Publication

Abstract : Cement is one of the best binder that is used in the construction industry, but it is neither a sustainable nor an economical choice. So here comes the importance of cement substitute, which is both sustainable and economical. Geopolymers are such inorganic aluminosilicate polymers which gain its strength by polymerization reaction. This study aims to investigate the rheological and mechanical properties of low calcium flyash based self-compacting geopolymer paste. The self-compactness was obtained by adding superplasticizers. Superplasticizers of two families (PCE and SNF) were used, based on flowability of PCE and SNF based superplasticizer, SNF showed better flowability. The flowability, viscosity, compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength of flyash-GGBS mix with varying percentages (0 to 1%) of superplasticizers were found. It was observed that the addition of superplasticizer had a positive impact on the rheological or fresh stage properties(19.04% increase in flow and 67% decrease in viscosity for SNF based superplasticizer and 14.28% increase in flow and 46% decrease in viscosity for PCE based superplasticizer) whereas the mechanical properties(4.5, 10, 14% decrease in compressive, split tensile and flexural strength respectively for SNF based superplasticizer and 6.13, 4.79, 17.94% decrease in compressive, split tensile and flexural strength respectively for PCE based superplasticizer) were adversely affected. A similar trend is evident in the microstructural and durability characteristics, which were negatively impacted by the inclusion of superplasticizers. This suggests that while conventional superplasticizers enhance workability, they may do so at the expense of long-term performance and structural integrity.