different temperatures (30°C, 60°C and 90°C) for three curing periods (5, 7 and 9 h). Then, the mineralogical and morphological properties were considered with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests. Based on the findings, the use of metakaolin in the geopolymer mixture increased both the compressive and flexural strengths. In addition, the compressive strength of 137.5 MPa was reached in the mixture using metakaolin at 90°C and in a short period of curing, like 9 h. The metakaolin (MK) is decreased the sorptivity coefficient of the geopolymer concrete samples. Withal, extensive experimental measurements were performed to investigate the gamma-ray and fast neutron shielding properties of fabricated concretes. The mass attenuation coefficient enjoyed values such as 0.2078, 0.2078, 0.2079 and 0.2081 cm²/g for M1, M2, M3 and M4 geopolymer concretes, respectively. It was reported that the geopolymer concretes attenuated the fast neutron flux with the energy of about 4.5 MeV by 35%. All inspected geopolymer concretes exhibited excellent neutron attenuation properties, as their values Σ_R greater than those of commonly used ones as the neutron absorbers.

KEYWORDS:

• Geopolymer concrete
• silica fume
• metakaolin
• curing conditions
• attenuation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank to Ataturk University for funding the projects.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and materials

Data and materials are contained within the article.

Consent for publication

All authors consent to this publication.

Authors contributions

Barış Bayrak: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Validation. Gökhan Kaplan: Data curation, Resources, Investigation. Ali Öz: Project administration, Datacuration, Resources, Investigation. Esra Kavaz: Data curation, Resources, Investigation. Oğuzhan Çelebi: Data curation, Resources, Investigation. Haluk Görkem Alcan: Project administration, Data curation, Resources, Investigation. Abdulkadir Cüneyt Aydın: Supervision, Project administration, Methodology, Writing – review & editing.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The research is part of the Ataturk University Project No: FHD-2022-10609.

Notes on contributors

Barış Bayrak

Barış Bayrak The author completed his undergraduate education at Atatürk University. He completed his doctorate education in Atatürk University in 2021. He is currently a staff member at Kafkas University. He conducts research on reinforced concrete, shear wall and composite materials.

Ali Öz

Ali Öz The author completed his undergraduate education at Atatürk University. He completed his doctorate education in Atatürk University in 2014. He is currently a staff member at Atatürk University. He conducts research on building materials, concrete technology and geopolymer concrete.

Esra Kavaz

Esra Kavaz The author completed his undergraduate education at Atatürk University. She completed her doctorate education in Atatürk University in 2016. She is currently a staff member at Atatürk University. She conducts research on atomic and molecular physics, atomic spectra and photon interactions and physics.

Gökhan Kaplan

Gökhan Kaplan The author completed his undergraduate education at Süleyman Demirel University. He completed his doctorate education in Manisa Celal Bayar University in 2012. He is currently a staff member at Atatürk University. He conducts research on foam concrete, geopolymer and recycling aggregate.

Oğuzhan Çelebi

Oğuzhan Çelebi The author completed his undergraduate education at Kocaeli University. He completed his MSc education in Kocaeli University in 2018. He is currently a staff member and PhD student at Atatürk University. He conducts research on structural engineering, earthquake engineering and composite materials.

Haluk Görkem Alcan

Haluk Görkem Alcan The author completed his undergraduate education at Atatürk University. He completed his doctorate education in Atatürk University in 2022. He is currently a staff member at Kafkas University. He conducts research on polymer concrete, geopolymer concrete and composite materials.

Abdulkadir Cüneyt Aydın

Abdulkadir Cüneyt Aydın The author completed his undergraduate education at Karadeniz Technical University. He completed his doctorate education in Atatürk University in 2004. He is currently Professor at Atatürk University. He conducts research on structural engineering, steel structure, composite materials, retrofitting and repair of structure and masonry buildings.