EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON GEOPOLYMER

CONCRETE WITH PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF

FINE AGGREGATE WITH FOUNDRY SAND
Jerusha Susan Joy1, Dr. Mini Mathew2
1, 2
Department of Civil Engineering, AmalJyothi College of Engineering, Kottayam, (India)

ABSTRACT
The global use of concrete is second only to water. Since a lot of environmental issues are associated with the
production of Portland cement, alternate materials should be found out. Davidovits proposed that an alkaline
liquid could be used to react with the silicon (Si) and the aluminum (Al) in a source material of geological
origin or in by-product materials such as fly ash and rice husk ash to produce binders. Geopolymer concrete is
a concrete which does not utilize any Portland cement in its production. Used-foundry sand is a by-product of
ferrous and nonferrous metal casting industries. Foundries successfully recycle and reuse the sand many times
in a foundry. In this study an effort is made to found out the effectiveness of used foundry sand as a partial
replacement of fine aggregate in geopolymer concrete. 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% by weight of fine
aggregate is replaced with foundry sand in this study. 3 day, 7 day and 28 day compressive strength of samples
were found out.

Keywords: Alkaline Liquid, Binder, Foundry Sand, Geopolymer, Polymerization

I. INTRODUCTION

The emission of greenhouse gases is a critical factor for industries like cement industries, as the greenhouse
effect can produce an increase in global temperature and variations in climatic conditions. The studies
conducted in this area shows that the production of cement is increasing about 3% annually. The production of
one ton of cement liberates about one ton of CO2 to the atmosphere.In 1978, Davidovits proposed that an
alkaline liquid could be used to react with the silicon (Si) and the aluminum (Al) in a source material of
geological origin or in by-product materials such as fly ash and rice husk ash to produce binders. Because the
chemical reaction that takes place in this case is a polymerization process, he coined the term Geopolymer to
represent these binders. Thus Geopolymer concrete is a concrete which does not utilize any Portland cement in
its production. There are two main constituents in geopolymer concrete, namely the source materials and the
alkaline liquids. The source materials forgeopolymers based on alumina-silicate should be rich in silicon (Si)
and aluminium (Al). These could be natural minerals such as metakaoline, clays, etc. Alternatively, by -
product materials such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, rice husk ash, red mud, etc could be used as source
materials. (Hardjito,2004)The most common alkaline liquid used for geopolymerisation is a combination of
sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide and sodium silicate or potassium silicate.Geopolymers are members
of the family of inorganic polymers. The chemical composition of the geopolymer material is similar to natural

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zeolitic materials, but the microstructure is amorphous instead of crystalline (Palomo et al. 1999). For
geopolymer concrete, an increase in the compressive strength with increase in the molarity was seen.
Importance of curing temperature also was clearly seen in the tests conducted. The introduction of a rest day,
that is ambient curing for 24 hours prior to steam curing, resulted in elevated compressive strengths of the order
of 20% (Lloyd 2010, Madheswaran 2013, Supraja 2012).Used-foundry sand is a by-product of ferrous and
nonferrous metal casting industries. Foundries successfully recycle and reuse the sand many times in a foundry.
When the sand can no longer be reused in the foundry, it is removed from the foundry and is termed as used or
spent foundry sand.In case of experiments conducted on concrete with foundry sand, it was found that
compressive strength, split-tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity of concrete mixtures
increased with the increase in foundry sand contents. Results of this investigation suggest that used-foundry
sand could be very conveniently used in making good quality concrete and construction materials. However, the
research suggests that partial replacement should not exceed 20%. (Siddique 2012, Bhimani 2013)
In this work, silica ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag based geopolymer is used as the binder to
produce concrete. Sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide is used as alkaline liquid and superplasticizer is added
to improve workability. The effectiveness of foundry sand as partial replacement of fine aggregate in
geopolymer concrete is analyzed in this study. Study was conducted for 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%
replacement of foundry sand by weight of fine aggregate.

II. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM

2.1 Materials
2.1.1 Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag
Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) is a by-product from the blast-furnaces used to make iron. GGBS
can be used to make durable concrete structures.

Fig: 1. Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

Table 1. Properties of GGBS
Characteristics Value
Fineness 390
Specific Gravity 2.85
Moisture Content 0.10

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2.1.2 Silica Ash
Rice husk is an agricultural residue abundantly available in rice producing countries. The annual rice husk
production in India amounts about 12 million tons. Among the different types of biomass used for gasification,
rice husk has a high ash content varying from 18 – 20 %. Silica is the major constituent of rice husk. So it can be
effectively used for green concrete applications.

Fig.:2. Silica Ash

Table 2. Properties of Silica Ash
Characteristics Value
Silica content 88.9%
Specific gravity 2.25
Moisture content 0.11%

2.1.3 Alkaline Liquid

A combination of sodium silicate solution and sodium hydroxide solution was chosen as the alkaline liquid.
Sodium-based solutions were chosen because they were cheaper than Potassium-based solutions. It is
recommended that the NaOH solution should be made 24 hours before casting and should be used with 36 hours
of mixing the pellets with water as after that it is converted to semi-solid state. The mass of NaOH solids in a
solution varies depending on the concentration of the solution expressed in terms of molar, M. For instance,
NaOH solution with a concentration of 8M consisted of 8x40 = 320 grams of NaOH solids (in flake or pellet
form) per litre of the solution, where 40 is the molecular weight of NaOH. The mass of NaOH solids was
measured as 262 grams per kg of NaOH solution of 8 M concentration. Similarly, the mass of NaOH solids per
kg of the solution for other concentrations were measured as 10 M: 314 grams, 12 M: 361 grams, 14 M: 404
grams, and 16 M: 444 grams. Note that the mass of NaOH solids was only a fraction of the mass of the NaOH
solution, and water is the major component. The specific gravity of Sodium Hydroxide was 1.37. 10 M NaOH
solutionwas used for the preparation of alkaline liquid.
Sodium Silicate is also known as water glass which is available in the market in gel form. The ratio of SiO 2 and
Na2O in sodium silicate gel highly affects the strength of geopolymer concrete. Mainly it is seen that a ratio
ranging from 2 to 2.5 gives a satisfactory result. The specific gravity of Sodium Silicate was 1.59.

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 Fig: 3. Alkaline Solution
2.1.4 Fine Aggregate
Fine aggregate used in this study is M sand. Fine aggregates are the aggregates whose size is less than 4.75mm.
Sand is generally considered to have a lower size limit of about 0.07mm, also free from clay, minerals and salt.
The specific gravity of fine aggregate was found out using pycnometer and sieve analysis was carried out to find
out the grading zone of aggregate.
Table 3. Properties of Fine Aggregate
Properties Value Obtained
Specific Gravity 2.65
Fineness Modulus 3.28
Grading Zone Zone I
2.1.5 Coarse Aggregate
Locally available coarse aggregate with maximum size of 20 mm were used in this project.

Table 4. Properties of Coarse Aggregate

Properties Value Obtained

Specific Gravity 2.79

Bulk Density 1.32 g/cc
Water absorption 0.151%

2.16 Foundry Sand

Used-foundry sand is a by-product of ferrous and nonferrous metal casting industries. Foundries successfully
recycle and reuse the sand many times in a foundry. When the sand can no longer be reused in the foundry, it is
removed from the foundry and is termed used or spent foundry sand. Foundry sand was collected from a Grace
foundry at Kottayam.

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 Fig.4. Foundry Sand
2.1.7 Superplasticizer
To improve the workability of the fresh geopolymer concrete, a naphthalene sulphonate based superplasticizer
was used.

2.2 Laboratory Work

In the beginning, numerous trial mixtures of geopolymer concrete were manufactured. The trial mixes were
prepared inorder to obtain a mix with good consistency and workability and to understand the basic nature of the
mix.
2.2.1 Mixing
It was found out that fresh silica ash – GGBS based geopolymer concrete was dark in colour and was cohesive.
The amount of water in the mixture played an important role in the behavior of fresh concrete.
For mixing, a drum mixer was used. The aggregates were prepared in saturated surface dry condition. The
sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide solution was mixed together at least one day before casting. The materials
were dry mixed for about 3 minutes and after that the alkaline liquid mixed with superplasticizerwas added and
mixed for about 4 minutes. Small amount of water was also added to increase workability.

Fig.5. Mixing of Concrete

Cubes with 15 cm × 15 cm × 15 cm size were casted. Cubes were casted for 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 % and 25
% by weight replacement of fine aggregate with foundry sand. Compaction of the specimens was done on table
vibrator.

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2.2.2 Curing
After casting the specimens, as per literature studies, a 24 hour rest period was given to the specimens. After 24
hours the specimens were demoulded and were subjected to oven curing. The specimens were cured at 80 ○ C for
24 hours.

Fig: 6. Curing of specimens

2.3 Mix Proportion
The mix proportion of the concrete mix was designed based on the literature surveys conducted and the mix
proportion was fixed on the basis of the trial mixes prepared.
 Ash used
 Silica ash = 200 kg/m3
 GGBS = 300 kg/m3
 Alkaline liquid
 Ratio of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide was fixed as 2.5.
 Ratio of alkaline liquid to ash was fixed as 0.63.
 10 M solution was used for preparing the specimens. According to the literatures, the mass of
NaOH solids per kg of the solution 10 M concentration is 314 g.
 Alkaline liquid = 315 kg/m3
 As per the literatures, geopolymer concrete attains more strength when aggregate content varies from
60% to 70%. Based on IS 10262, fine aggregate was fixed to be 34% of total aggregate content.
 Fine aggregate = 539.32 kg/m3
 Coarse aggregate = 1102.5 kg/m3
 Superplasticizer is added 1.75% by weight of ash used.
 Extra water is added to ensure consistency of mix.

III. RESULTS
3.1 Workability
Slump test was conducted on fresh concrete to find out the workability of the concrete mix. Slump test was
conducted using slump cone of 300 mm height, 200 mm bottom diameter and 100 mm top diameter.

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 Fig.7. Measuring workability
Table 5 shows the slump value and other details of the concrete mixes. Slump value is observed to decrease with
the increase in the foundry sand. Foundry sand is hydrophilic in nature and it attracts water to its surface.
Table 5. Details of mix
% Replacement 0% 5% 10 % 15 % 20 % 25 %
3
Silica Ash (kg/m ) 200 200 200 200 200 200
3
GGBS (kg/m ) 300 300 300 300 300 300
3
Alkaline Liquid (kg/m ) 315 315 315 315 315 315
Coarse Aggregate
1102.5 1102.5 1102.5 1102.5 1102.5 1102.5
(kg/m3)
Fine Aggregate (kg/m3) 539.32 512.35 485.39 458.42 431.46 404.49
Foundry Sand (kg/m3) 0 26.97 53.93 80.9 107.86 134.83
3
Superplasticizer (kg/m ) 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.75
Water added
75 75 75 75 75 75
(kg/m3)
Slump (mm) 40 40 37 35 32 30

3.2 Compressive Strength

150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm cubes were casted for carrying out compression strength test. 3 day, 7 day and 28
day strength of the specimens were measured. The specimens were tested on a compression testing machine
with capacity of 3000 kN.

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 Fig.8. Testing Compressive Strength
3.2.1 3 Day Compressive Strength
The 3 day compressive strength of the oven cured sample obtained a maximum strength of about 20.67 N/mm 2.
This compressive strength was obtained for 15% replacement of fine aggregate with foundry sand. The strength
of the control mix was 18.22 N/mm2.

Fig.9. 3 Day Compressive Strength

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3.2.2 7 Day Compressive Strength

Fig.10. 7 Day Compressive Strength

The 7 day compressive strength of the sample obtained a maximum strength of 20.89 N/mm2. The 7 day
maximum strength was also obtained for 15% replacement of fine aggregate. It should be noted that there is no
significant increase in compressive strength on 7th day. Since the sample was oven cured, the sample attained
maximum strength within 3 days.
3.2.3 28 Day Compressive Strength
The 28 day compressive strength was also maximum for 15% replacement of fine aggregate with foundry
sand.Fig.12 shows the comparison of 3 day, 7 day and 28 day compressive strengths of the specimens

Fig.11. 28 Day Compressive Strength

From the graph, it can be seen that the optimum percentage of replacement of fine aggregate with foundry sand
is 15%.
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 Fig.12. Comparison of Compressive Strength

IV. CONCLUSION

 The workability of the sample decreased with increase in foundry sand content.
 The silica ash – GGBS based geopolymer concrete gained strength with earlier time period through oven
curing at 80○ C.
 The mix with 15% replacement of fine aggregate gives maximum strength of 21.33 N/mm2.
 The optimum amount of replacement was found to be 15%.

REFERENCES

[1] Anuradha., Sreevidyaa,V., Venkatasubramania., Rangan,B.V. (2011), “Modified Guidelines For

Geopolymer Concrete Mix Design Using Indian Standard”, pp.462-472
[2] Bhimani,D.R.,(2013), “Used Foundry Sand: Opportunities for Development Of Eco-Friendly Low Cost
Concrete”, IJAET, vol4(1), pp.63-66.
[3] Hardjito,D., Wallah,S.E., Sumajouw,D.M.J., Rangan,B.V.,(2004), “Factors Influencing The Compressive
Strength Of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete”, Civil Engineering Dimension, Vol. 6 (2).
[4] Hardjito,D., Wallah,S.E., Sumajouw,D.M.J., Rangan,B.V., (2004) “On the Development of Fly Ash-Based
Geopolymer Concrete.” ACI Material Journal.
[5] Lloyd, N., Rangan, B.,(2010), “ Geopolymer Concrete with Fly Ash”, Second International Conference on
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[6] Madheswaran,C.K.,Gnansundar,G., Gopalkrishnan., (2013) “Effect of molarity in Geopolymer concrete”,
International Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering, Vol. 4(2),pp.106-115
[7] Palomo, A., M. W. Grutzeck, M.T. Blanco (1999). "Alkali-Activated Fly Ashes, A Cement for the Future."
Cement and Concrete Research29(8),pp. 1323-1329.
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[8] Rangan,B.V.,(2008) “ Mix design and production of fly ash based geopolymer concrete”, The Indian
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[9] Singh,G., Siddique,R.,(2012), “ Effect of waste foundry sand (WFS) as partial replacement of sand on the
strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity and permeability of concrete” , Journal of Construction and Building
Materials, vol 26, pp. 416-422.
[10] Supraja,V., Kantarao,M., (2012) “Experimental study on Geopolymer concrete incorporating GGBS”,
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