Study on Influence of Extra Water and Cement in the Development of Self-Compacting Geopolymer Concrete (SCGC)

Self-Compacting Geopolymer Concrete (SCGC) is ecofriendly concrete which can be used as an alternative to conventional concrete since it has lower carbon footprint. SCGC comprises the benefits of geopolymerization and self-compacting concrete. In this chapter, experimental investigation is done to for understanding the effect of cement and extra water on SCGC properties. Geopolymer concrete is prepared with Industrial-by-products, Fly ash and GGBS as binders in 50:50 proportions, which are activated with alkaline solution. The alkaline solution contains mixture of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. The geopolymer concrete is prepared in such a way that it also possesses the properties of self-compacting concrete. Ex. water/cement ratio is chosen according to workability criteria for the mix. Trial mix proportions are developed by considering different molarities of sodium hydroxide concentration. Binder content is kept constant for all mixes. The final mix proportions satisfy the workability requirements of Self compacting geopolymer concrete as mentioned in Indian Standard code IS:10262-2019 and EFNARC guidelines. Standard cubes are casted and tested for compression strength at 28 days. The compressive strengths are in the range of 25–27 N/mm2 in par with conventional concrete with less use of cement content. In addition, SCGC does not require compaction and used in congested reinforcement areas. The outcomes from this study can encourage the usage of SCGC in real-time construction.