A Comprehensive Study of the Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Fly Ash Based Geopolymer

Navid Ranjbar, Mehdi Mehrali, Arash Behnia, Alireza Javadi Pordsari, Mohammad Mehrali, U. Johnson Alengaram, Mohd Zamin Jumaat

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    Abstract

    As a cementitious material, geopolymers show a high quasi-brittle behavior and a relatively low fracture energy. To overcome such a weakness, incorporation of fibers to a brittle matrix is a well-known technique to enhance the flexural properties. This study comprehensively evaluates the short and long term impacts of different volume percentages of polypropylene fiber (PPF) reinforcement on fly ash based geopolymer composites. Different characteristics of the composite were compared at fresh state by flow measurement and hardened state by variation of shrinkage over time to assess the response of composites under flexural and compressive load conditions. The fiber-matrix interface, fiber surface and toughening mechanisms were assessed using field emission scan electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that incorporation of PPF up to 3 wt % into the geopolymer paste reduces the shrinkage and enhances the energy absorption of the composites. While, it might reduce the ultimate flexural and compressive strength of the material depending on fiber content.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article numbere0147546
    JournalP L o S One
    Volume11
    Issue number1
    Number of pages20
    ISSN1932-6203
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Bibliographical note

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.

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