Optimisation of Supplementary Cementitious Materials for Enhanced Mechanical and Durability Performance of Geopolymer Concrete

Optimisation of Supplementary Cementitious Materials for Enhanced Mechanical and Durability Performance of Geopolymer Concrete | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Optimisation of Supplementary Cementitious Materials for Enhanced Mechanical and Durability Performance of Geopolymer Concrete ANIKET RUPWATE, SWATI KULKARNI This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8758422/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This research provides an extensive experimental and predictive study of ambient-cured geopolymer concrete developed with fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), and silica fume (SF). Eleven combinations of geopolymers were developed through systematic variation in the proportions of FA-GGBS-SF and the alkaline activator modulus (Ms = 1.5-2.0). At 7, 14, and 28 days, we assessed compressive, split tensile, and flexural strengths and evaluated durability performance using RCPT, sorptivity, and water absorption. Silica fume (up to 10%) was further added to the mixture to perfect the pore structure and achieve lower permeability and greater durability. A mixture C10 (50% FA, 40% GGBS, 10% SF, Ms = 2.0) showed the best performance, with a 28-day compressive strength of 72.5 MPa, the lowest water uptake (2.95%), and the lowest chloride permeability (820 Coulombs). The paper establishes that the optimised FA-GGBS-SF geopolymer concrete can be strengthened and sustained at high strength under realistic ambient curing conditions. Geopolymer Concrete Fly Ash Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) Silica Fume Mechanical Properties Durability Performance Sorptivity Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8758422","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":587768386,"identity":"cd425c76-3bb3-43b3-abb3-3edb7e2d8ef9","order_by":0,"name":"ANIKET RUPWATE","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxmYkjoEEDz+ITiggpCUBwmpgKLCQkWwAaTHAaw0zkpYPFTYGB8DW4VbPP7u52eDjj3uJ2yWSnz/4AHSY8fnViR8eGDDI84sdwKpF4s7B5sQZCcWJO2ekGTbOAGoxu/F2swTQYYYzZydgt+ZGYvNhnoSExA23EwybecBazm4AaUkwuI1dizxIyx+wlvSPzX9ADptxdvMPfFoMgFqSGcBacgybQYFswN+7Da8thkAthj1pCcY7578pnNkD1CJxg3ebRYKBBE6/yN1IfyzxwyZBdjvP8Q0ffvyps+fvP7v55o8KG3l+aRzeh7sQzpIAq5TArxxVC/8BwqpHwSgYBaNgRAEA6/RmEiVM0iMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"ANIKET","middleName":"","lastName":"RUPWATE","suffix":""},{"id":587768387,"identity":"f0ae9743-c9f8-428d-a912-1f59497c08f2","order_by":1,"name":"SWATI KULKARNI","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"SWATI","middleName":"","lastName":"KULKARNI","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-01 19:08:53","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8758422/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8758422/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103507110,"identity":"304e9f12-1eff-46b1-8975-4a9cc25e315a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-26 13:40:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":875639,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"PerformanceEnhancementofGPC1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8758422/v1_covered_20a10ee8-67ec-4343-9efd-e77296f1fa95.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Optimisation of Supplementary Cementitious Materials for Enhanced Mechanical and Durability Performance of Geopolymer Concrete","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Geopolymer Concrete, Fly Ash, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), Silica Fume, Mechanical Properties, Durability Performance, Sorptivity, Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8758422/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8758422/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis research provides an extensive experimental and predictive study of ambient-cured geopolymer concrete developed with fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), and silica fume (SF). Eleven combinations of geopolymers were developed through systematic variation in the proportions of FA-GGBS-SF and the alkaline activator modulus (Ms\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.5-2.0). At 7, 14, and 28 days, we assessed compressive, split tensile, and flexural strengths and evaluated durability performance using RCPT, sorptivity, and water absorption. Silica fume (up to 10%) was further added to the mixture to perfect the pore structure and achieve lower permeability and greater durability. A mixture C10 (50% FA, 40% GGBS, 10% SF, Ms\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.0) showed the best performance, with a 28-day compressive strength of 72.5 MPa, the lowest water uptake (2.95%), and the lowest chloride permeability (820 Coulombs). 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