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Effect of temperature on the fresh and hardened state properties of alkali-activated slag/fly ash mixtures

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Abstract

The effect of ambient temperature on the engineering properties of alkali-activated materials (AAM) needs to be further investigated due to the high variety of activating solutions in the AAM technology. This paper presents the rheological behavior, structural build-up, reaction kinetics and mechanical properties of GGBFS-FA mixtures activated by sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, sodium carbonate and sodium sulfateinvestigated under different ambient temperature conditions. It was found that the effect of ambient temperature on the rheology and reaction kinetics was highly dependent on the activator type. Under room temperature conditions, the highest and lowest yield stress values were obtained in sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate mixtures, respectively. The increase in temperature did not affect the yield stresses and viscosities of sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate mixtures; however, the yield stresses of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate mixtures significantly increased. This effect was more pronounced in mixtures with high Ms values. Higher storage modulus values were obtained with an increase in temperature, indicating initial structuration with temperature. The increasing temperature enhanced the compressive strength of alkali-activated GGBFS-FA mixtures. This improvement was more pronounced at early ages for the sodium silicate mixture, and at later ages for the sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate mixtures, while it was very limited in the sodium hydroxide mixture. The SEM images and calorimetric measurements showed the formation of a denser microstructure and enhancement in the exothermic peak with a shorter induction period with an increase in temperature.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is a scientific output of the research actions performed in the framework of the FWO-EOS project 30439691 ‘INTERdisciplinary multiscale Assessment of a new generation of Concrete with alkali-activated maTerials’ (INTERACT). The financial support by FWO-EOS is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Magnel-Vandepitte Laboratory, Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials, Ghent University, Zwijnaarde, 9052, Ghent, Belgium

    **aodi Dai, Mert Yücel Yardimci, Yubo Sun & Geert De Schutter

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, Buca, 35160, Izmir, Turkey

    Serdar Aydin

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Istanbul Okan University, Tuzla, 34959, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mert Yücel Yardimci

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  1. **aodi Dai
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XD: Methodology, Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing—original draft; SA: Methodology, Conceptualization, Writing—review editing; MYY: Methodology, Validation, Writing – review editing; YS: Methodology, Writing—review editing; GDS: Funding acquisition, Supervision, Writing—review & editing.

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Dai, X., Aydin, S., Yardimci, M.Y. et al. Effect of temperature on the fresh and hardened state properties of alkali-activated slag/fly ash mixtures. Mater Struct 56, 107 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-023-02194-w

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