An Experimental Investigation on Geopolymer Concrete with Partial Replacement of M-Sand Using Iron Ore Tailings

Abstract

This research work aims to study further sustainability to the less geopolymer concrete cement by partially replacing fine aggregate by Iron ore tailings. Geopolymer concrete is one of the building materials that has become more popular in recent years because it is significantly more environmentally friendly than standard concrete. Geopolymer concrete usually includes fly ash, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace slag, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate activated by means of alkaline liquids like sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. Further the Iron ore tailings which is a byproduct obtained from Steel manufacturing industry can be used as a replacement to fine aggregate. By using this for construction purposes, it reduces environmental pollution. Geopolymer concrete of grade M30 with Iron ore tailings as a partial replacement to fine aggregate was studied for its compressive, tensile and flexural behavior and compared with conventional Geopolymer concrete. The study derived that in all stages, the performance of the geopolymer concrete with Iron ore tailings was marginally better than the conventional Geopolymer concrete with fine aggregate. In this study, the Iron ore tailings are used in various percentages such as 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% and found 40% was effective in terms of strength.