Mechanical Performance of CDW Materials-Based Geopolymer Mortars

This experimental study focuses on determining the mechanical properties of geopolymer mortars, made primarily from concrete waste (CW), red clay brick waste (RCBW), and ceramic tile waste (CTW), in addition to smaller amounts of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as Fly ash C, ground granulated blast-furnace slag, and metakaolin. Optimum mixture compositions were determined by utilizing a mix design method that uses ratios of silica oxide to alumina oxide, sodium oxide to silica oxide, and liquid to solid binders. The effects of using silica sand, natural sand, and concrete waste aggregates, as well as the different types of SCMs, on the flowability and compressive strengths of mortars were also considered under three various curing conditions of ambient environment, water immersion, and high temperature. Although the use of concrete waste aggregates caused the compressive strength to reduce as compared to silica sand and natural sand, it was possible to achieve appropriate early and later age compressive strengths for CW aggregates-mortars prepared with mono, binary, and ternary compositions of CDW binders.