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

• Published in: CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
• Main Authors: Zailani, Warid Wazien Ahmad; Apandi, Nazirah Mohd; Adesina, Adeyemi; Alengaram, U. Johnson; Faris, Meor Ahmad; Tahir, Muhammad Faheem Mohd
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: ELSEVIER SCI LTD 2024
• Subjects: Construction & Building Technology; Engineering; Materials Science
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001151468300001
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.134721

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.