Flexural Behaviour of RCC Beam and Post-

Tensioned Using Geopolymer Concrete

Deivabalan B* Manigandan S
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor
CKCET CKCET
Tamilnadu, INDIA Tamilnadu, INDIA
balasrii.struct@gmail.com smani91.civil@gmail.com
Abstract: The aim of the research work presents the result of experimental and analytical
studies of the flexural behavior of geopolymer concrete beams. In this study the fly ash based
geopolymer mix design was obtained for M50 grade concrete. The fluid to fly ash ratio was
fixed as 0.45. The ratio of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide was 2.5 and concentration of
solution is 14 molar. The preliminary tests were carried out for the geopolymer concrete and
optimizing the mix design. A total of four beams of size 125 x 250 x 3200 were cast, of which
Two beams are geopolymer concrete and the remaining two are of conventional concrete.. All
the beams were tested under two point load conditions which were monotonically applied.
Comparison was made and the results are presented.
Key words: Geopolymer, steam curing, Fly ash, post tensioning, Flexural Behavior

1.0 INTRODUCTION form) should be, and where they are to be

1.1 General
I n blended cement concrete, various industrial
by products such as fly ash, slag, silica, fume,
etc., are used as mineral admixtures to certain
percentages as supplementary cementations
materials to improve the strength and durability
of concrete structures. In addition to this
industrial waste product such as fly ash, rise
husk ashes are particularly important resources
to supplement the Portland cement.
On the other hand, India produces about 70
million tons of coal ash per year from burning
about 200 million tons of coal per year for
electric power generation. Fly ash is one of the
promising pozzolanic materials that can be
blended with Portland cement for the production
of durable concrete. The geopolymer mortar
/concrete is produce by totally replacing the
ordinary Portland cement (OPC) by fly ash.
Consumption of fly ash in the manufacture of
geopolymer is an important strategy in making
concrete more environmental friendly.
In building and slab-on-ground
construction, unbounded tendons are typically
prefabricated at a plant and delivered to the
construction site, ready to install. The tendons
are laid out in the forms in accordance with
installation drawings that indicate how they are
to be spaced, what their profile (height above the
* Corresponding Author
stressed. After the concrete is placed and has
reached its required strength, usually between
3000 and 3500 psi (pounds per square inch),
the tendons are stressed and anchored. The
tendons, like rubber bands, want to return to
their original length but are prevented from doing
so by the anchorages. The fact the tendons are
kept in a permanently stressed (elongated) state
causes a compressive force to act on the
concrete. The compression that results from the
post tensioning counteracts the tensile forces
created by subsequent applied loading (cars,
people, and the weight of the beam itself when
the shoring is removed). This significantly
increases the load-carrying capacity of the
concrete.
1.2 Post-Tensioning
Post-tensioning is the system of choice for
parking structures since it allows a high degree
of flexibility in the column layout, span lengths
and ramp configurations. Post-tensioned parking
garages can be either stand-alone structures or
one or more floors in an office or residential
building. In areas where there are expansive
clays or soils with low bearing capacity, post-
tensioned slabs-on-ground and mat foundations
reduce problems with cracking and differential
settlement. Post-tensioning allows bridges to be
built to very demanding geometry requirements,
including complex curves, variable super
elevation and significant grade changes.
 Post-tensioning also allows extremely long
span bridges to be constructed without the use
of temporary intermediate supports. This
minimizes the impact on the environment and
avoids disruption to water or road traffic below.
In stadiums, post-tensioning allows long clear
spans and very creative architecture.
Post-tensioning is a method of reinforcing
(strengthening) concrete or other materials with
high-strength steel strands or bars, typically
referred to as tendons. Post-tensioning
applications include office and apartment
buildings, parking structures, slabs-on-ground,
bridges, sports stadiums, rock and soil anchors,
and water-tanks.
Although post-tensioning systems require
specialized knowledge and expertise to fabricate
assemble and install, the concept is easy to
explain. Imagine a series of wooden blocks with
holes drilled through them, into which a rubber
band is threaded. If one holds the ends of the
rubber band, the blocks will sag. Post-tensioning
can be demonstrated by placing wing nuts on
either end of the rubber band and winding the
rubber band so that the blocks are pushed tightly
together
1.3 Principle of Prestressing
The function of prestressing is to place the
concrete structure under compression in those
regions where load causes tensile stress.
Tension caused by the load will first have to
cancel the compression induced by the
prestressing before it can crack the concrete.
Figure 1.2 (a) shows a plainly reinforced
concrete simple-span beam and fixed cantilever
beam cracked under applied load. Figure 1.2(b)
shows the same unloaded beams with
prestressing forces applied by stressing high
strength tendons. By placing the prestressing
low in the simple-span beam and high in the
cantilever beam, compression is induced in the
tension zones; creating upward camber. Figure
1.2(c) shows the two prestressed beams after
loads have been applied. The loads cause both
the simple-span beam and cantilever beam to
deflect down, creating tensile stresses in the
bottom of the simple-span beam and top of the
cantilever beam.
Prestressing can be applied to concrete
members in two ways, by pretensioning or post-
tensioning. In pretensioned members the
prestressing strands are tensioned against
restraining bulkheads before the concrete is
cast. After the concrete has been placed,
allowed to harden and attain sufficient strength,
the strands are released and their force is
transferred to the concrete member.
Prestressing by post-tensioning involves
installing and stressing prestressing strand or
bar tendons only after the concrete has been
placed, hardened and attained a minimum
compressive strength for that transfer.
Fig.1: Comparison of Reinforced and
Prestressed Concrete Beams
1.4 Post-Tensioning Operation
Compressive forces are induced in a
concrete structure by tensioning steel tendons of
strands or bars placed in ducts embedded in the
concrete. The tendons are installed after the
concrete has been placed and sufficiently cured
to a prescribed initial compressive strength. A
hydraulic jack is attached to one or both ends of
the tendon and pressurized to a predetermined
value while bearing against the end of the
concrete beam. This induces a predetermined
force in the tendon and the tendon elongates
elastically under this force. After jacking to the
full, required force, the force in the tendon is
transferred from the jack to the end anchorage.
Tendons made up of strands are secured
by steel wedges that grip each strand and seat
firmly in a wedge plate. The wedge plate itself
carries all the strands and bears on a steel
anchorage. The anchorage may be a simple
steel bearing plate or may be a special casting
with two or three concentric bearing surfaces
that transfer the tendon force to the concrete.
Bar tendons are usually threaded and anchor by
means of spherical nuts that bear against a
square or rectangular bearing plate cast into the
concrete.
After stressing, protruding strands or bars
of permanent tendons are cut off using an
abrasive disc saw. Flame cutting should not be
used as it negatively affects the characteristics
of the prestressing steel. Approximately 20mm
( in) of strand is left to protrude from wedges or
a certain minimum bar length is left beyond the
nut of a bar anchor. Tendons are then grouted
using a cementitious based grout. This grout is
pumped through a grout inlet into the duct by
means of a grout pump. Grouting is done
carefully under controlled conditions using grout
outlets to ensure that the duct anchorage and
grout caps are completely filled. For final
protection, after grouting, an anchorage may be
covered by a cap of high quality grout contained
in a permanent non-metallic and/or concrete
pour-back with a durable seal-coat.
1.5 Post-Tensioning Systems
Many proprietary post-tensioning systems
are available. Several suppliers produce
systems for tendons made of wires, strands or
bars. The most common systems found in bridge
construction are multiple strand systems for
permanent post-tensioning tendons and bar
systems for both temporary and permanent
situations. Refer to manufacturers' and suppliers'
literature for details of available systems. Key Fig.3: Typical Post-Tensioning Bar System
features of three common systems (multiple- Hardware. (Courtesy of Dywidag Systems
strand and bar tendons) are illustrated in Figures International)
1.3 and 1.4
1.6 Advantages/Applications of Post-
Tensioning
There are post-tensioning applications in
almost all facets of construction. In building
construction, post-tensioning allows longer clear
spans, thinner slabs, fewer beams and more
slender, dramatic elements. Thinner slabs mean
less concrete is required. In addition, it means a
lower overall building height for the same floor-
to-floor height. Post-tensioning can thus allow a
significant reduction in building weight versus a
conventional concrete building with the same
number of floors. This reduces the foundation
load and can be a major advantage in seismic
areas. A lower building height can also translate
to considerable savings in mechanical systems
and faade costs. Another advantage of post-
tensioning is that beams and slabs can be
continuous, i.e. a single beam can run
continuously from one end of the building to the
other. Structurally, this is much more efficient
than having a beam that just goes from one
column to the next.
Post-tensioning is the system of choice for
parking structures since it allows a high degree
of flexibility in the column layout, span lengths
and ramp configurations. Post-tensioned parking
garages can be either stand-alone structures or
one or more floors in an office or residential
Fig.2: Typical Post-Tensioning Anchorage building. In areas where there are expansive
Hardware for Strand Tendons clays or soils with low bearing capacity, post-
tensioned slabs-on-ground and mat foundations
reduce problems with cracking and differential
settlement. Post-tensioning allows bridges to be
built to very demanding geometry requirements,
including complex curves, variable super
elevation and significant grade changes. Post-
tensioning also allows extremely long span
bridges to be constructed without the use of
temporary intermediate supports. This minimizes
the impact on the environment and avoids
disruption to water or road traffic below. In
stadiums, post-tensioning allows long clear
spans and very creative architecture.
1.7 Geopolymer Concrete
The geopolymer technology was developed
by Davidoits in 1980s. Davidoits original
concept of geopolymer is to make fly ash based
concrete. Davidoits (1999) proposed that binders
could be produced by a polymeric reaction of
alkaline liquids with the silicon and the
aluminium source materials of geological origin
product materials such as fly ash and rice husk
ash etc., he termed these binders as
geopolymers. the geopolymer technology could
reduce the carbon dioxide emission.
Geopolymer materials represent an innovative
technology that is generating considerable
interest in the construction industry, particularly
in light of the ongoing emphasis on
sustainability. In contrast to portland cement,
most geopolymer systems rely on minimally
processed natural materials or industrial by
products to provide the binding agents. Since
portland cement is responsible for upward of 85
percent of the energy and 90 percent of the
carbon dioxide attributed to a typical ready-
mixed concrete (Marceau et al. 2007), the
potential energy and carbon dioxide savings
through the use of geopolymers can be
considerable. Consequently, there is growing
interest in geopolymer applications in
transportation infrastructure
1.8 Polymerisation Process
The polymerization process involves a
substantially fast chemical reaction under
alkaline condition on Si-Al minerals, that results
in a three dimensional polymeric chain a ring
structure consisting of Si-O-Al bonds. The
schematic formation of geopolymer material can
be shown as described by the following
equations
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
Flexural Behaviour of Reinforced
Lightweight Concrete Beams Made with Oil
Palm Shell (OPS) Delsye C. L. Teo1, Md. Abdul
Mannan2 and John V. Kurian3 Journal of
Advanced Concrete Technology Vol. 4, No. 3, 1-
10, 2006, October 2006,Japan Concrete Institute
This paper presents an investigation on the
flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams
produced from oil palmshell (OPS) aggregates.
Utilising OPS in concrete production not only
solves the problem of disposing this solid waste
but also helps conserve natural resources. A
total of 6 under-reinforced beams with varying
reinforcement ratios (0.52%to 3.90%) were
fabricated and tested. Data presented include
the deflection characteristics, cracking
behaviour, ductility indices and end-rotations.
The investigation revealed that the flexural
behaviour of reinforced OPS concrete beams
was comparable to that of other lightweight
concretes and the experimental results compare
reasonably well with the current Codes of
Practice. It was observed that beams with low
reinforcement ratios satisfied all the
serviceability requirements.
Flexural Behavior of RC Beams
Strengthened with Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Polymer (CFRP) Fabrics R. Balamuralikrishnan
and C. Antony Jeyasehar. This paper explores
the flexural behavior of carbon fiber reinforced
polymer (CFRP) strengthened reinforced
concrete (RC) beams. For flexural strengthening
of RC beams, total ten beams were cast and
tested over an effective span of 3000 mm up to
failure under monotonic and cyclic loads. The
beams were designed as under-reinforced
concrete beams. Eight beams were
strengthened with bonded CFRP fabric in single
layer and two layers which are parallel to beam
axis at the bottom under virgin condition and
tested until failure; the remaining two beams
were used as control specimens. Static and
cyclic responses of all the beams were
evaluated in terms of strength, stiffness, ductility
ratio, energy absorption capacity factor,
compositeness between CFRP fabric and
concrete, and the associated failure modes. The
theoretical moment-curvature relationship and
the load-displacement response of the
strengthened beams and control beams were
predicted by using FEA software ANSYS.
Comparison has been made between the
numerical (ANSYS) and the experimental
results. The results show that the strengthened
beams exhibit increased flexural strength,
enhanced flexural stiffness, and composite
action until failure.
Experimental and Analytical
Investigation of Flexural Behavior of
Reinforced Concrete Beam I. Saifullah, M.
Nasir-uz-zaman, S.M.K. Uddin, M.A. Hossain4
and M.H. Rashid5 Experimental based analysis
has been widely used as a means to find out the
response of individual elements of structure. To
study these components finite element analyses
are now widely used & become the choice of
modern engineering tools for the researcher. In
the present study, destructive test on simply
supported beam was performed in the laboratory
& load-deflection data of that under-reinforced
concrete beams was recorded. After that finite
element analysis was carried out by ANSYS,
SAS 2005 by using the same material
properties. Finally results from both the
computer modeling and experimental data were
compared. From this comparison it was found
that computer based modeling is can be an
excellent alternative of destructive laboratory
test with an acceptable variation of results. In
addition, an analytical investigation was carried
out for a beam with ANSYS, SAS 2005 with
different reinforcement ratio (under, balanced,
over). The observation was mainly focused on
reinforced concrete beam behavior at different
points of interest which were then tabulated and
compared.
N.A Lloyd and B.V Rangan geopolymer
concrete with fly ash. Geopolymer concrete
results from the reaction of a source material
that is rich in silica and alumina with alkaline
liquid. A summary of the extensive studies
conducted on fly ash-based geopolymer
concrete is presented. Test data are used to
identify the effects of salient factors that
influence the properties of the geopolymer
concrete and to propose a simple method for the
design of geopolymer concrete mixtures. Test
data of various short-term and long-term
properties of the geopolymer concrete and the
results of the tests conducted on large-scale
reinforced geopolymer concrete member show
that geopolymer concrete is well-suited to
manufacture precast concrete products that can
be used in infrastructure developments. The
paper also includes brief details of some recent
applications of geopolymer concrete. The paper
presented brief details of fly ash-based
geopolymer concrete. A simple method to
design geopolymer concrete mixtures has been
described and illustrated by an example.
Geopolymer concrete has excellent properties
and is well-suited to manufacture precast
concrete products that are needed in
rehabilitation and retrofitting of structures after a
disaster. The economic benefits and
contributions of geopolymer concrete to
sustainable development have also outlined. To
ensure further uptake of geopolymer technology
within the concrete industry, research is needed
in the critical area of durability. Current research
is focusing on the durability of geopolymer in
aggressive soil conditions and marine
environments.
B.vijaya rangan, djwantoro hardjito has
Studies on Fly Ash Based Geopolymer
Concrete. This paper presents test data on fly
ash-based geopolymer concrete. The paper
covers the material and the mixture proportions,
the manufacturing process, the fresh and
hardened state characteristics, the influence of
various parameters on the fresh and hardened
state concrete, the utilisation of the material in
structural members, and the long-term
behaviour. The paper presented a summary of
the extensive studies carried out by the authors
on the fly ash-based geopolymer concrete. Low-
calcium fly ash is used as the source material,
instead of the Portland cement, to make
concrete. Fly ash-based geopolymer concrete
has excellent compressive strength and is
suitable for structural applications. The salient
factors that influence the properties of the fresh
concrete and the hardened concrete have been
identified. The elastic properties of hardened
concrete and the behaviour and strength of
reinforced structural members are similar to
those of Portland cement concrete. Therefore,
the design provisions contained in the current
standards and codes can be used to design
reinforced fly ash-based geopolymer concrete
structural members.
K.vijai, R.Kumutha and B.G.vishnuram
studied the effect of types of curing on
strength of geopolymer concrete. This paper
presents results of an experimental study on the
density and compressive strength of geopolymer
concrete. The experiments were conducted on
fly ash based geopolymer concrete by varying
the types of curing namely ambient curing and
hot curing. The ratio of alkaline liquid to fly ash
was fixed as 0.4. For all the samples the rest
period was kept as 5 days. For hot curing, the
temperature was maintained at 60oC for 24 h in
hot air oven. The compressive strength test was
conducted for each sample and the results
showed that there is an increase in compressive
strength with the increase in age for ambient
cured specimens. For hot cured samples the
increase in compressive strength with age was
very less as compared to that of specimens
subjected to ambient curing. The density of
geopolymer concrete was around 2400 kg/m3
which is equivalent to that of conventional
concrete. The compressive strength of hot cured
concrete is much higher than that of ambient
cured concrete. In ambient curing, the
compressive strength increases as the age of
concrete increases from 7 days to 28 days. The
compressive strength of hot cured fly ash based
geopolymer concrete does not increase
substantially after 7 days.
 Applications of geopolymer concrete in
the rehabilitation of wastewater concrete
structures E.N. Allouche, C. Montes,e.I. Diaz
and G. Vernon The paper describes the
developed and testing of geopolymer concrete, a
novel coating material consisting of inorganic
alumino-silicate polymer produced from
chemical reactions under highly alkaline
conditions between an active pozzolanic
material (i.e., fly ash) and an activator solution. A
comprehensive parametric experimental testing
program was performed, evaluating the
mechanical (e.g., compressive and tensile
strengths, elastic modulus) and chemical
properties. The paper describes the application
procedure of geopolymer concrete including
mixing, placement and curing, as well as the
performance of the filed specimens during the
initial phase of the monitoring program.
On the Development of Fly Ash-Based
Geopolymer Concrete by Djwantoro Hardjito,
Steenie E. Wallah, Dody M. J. Sumajouw, and
B.Vijaya Rangan. This paper presents the
development of fly ash-based geopolymer
concrete. In geopolymer concrete, a by-product
material rich in silicon and aluminum, such as
low-calcium (ASTM C 618 Class F) fly ash, is
chemically activated by a high-alkaline solution
to form a paste that binds the loose coarse and
fine aggregates, and other unreacted materials
in the mixture. The test results presented in this
paper show the effects of various parameters on
the properties of geopolymer concrete. The
application of geopolymer concrete and future
research needs are also identified. This paper
presented the development of geopolymer
concrete. The binder in this concrete, the
geopolymer paste, is formed by activating by-
product materials, such as low-calcium (Class F)
fly ash, that are rich in silicon and aluminum.
Low-calcium fly ash-based geopolymer
concrete: long-term properties by s. e. wallah
and b. v. rangan (research report gc 2). The
experimental work involved conduct of long-term
tests on low-calcium fly ashbased geopolymer
concrete. The tests currently available for
Portland cement concrete were used. In the
experimental work, only one source of dry low-
calcium fly ash (ASTM Class F) from a local
power station was used. Analytical methods
available for Portland cement concrete were
used to predict the test results. For each series
of tests, a set of standard size cylinders were
made. The size of cylinders was either 100 mm
diameter by 200 mm high or 150 mm diameter
by 300 mm high depending on the type of test.
Test specimens for the creep test were 150x300
mm cylinders. The creep coefficient, defined as
the ratio of creep strain-to-instantaneous strain,
after one year for heat-cured geopolymer
concrete with compressive strength of 40, 47
and 57 MPa is around 0.6 to 0.7; for geopolymer
concrete with compressive strength of 67 MPa
this value is around 0.4 to 0.5. These values are
about 50% of those experienced by Portland
cement concreteFly ash-based geopolymer
concrete cured in the laboratory ambient
conditions gains compressive strength with age.
The 7th day compressive strength of ambient-
cured specimens depends on the average
ambient temperature during the first week after
casting; higher the average ambient temperature
higher is the compressive strength.
Low-calcium fly ash-based geopolymer
concrete: reinforced beams and columns by
M. D.J. Sumajouw and B. V. Rangan
Manufacture and test twelve simply supported
reinforced geopolymer concrete rectangular
beams under monotonically increasing load with
the longitudinal tensile reinforcement ratio and
the concrete compressive strength as test
variables Perform calculations to predict the
strength and the deflection of geopolymer
concrete test beams and columns using the
methods currently available for Portland cement
concrete members Study the correlation of test
and calculated results, and demonstrate the
application of heat-cured low-calcium fly ash-
based geopolymer concrete in reinforced
concrete beams and columns. The crack
patterns and failure modes observed for
geopolymer concrete columns were similar to
those reported in the literature for reinforced
Portland cement concrete columns. Flexural
cracks initiated at column mid-height, followed
by cracks along the length of the column. Failure
of the columns occurred in the region plus or
minus 250 mm from the mid-height. The mode of
failure was flexural, as indicated by opening of
the cracks and the crushing of the concrete in
the compression zone in the mid-height region.
The longitudinal bars in the compression zone
buckled especially when the load-eccentricity
was low The mid-height deflection of test
columns decreased as the load-eccentricity
decreased. The behaviour of geopolymer test
columns was similar to that of reinforced
Portland cement columns reported in the
literature. The study demonstrated that the
design provisions contained in the Australian
Standard for Concrete Structures AS3600 and
the American Concrete Institute Building Code
ACI318-02 are applicable to reinforced
geopolymer concrete columns.
Flexural behaviour of reinforced
concrete beams strengthened with
prestressed carbon composites Dong-Suk
Yang a, Sun-Kyu Park b, Kenneth W. Neale a,*
In this study, a total of 13 FRP-strengthened
reinforced concrete beams were tested in flexure
and analyzed using the finite element method.
The various variables included bonding or no
bonding of the FRP, the anchorage system, the
amount of prestressing, and the span length.
The experiments consisted of one control beam,
two non-prestressed FRP-bonded beams, four
prestressed FRP-unbonded beams, four
prestressed FRP-bonded beams, and two
prestressed FRP unbonded beams with different
span lengths. All the beams were subjected to
three-point and four-point bending tests under
deflection control, with the loading, deflection
and failure modes recorded to the point of
failure. A nonlinear finite element analysis of the
tested beams was also performed using the
DIANA software; this analysis accounted for the
nonlinear concrete material behaviour, the
reinforcement, and an interfacial bond-slip model
between the concrete and CFRP plates In this
paper, flexural tests and a finite element method
analysis, using the DIANA program, were
performed for reinforced concrete beams
strengthened by prestressed CFRP plates For
the flexural tests performed on reinforced
concrete beams strengthened with prestressed
CFRP plates, whether bonded or not, the
ultimate load of the beams strengthened with
CFRP was reasonably constant. The observed
failure mode of the prestressed CFRP plated-
beams was not debonding, but FRP rupture.
For reinforced concrete members strengthened
with externally bonded prestressed CFRP
plates, two stages of FRP debonding occurred.
After the debonding of the CFRP plates in the
bonded system, the behaviour of the bonded
CFRP-plated beams changed to that of
unbonded CFRP-plated beams due to the effect
of the anchorage system.
Durability Evaluation of Post-Tensioned
Concrete Beam Specimens After Long-Term
Aggressive Exposure Testing by Gregory
Paul Turco, B.S. Thesis This thesis focuses on
the forensic analysis and evaluation of large-
scale post-tensioned beam specimens after
nearly 8 years of aggressive exposure testing.
The research was funded jointly by both FHWA
and TxDOT. The durability of post-tensioned
bridge structures in aggressive environments
has been of concern in recent years. Major
concerns include the effectiveness of grouting
materials, the splicing of ducts, and the
soundness of anchorage zones To evaluate the
extent of corrosion found in all types of
reinforcement in non-prestressed, fully
prestressed and partially prestressed (mixed
reinforcement) beam specimens after
approximately 8 years of aggressive exposure
testing, including drip exposure in the anchorage
zone. To evaluate the effect of mixed
reinforcement on corrosion protection with a
comparison of fully prestressed, mixed
reinforcement, and non-prestressed specimens.
Partial prestressing, also known as mixed
reinforcement offered no real durability
advantage over not prestressing at all.
3.0 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES
To study a mix design for an M 50 grade
geopolymer concrete and conventional
concrete.
To study the mechanical properties
geopolymer concrete and conventional
concrete.
To obtain the flexural behavior of post
tensioned conventional concrete beams.
To obtain the flexural behavior of post
tensioned geopolymer concrete beams
Compare the behaviour of geopolymer
and conventional concrete beams.
4.0 EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS
4.1 Materials of Geopolymer Concrete
The materials of geopolymer concrete
consists of
1. Low calcium fly ash
2. Aggregates
3. Activator solution
4.2 Low Calcium Fly Ash
Fly ash particles are almost totally spherical
in shape. The pozzolanic reaction between fly
ash and lime generates less heat, resulting in
reduced thermal cracking when fly ash is used to
replace Portland cement. Fly ash also contains
environmental toxins in significant amounts,
including arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron,
calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine,
lead, manganese, nickel, selenium, strontium,
thallium, vanadium and zinc. The SEM analysis
of fly ash particles is shown in fig 4.1.
Geopolymer concrete can be manufactured
by using low calcium fly ash (ASTM class
F).these types of fly ash has silicon and
aluminium oxides about 80% by mass. The
calcium content is less than 5%. The carbon
content of the fly ash is less than 2%. The
particle size distribution reveals that 80% of the
fly ash was smaller than 50 m. the presence of
calcium in high amounts may interfere with the
polymerization process and alter the
microstructure. in this project fly ash from Mettur silicate and sodium hydroxide are taken in the
dam the weighed materials are shown in fig 4.2 ratio of 2.5.

Fig 4: Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM):

Fly ash particles

Fig 6: Mixed Alkaline solution for M40 is

shown in fig 4.3

4.5 Specimen Details

In this study 4 beam of size 3200 x 250 x

125 mm was cast conventional concrete and
geopolymer concrete beams. All beams are post
tensioned beams. At the time of casting hollow
ducts 60 mm are with grouting provisions. The
ducts are placed at an constant eccentricity of
40 mm. at both ends of the beam, spiral rings of
Fig 5: Weighed materials 6mm dia at a length of 600mm is placed. It gives
the shear capacity to take care of end
4.3 Aggregates anchorage. The following arrangements are
shown in fig 4.4. and closer view are shown in
The shape of the aggregate affects the fig 4.5.
workability of concrete. As per is 383-1970 the
fine aggregate of specific gravity is 2.64,
confined zone II is been used. For attaining
more strength to concrete 12 mm sieved coarse
aggregate are used in this project the details of
sieve analysis and specific gravity of fine and
coarse aggregates of used materials.
4.4 Activator Solution
The combination of sodium silicate and
sodium hydroxide solution can be used as the
alkaline liquid. The concentration of sodium
hydroxide may vary in the range 8M to 14M,
however 8 molar solution is adequate for most
applications. The sodium silicate is in the form of
a gel. The pallet formed sodium hydroxide is
diluted and mixed with sodium silicate is the
activator solution for this project. The sodium Fig7: Arrangement of ducts before casting

Fig.8: Closer view arrangement of ducts
before casting
4.6 Mixing, Casting and Compaction of
Geopolymer Concrete
The fly ash and the aggregates were first
mixed together in the pan mixer for about 3
minutes. Then the alkaline liquid mixed with
super plasticizer (conplast SP 430) was the
added with the dry mixers in the pan mixer itself.
The workability of the fresh concrete was
measured by conducting slump test and is about
5 mm. All the specimens was casted using
geopolymer concrete and conventional of grade
M50. The casting process is shown in fig 4.5
Fig 9: Casting of post tensioned beam
4.7 Curing of Geopolymer Concrete
Steam curing substantially assists the
chemical reaction that occurs in the geopolymer
concrete. Both curing time and curing
temperature influence the compressive strength
of the concrete. The geopolymer concrete
specimens undergoes a steam curing (60C) of
24 hours. Before steam curing the concrete
specimens are wrapped with polythene papers
for the affection hot water into the specimens.
The specimen placed inside the steam chamber
is shown in fig 4.6
Fig 10: Specimens under steam curing
chamber
4.8 Post Tensioning of Beams
Compressive forces are induced in a
concrete structure by tensioning steel tendons of
strands placed in ducts embedded in the
concrete. The tendons are installed after the
concrete was placed. the strands were properly
anchored by end blocks. The end blocks are
rigid steel plates of size 125 250 mm and
thickness of 20 mm. are shown in fig 4.7.
Fig 11: End blocks and barrel & wedges of
post tensioned beam
4.9 Experimental setup
The beams were tested under two point
loading which was monotonically increased. The
schematic view of test setup and the
experimental setup are shown in fig 4.8 and 4.9 RCC
70000
60000
50000
40000

Load in N
30000
20000
10000
0
-10000 0 20 40 60 80
Deflection in mm

Fig.13 Load vs deflection curve for RCC

GPC
60000
50000
Fig 12: Schematic view of test setup
40000
Load in N

The beams are placed in 50 ton frame. The

experimental is shown in the fig 4.9 30000
20000
10000
0
0 50 100
Deflection in mm

Fig.14: Load vs deflection curve for GPC

2. The stress vs. strain details of

conventional concrete and post tensioned
beam concrete are shown in fig 5.3 and 5.4.

Strain Vs stress
2

1.5
Stress

0.5

5.0 RESULTS AND CONCLUSION 0

0 5 10 15 20
5.1 Results
Strain
1. The beams are subjected to two point load
testing. The results are shown in the fig 5.1
and 5.2. Fig.15: Stress vs strain curve for RCC beam
 Strain Vs stress
1.4
1.2
1
Stress

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-5 0 5 10 15 20
Strain

Fig.19: Failure of beam at the load

Fig.16: Stress vs strain curve for geopolymer
beam

Fig.20: Crack patterns in the beam

6.0 CONCLUSION
Fig.17: Deflectometer and LVDT placed in the
specimen From this experimental work the following
conclusions are drawn.
a) As the age of geopolymer concrete
increases the strength of concrete
increases.

b) The initial cracks were obtained by visual

examination only. The initial cracks was
obtained at 15 kN for conventional
concrete, where as the geopolymer initiates
the first crack at 20 kN.

c) The flexural behaviour of post tensioned

conventional concrete beam and
geopolymer concrete beams are similar.
The maximum ultimate load from
experimental work for both geopolymer and
conventional concrete was 80kN.

d) The geopolymer concrete beam deflects

more than the ordinary concrete, nearly
Fig.18: Deflected shape of the beam 18% more deflection at given load level.
e) From the experimental work it is been List of Symbols & Abbreviations
conclude that the geopolymer concrete
behaves as similar to conventional be Effective width of dispersion
concrete. From the report was identified
several economic benefits of using e Eccentricity distance
geopolymer concrete. Geopolymer
concrete is 25% economically beneficial Mg Bending moment due to dead load
than ordinary concrete.
Mq Bending moment due to live load

Mu Ultimate moment

Xu Neutral axis depth

Zt Section modulus

c Ultimate shear stress in concrete

References

[1] Harjito. D and Rangan,B.V.(2005

Development) and properties of Low
calcium fly ash- based Geopolymer
Concrete, Research Report GC 1, Faculty
of Engineering, Curtin University of
Technology, perth, Australia,2009.

[2] Rangan Vijaya B., Studies on Fly Ash-

Based Geopolymer Concrete, Malaysian
Construction Research Journal,Vol-3,No-
2,2008.

[3] S.E.Wallah and B.V.Rangan, Low calcium

fly based geopolymer conctere: long
term properties, research report, curtain
university, perth, Australia, 2006.

[4] Flexural Behaviour of Reinforced

Lightweight Concrete Beams Madewith
Oil Palm Shell (OPS) Delsye C. L. Teo1,
Md. Abdul Mannan2 and John V. Kurian3
Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology
Vol. 4, No. 3, 1-10, 2006, October 2006

[5] Flexural Behavior of RC Beams

Strengthened with Carbon Fiber
Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Fabrics R.
Balamuralikrishnan and C. Antony
Jeyasehar, The Open Civil Engineering
Journal, 2009, 3, 102-109

[6] Experimental and Analytical Investigation of

Flexural Behavior of Reinforced Concrete
Beam I. Saifullah, M. Nasir-uz-zaman,
S.M.K. Uddin, M.A. Hossain and M.H.
Rashid International Journal of Engineering
& Technology IJET-IJENS Vol: 11 No: 01
188
 Authors Biography He is life member of various professional bodies,
like Member if Indian Society of Technical
Education, Member of Indian Concrete Institute.
Mr. Deivabalan B obtained PG
degree from Annamalai Mr. S.Manigandan obtained his
university. His area of PG degree from Annamalai
specialization is Structural University. His area of
Engineering. He has Published specialization is Structural
02 research papers in Engineering. He has Published
International Journals & 03 01 research papers in
papers in international conferences. He has International Journals & 01
guided more than 12 UG Projects. He has papers in international conferences. He has
completed in UGC funded project year of 2012. guided more than 2 UG Projects.