Mechanische Hochtemperatureigenschaften von flugaschebasierten Geopolymerbetonen

Mechanical properties of fly ash-based geopolymer concretes at high temperature

At present, concretes based on alkali-activated binders, so-called geopolymer concretes, are investigated intensively in the building materials industry and by the research community as environmentally friendly alternative to Portland cement-based concretes. These inorganic binders, which are based on industrial by-products such as fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag, exhibit high resistance against corrosive acids and salts, if properly designed. The mechanical properties of fly ash-based geopolymer concretes at high temperatures are subject of systematic investigations at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) to create a basis for the structural design of fire exposed concrete members based on alkali-activated binders. The concrete specimens, produced with quartz aggregates or lightweight aggregates and heated to a maximum temperature of 750 °C, exhibited a decrease of compressive strength up to temperatures of ca. 300 °C, attributed to formation of microcracks caused by dehydration. At higher temperatures the compressive strength of the investigated geopolymer concretes recovered partly, due to sintering processes starting from ca. 500 °C. Because of this beneficial property when compared to conventional concretes, geopolymer concretes can potentially be applied in infrastructure facilities where fire resistance is critical. From the results of the thermomechanical tests stress-strain relationships are derived that can be used for the structural design of members made from geopolymer concretes.