Physico-mechanical properties of geopolymer mortars for repair applications: Impact of binder to sand ratio

• Published in: Construction and Building Materials
• Main Author: Zailani W.W.A.; Apandi N.M.; Adesina A.; Alengaram U.J.; Faris M.A.; Tahir M.F.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85182017245&doi=10.1016%2fj.conbuildmat.2023.134721&partnerID=40&md5=f0ae9a2b91d8fe3056e425b1be50399e

Deterioration of concrete structures made with ordinary portland cement (OPC) as a binder is inevitable, and this requires repair or rehabilitation using appropriate repair materials. A strong and highly adhesive repair material is very important in order to ascertain the safety of damaged concrete structures. The existing repair materials, especially those that utilized conventional OPC-based materials, appear to require a certain curing condition, which prior studies have revealed to result in a weak link between the repair material and the repaired structures. Hence, an alternative material which is geopolymer mortar was utilized in this study as a repair material, and the impact of geopolymer mortars with various binder-to-sand ratios was evaluated. The physical and mechanical properties of the geopolymer mortars were assessed in addition to their performance as a repair material in terms of their bonding characteristics to conventional concrete. Findings from this study revealed that geopolymer mortar with a binder-to-sand ratio of 1:2 exhibited the highest bonding strength. In addition, geopolymer mortars with a binder-to-sand ratio of 1:3 to 4:1 exhibited better bonding strength compared to when geopolymer paste was used. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd