Effect of curing condition on the mechanical properties of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete

In the present study, the mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete (GPC) has been investigated. GPC represents a novel technology that is giving significant concern in industrial construction, especially in term of the current emphasis on sustainability. In this study, the NaOH and Na2SiO3 solutions were used as an alkaline solution in all GPC mixes. Na2SiO3 with 10 concentration of molarity, activator-to-FA ratio of 0.4, Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio of 1.75, and two curing regimes viz., ambient curing, and heat curing at 75 °C for 26 h were employed. The experimental results indicated that the geopolymer concrete strengths, modulus of elasticity, and other mechanical properties increased with heat curing as compared to ambient temperature curing. The elastic modulus of GPC was associated with the compressive strengths and similar to those of OPC concrete. Furthermore, the geopolymer concrete mixture requires proper mix proportion and temperature-controlled curing conditions to accomplish good results.