Influence of Hybrid Basalt Fibres’ Length on Fresh and Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacted Ambient-Cured Geopolymer Concrete

Abstract

Recently, short basalt fibres (BFs) have been gaining considerable attention in the building materials industry because of their excellent mechanical properties and lower production cost than their counterparts. Reinforcing geopolymer composites with small volumes of fibres has been proven an efficient technique to enhance concrete's mechanical properties and durability. However, to date, no study has investigated the effect of basalt fibers’ various lengths and volume content on self-compacted geopolymer concrete's fresh and mechanical properties (SCGC). SCGC is prepared by mixing fly ash, slag, and micro fly ash as the binder with a solid alkali-activator compound named anhydrous sodium metasilicate (Na₂SiO₃). In the present study, a hybrid length of long and short basalt fibres with different weight contents were investigated to reap the benefits of multi-scale characteristics of a single fibre type. A total of 10 mixtures were developed incorporating a single length and a hybrid mix of long (30) mm and short (12) mm basalt fibres, with a weight of 1%, 1.5% and 2% of the total binder content, respectively. The fresh and mechanical properties of SCGC incorporating a hybrid mix of long and short basalt fibres were compared to plain SCGC and SCGC containing a single fibres length. The results indicate that the hybridization of long and short fibres in SCGC mixture yields better mechanical properties than single-length BF-reinforced SCGC. A hybrid fibre coefficient equation will be validated against the mechanical properties results obtained from the current experimental investigation on SCGC to assess its applicability for different concrete mixes.

Structure and Properties Improvement by Recipe Factors of Geopolymer Basalt Fiber Reinforced Concrete for Building Enclosing Structures

“…In addition, part of the solution is spent on lubricating the BF, so the greater the amount of fiber, the greater the amount of the solution part is spent on lubricating the fibers and the more the cone settlement decreases [64,65]. In a study [66], increasing the weight content of BF from 1% to 2% led to a decrease in the slump of self-compacting geopolymer mixtures. In studies [67,68], the same picture was observed, namely, with an increase in the BF content, the workability of the mixture decreased.…”

A review of the advanced treatment techniques for enriching the recycled concrete aggregates for recycled-based concrete: economic, environmental and technical analysis

“…It also demonstrates the lowest crack length when the three-point bending test was conducted (Wang et al, 2021d). Heweidak et al (2022) applied hybrid lengths of basalt fibres of 30 mm and 12 mm with a ratio of 3:1 and 2% binder volume in self-compacting GPC. They reported increment in compressive and indirect tensile strength by 20% (from 29.8 MPa to 35.82 MPa) and 62% (from 2.55 MPa to 4.13 MPa) respectively.…”

“…It also demonstrates the lowest crack length when the three-point bending test was conducted (Wang et al ., 2021d). Heweidak et al . (2022) applied hybrid lengths of basalt fibres of 30 mm and 12 mm with a ratio of 3:1 and 2% binder volume in self-compacting GPC.…”

Influence of Discrete Basalt Fibres on Shrinkage Cracking of Self-Compacting Ambient-Cured Geopolymer Concrete

“…Cementitious concrete is the fundamental foundation of the modernising globe and unequivocally one of the most synthetic utilised materials in the building sector [1]. By 2050, cement production is anticipated to increase by 12-23% due to urbanisation and infrastructure expansion [2], which will consequently increase CO 2 emissions by 4% [3].…”

“…By 2050, cement production is anticipated to increase by 12-23% due to urbanisation and infrastructure expansion [2], which will consequently increase CO 2 emissions by 4% [3]. The World Green Building Council (WorldGBCs) urges the construction sector to adopt sustainable construction materials to approach decarbonisation by 2050 [4,5].…”