Durability of alumina silicate concrete based on slag/fly ash blends against corrosion

Purpose The durability of concrete structures, especially built-in corrosive environments, starts to deteriorate after 20–30 years, even though they have been designed for more than 60 years of service life. The durability of concrete depends on its resistance against a corrosive environment. Inorganic Polymer concrete, or geopolymer concrete, has been emerging as a new engineering material with the potential to form an alternative to conventional concrete for the construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to conduct the investigation on corrosion of the geopolymer materials prepared using GGBS blended with low calcium fly ash in different percentages and sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate as activators and cured in ambient conditions (25±5°C). Design/methodology/approach GGBS was replaced by fly ash at different levels from 0 to 50 percent in a constant concentration of 12M. The main parameters of this study are the evaluation of strength characteristics of geopolymer concrete and resistance against corrosion by conducting accelerated corrosion test (Florida method). Findings From the test results it is observed that the strength of the geopolymer concrete with GGBS in ambient curing performs well compared to geopolymer concrete with GGBS blended with fly ash. The GPCE sample (40 percent replacement of fly ash to GGBS) shows better results and the resistance against corrosion was good, compared to all other mixes. Research limitations/implications The outcomes of this investigation will be useful for the researchers and the construction industry. Practical implications This paper results that optimum percentage of fly ash should be blended with GGBS against the corrosion attack. This investigation indicates that GGBS without the combination of fly ash can be utilized in a normal environment. These findings will definitely be useful for the ready-mix concrete manufacturers and the construction Industry. Social implications Disposal of industrial wastes causes pollution to the environment. Industrial wastes are utilized for the production of geopolymer concrete, which is the alternative material for the construction industry. Originality/value From the observation of the previous literature, till now there was no investigation on geopolymer concrete for corrosion under ambient curing conditions, as such this investigation could be considered as the new investigation.