Abstract
This paper aimed to determine the softening laws and fracture toughness of slag-based geopolymer (SG) concrete and mortar (SGC and SGM) as compared to those of Portland cement (PC) concrete and mortar (PCC and PCM). Using three-point bending (TPB) tests, the load vs. mid-span displacement, crack mouth opening displacement, and crack tip opening displacement curves (P-d, P-CMOD, and P-CTOD curves) were all recorded. Bilinear softening laws of the PC and SG series were determined by inverse analysis. Furthermore, the cohesive toughness was predicted using an analytical fracture model. The cohesive toughness obtained by experimental study was consistent with that predicted by analytical method, proving the correctness of the tension softening law obtained from inverse analysis. In addition, both initial and unstable fracture toughness values of SG mortar were lower than those of PC mortar given the same compressive strength. Moreover, the initial fracture toughness of SG concrete was generally lower than that of PC concrete, whereas the unstable fracture toughness exhibited an opposite trend. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 5200 |
| Journal | Materials |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 22 |
| Online published | 17 Nov 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Funding: This work was sponsored by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2018M640901 and No. 2019T120808) and the Chongqing Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. cstc2019jcyj-bshX0069).
Research Keywords
- Concrete
- Fracture toughness
- Mortar
- Slag-based geopolymer
- Softening law
- TPB test
Publisher's Copyright Statement
- This full text is made available under CC-BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/