Structural Performance of Geopolymer Concrete and Anchors

ENS6126 Master of Engineering Project 1
Proposal and Risk Assessment Report
My Project Title
John Citizen
Student # 12345678
19 Mar 2099
Supervisor: Dr Jane Public
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(a) Human participants,
(b) Previously collected confidential data,
(c) Animals for scientific purposes?
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Abstract
Geopolymer concrete are gaining popularity in the construction industry. With an
objective of improving safety concerns in building and environmental impact of cement
production, structural Performance of Structural Anchors and properties of geopolymer
concrete is an important topic in civil engineering. By investigating a combination of
structural performance of these two constructional issues, this project seeks to outline
the associated benefits of geopolymer concrete in improving the construction industry.
1. Introduction
1.1. Motivation
Motivation.
Safety expectations on infrastructures has been on the rapid increase due to
higher land use and the need to better living standards. Despite the increase in safety
concerns, the demand for infrastructure in the society remains unchanged. The
contemporary routine maintenance practices and threat awareness have proved
inefficient. Besides, steel concrete connection, concrete-concrete connection and the
technology employed in creating concrete have been dynamic as modern infrastructure
evolve to more and more complex ones (Nath & Sarker, 2013). As an inevitable
response to the advancement in the construction industries, the method of improving
these connections and the nature of concrete have solicited a greater amount of research.
Of all the methods of connecting structural components, anchors is one of the
methods that has solicited a lot of interest. Anchoring systems such as a post installed
anchor systems are often employed supporting fixed steel (Delhomme & Brun, 2019).
Anchors are designed so as to offer resistance to combined varied loading conditions.
Any failure in the designed behavior of an anchorage zone is capable of adversely
affecting the safety of the entire structure. Some of the possible causes of failure in
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anchor systems include expansions as a result of external loads, expansion as a result of
internally generated heat (Nilforoush, Nilsson, Söderlind, & Elfgren, 2016). Cracking as
result of drying and shrinkage of the concrete structural systems can also cause anchor
failures which have been historically found to be fatal. An explicit comprehension of the
structural performance of anchor structural anchor is thus essential for ensuring safety
and affordable structural designs. Most of the experimental studies on anchor system
proposes a computation of resistance capacity of anchor systems while assuming
occurrence of fractures based on the tensile strength of the concrete fractures along its
canonical projection (V., Kumar, & K., 2012). Majority of these performance
characteristics are based on the basis of conventional concrete that are made of cement.
Majority of the studies on geopolymer concrete focusses on micro-scale
investigations (Najmabadi, 2012). In the recent past studies on geopolymer concrete
have been extended to the investigations involving the geopolymer concrete structural
behaviors’ load bearing members including concrete slabs, concrete beams and concrete
slabs. According to Tailby & MacKenzie (2010) structural properties of concrete
members encompasses one of the most vital component that must be considered as
humanity advances the nature of their infrastructure. In order to evaluate feasibility of
any design that include anchor and geopolymer system, conformity of the reinforced
geopolymer members with the existing design provisions must be explicitly
investigated.
The demand for high performance concrete is ever increasing. With the
increasing demand there is a need to improve environmental friendly lesser cost
cementitious materials. Besides the ever increasing economic and environmental
concerns have led to active research on examining new possibilities in building
materials (Das & Neithalath, 2018). In attempts to better concrete materials, there have
been various trials on various reinforced concrete structures such as the use of
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agricultural waste (Del Strother, 2019), recycling concrete (Del Strother, 2019) and
other ways all aimed at limiting dependence on the conventional concrete
manufacturing process which seems to be at the verge of depletion. High carbon (iv)
emission is one of the greatest environmental concern associated with the conventional
cement manufacturing firms. According to Del Strother (2019) about 5% of the global
carbon (iv) oxide emissions are attributed to the cement manufacturing process.
Geopolymers are cement free binder that was developed in the recent past.
Geopolymers have been gaining popularity thus soliciting the need for research. This
has been attributed to the fact that geopolymer technology eliminates the need for
cement in making concrete. A process referred to geoplymerization is used in the
production of geopolymers. The process involves a reaction between an aluminosilicate
material and an alkaline liquid. Commonly used material are the fly and slag. The two
materials commonly used are characterized by relatively lesser carbon emissions
compared to cement and are industrial products. Relative to cement, Del Strother (2019)
found that using geopolymers can reduce carbon (iv) dioxide emissions by 64% relative
to the use cement. Besides, while considering the economics of construction, because
fly ash used in this method of concrete are lower compared to that of cement,
geopolymers are more economical (Sudarshan & Ranganath, 2011). The cost of fly-ash
based geopolymer concrete in the construction industry can be as low as between 10%
and 30% cheaper relative to the cost of conventional concrete that are made of cement
(Matenda, 2014).
Various studies have shown that the use of materials that are free from clinker
materials such as alkali-activated cement (geopolymers) are capable of minimizing
carbon footprints in construction project as opposed to the conventional cement.
Because of the various improvements on conventional cements, geopolymer concrete
offers better cost advantages and environment preservation. According to Struble, Kim,
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& Gómez-Zamorano (2013) geopolymer concrete are characterized by excellent
mechanical strengths, higher temperature tolerance of up to 800 oC, higher resistance to
shrinkage, better acid resistivity and longer durability) (Struble, Kim, & Gómez-
Zamorano, 2013). Because of these desirable characteristics, geopolymer concrete is
rich field of study.
A plethora of studies have investigated both the composition materials from
which geopolymers are made of, their curing procedures, their durability, their thermal
properties and the overall mechanical properties (Tailby & MacKenzie, 2010). Geo-
polymers owe their origin to a three-dimensional aluminosilicate network that is
majorly made of a range of structures ranging from amorphous to semicrstalline
structures. Tailby & MacKenzie (2010) established two distinct alkali-activated binding
systems; that made of silica and blast furnace (Si+Ca) and that made of metakaolin and
fly ass (Si+Al). In the construction industry, metakaolin and fly ash geopolymers have
been prominent (Tailby & MacKenzie, 2010). According to Zubrod (2013) geopolymer
better comprehensive strengths that ranges 60MPa at 4 weeks and 70 MPA at about 13
weeks. It also has relatively better adhesion and adhesion properties.
1.2. Objectives
The general objective of this project is to examine the structural performance of a
structural anchor and the properties of geopolymer concrete. The structural performance
of the structural anchor will assume that the fracture occurs at the on the basis of
concrete (geopolymer) along the canonical projection. The aims of this project are thus
loosely categorized into two section; to explore the properties of geopolymer concrete
and then derive and confirm the merits it holds over the conventional concrete that is
made up of cement. This includes an investigation on a difference in chemical reaction
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and matrix in formation of geopolymer concrete relative to the conventional concrete.
The project is also aimed at investigating the bond properties geopolymer concrete and
then evaluating the difference of this performance characteristics and that of
conventional concrete. The objectives on geopolymer performance characteristics are
thus loosely defined as;
1. To investigate mechanical behavior characterization of geopolymer concrete
2. To analyze the structural characteristics of a reinforced geopolymer concrete.
The second part of the project involves investigating the performance characteristics of
anchors. This will be tailored towards not only the evaluation of performance
characteristics but also towards the capacity characteristics of the anchors. This will be
done by subjecting the anchor under a varied load conditions. The diameters of the
anchor and their optimal length will have expressed as a function of unknown
parameters to form the basis of this this objective
1.3. Significance
Structural performance of both the structural anchors and reinforced concrete are
essential in safety consideration of any structure. The bond type between the concrete
and the reinforcement that characterizes bond influences the length of the reinforcing
bars thus having a great impact on the load characteristics of structural members of
buildings and other forms of civil engineering structures. Investigating this
characteristic forms, the basis of improving the safety measures of structures which is a
key concern in the modern buildings.
Besides, structural engineers also find it possible to produce a more realistic, safer and
relatively more effective design structures for the geopolymer concrete based structures
with a proper knowledge of these structural properties. This involves an evaluation of
the numeric models, empirical equations relating to both performance characteristics of
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