Strain-hardening Ultra-High-Performance Geopolymer Concrete (UHPGC): Matrix design and effect of steel fibers

Jian-Cong Lao, Ling-Yu Xu, Bo-Tao Huang*, Jian-Guo Dai*, Surendra P. Shah

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

136 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ultra-High-Performance Geopolymer Concrete (UHPGC) is an emerging greener ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). In this study, strain-hardening UHPGC was designed and developed for the first time, and a compressive strength of 222 MPa was achieved. Straight steel fibers were used as the reinforcement and significant tensile strain hardening was observed for all the UHPGC mixtures developed in this study. It was found that the tensile strength of UHPGC increased with the fly ash-to-slag ratio as well as the steel fiber content. By altering the fly ash-to-slag ratios and steel fiber dosages, the tensile ductility varied within the range of 0.35%–0.55%, and the residual crack width after the tensile test was approximately 10–20 μm only. The SEM observation of the pull-out fiber surface confirmed an excellent bond between the UHPGC matrix and steel fiber. The findings of this study have laid down a useful basis for designing and developing UHPGC materials with the tensile strain hardening behavior. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd.
Original languageEnglish
Article number101081
JournalComposites Communications
Volume30
Online published31 Jan 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2022
Externally publishedYes

Funding

This study was supported by Guangdong Province R&D Plan for Key Areas (Project code: 2019B111107002 ) and Hong Kong RGC General Research Fund (Project code: 15214517 ). Jian-Cong Lao and Bo-Tao Huang would like to acknowledge the support of the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund (Project code: ITS/077/18FX ) through the Research Talent Hub . Ling-Yu Xu acknowledges the PhD studentship offered by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Research Keywords

  • Alkali-activated fly ash/slag
  • Fiber-reinforced geopolymer composites
  • Geopolymer
  • Multiple cracking
  • Strain hardening
  • Ultra-high performance

RGC Funding Information

  • RGC-funded

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