• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.765-772
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• 2011

The present study summarizes a series of compressive tests on concrete cylinder in order to examine the stressstrain relationship of alkali-activated (AA) slag concrete. The compressive strength and unit weight of concrete tested ranged from 8.6 MPa to 42.2 MPa and from $2,186kg/m^3$ to $2,343kg/m^3$, respectively. A mathematical equation representing the complete stress-strain curve was developed based on test results recorded from 34 concrete specimens. The modulus of elasticity, strain at peak stress, slopes of ascending and descending branches of stress-strain curves were generalized as a function of compressive strength and unit weight of concrete. The mean and standard deviation of the coefficient of variance between measured and predicted curves were 6.9% and 2.6%, respectively. This indicates that the stress-strain relationship of AA slag concrete is represented properly with more accuracy in the proposed model than in some other available models for ordinary portland cement (OPC) concrete.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.487-494
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• 2011

In this research, the possibility of using bottom ash as a binder for the alkali-activated cement mortar is studied. Several experiments were performed to investigate the variation of the material properties according to the mix proportion. In the experimental program, the flowability and compressive strength were evaluated for various values of water/ash ratio, activator/ash ratio, sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratio, curing temperature, and the fineness of bottom ash as the main variables. The experimental results showed that high strength of 40 MPa or greater could be achieved in $60^{\circ}C$ high temperature curing condition with proper flowability. For $20^{\circ}C$ ambient temperature curing, the 28 days compressive strength of approximately 30MPa could be obtained although the early-age strength development was very slow. Based on the results, the range of optimized mix design of bottom-ash based alkali-activated cement mortar was suggested. In addition, using the artificial neural network analysis, the flowability and compressive strength were predicted with the difference in the mix proportion of the bottom-ash based alkali-activated cement mortar.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2020

Performance of Sustainable materials continues through using of recycled waste construction materials to minimize the utilization of the natural resources. The cement industry is a major source of CO₂ in the atmosphere which is the main cause of global warming. Replacement of OPC with other sustainable cementitious materials has been the most interesting area of researches. This investigation focuses on the properties of alkali-activated mortar with the different replacement ratios of ceramic tile powder (CTP) by fine soil powder (FSP) (0 to 100)% and different molarities of sodium hydroxide concentrations. The experimental program was conducted by examining the compressive strength, water absorption, and water sorptivity. The results showed that the compressive strength of the specimens at age of (28, 56, and 90 days) increases with an increase in the amount of fine soil powder content and decreases at the age of 120 days. Also, minimum water absorption at the age of 90 days was found in the mixes containing 100% fine soil powder. However, fine soil powder replacement had a negative effect on the sorptivity and water absorption values at the age of 120 days. On the other hand, the 12M sodium hydroxide concentration was considered the optimum concentration compared to other concentrations.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2021

The present study fabricated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber-reinforced alkali-activated slag/fly ash (AASF) composites with varying mixture ratios of slag and fly ash. The thermomechanical behaviors of the AASF composites exposed to 200, 400, 600, or 800℃ were evaluated by means of compressive strength test, visual observation, and fire resistance tests. X-ray diffractometry, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and thermogravimetry tests were performed to analyze the microstructure change of the AASF composites upon exposure to high temperatures. Specimens exhibited a gradual strength loss up to 600℃, while also showing a significant decrease in the strength above 600℃. The fire resistance test revealed the occurrence of an inflection point as indicated by an increase in the internal temperature at around 200℃. In addition, specimens showed the dehydration of C-S-H gel, the presence of åkermanite, gehlenite, and anorthite upon exposure to 800℃, which is associated with the formation of macropore population with pores having diameters of 1-3 ㎛ and 20-40 ㎛. Visual observation indicated that the PVA fibers mitigated the cracking and/or spalling of the specimens upon exposure to 800℃.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.593-599
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• 2013

The unrestrained shrinkage strain of alkali-activated (AA) slag concrete was examined and compared with design equations specified in code provisions and empirical equations proposed by Yang et al. The main parameters investigated were the water-to-binder ratio (W/B), unit water content and fine aggregate-to-total aggregate ratio (S/a). Test results revealed that shrinkage strain of AA slag concrete is nearly proportional to the W/B ratio, whereas its time function is independent of the W/B ratio. The shrinkage strain of AA slag concrete increased significantly when the unit water content is above $185kg/m^3$, whereas it is marginally affected by the S/a ratio. The design equation of ACI 209 considerably overestimates the shrinkage behavior of AA slag concrete, whereas CEB-FIP equation tends to underestimate the shrinkage at the age more than 28 days. The empirical equation of Yang et al. is in better agreement with test results, showing that values of mean and standard deviation of error coefficients obtained from each specimen are 016 and 0.07, respectively.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

PURPOSES : This study is to evaluate the feasibility of using the alkali activated cement concrete for application of partial-depth repair in pavement. METHODS : This study analyzes the compressive strength of alkali activated cement mortar based on the changes in the amount/type/composition of binder(portland cement, fly ash, slag) and activator(NaOH, $Na_2SiO_3$, $Na_2CO_3$, $Na_2SO_4$). The mixture design is divided in case I of adding one kind-activator and case II of adding two kind-activators. RESULTS : The results of case I show that $Na_2SO_4$ based mixture has superior the long-term strength when compared to other mixtures, and that $Na_2CO_3$ based mixture has superior the early strength when compared to other mixtures. But the mixtures of case I is difficult to apply in the material for early-opening-to-traffic, because the strength of all mixtures isn't meet the criterion of traffic-opening. The results of case II show that NaOH-$Na_2SiO_3$ based mixtures has superior the early/long-term strength when compared to NaOH-$Na_2SiO_3$ based mixtures. In particular, the NaOH-$Na_2SiO_3$ based some mixtures turned out to pass the reference strength(1-day) of 21MPa as required for traffic-opening. CONCLUSIONS : With these results, it could be concluded that NaOH-$Na_2SiO_3$ based mixtures can be used as the material of pavement repair.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.58-66
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• 2013

This study investigated quality properties of alkali activated cement free mortar using industrial by-product such as cement kiln dust(CKD), silica fume(SF) and quartz sand powder(SP) to compare with previous research about blast furnace slag(BS) and fly ash(FA). The results were as following. All materials were effective to increase compressive strength, however they showed different tendency on flowability. CKD and SP increased flowability, but on the other hand SF did not because it's blain was great difference with other materials. Flowability and compressive strength were related with grading distributions of binders because CKD, SP and SF which had small particle size filled up BS and FA. Application of industrial by-products with various grading distributions could be effective for the high early strength and flowability of alkali activated cement free mortar using BS.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2013

The cement industry brought very severe environment problems with massive carbon dioxide during its production. To solve this problem, attempts on Alkali-Activated Slag (AAS) concrete that perfectly substitutes industrial by-products such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) for cement are being actively made. AAS concrete is possible to have high strength development at room temperature, however, it is difficult to ensure the working time due to the fast setting time and the loss of workabillity because of the alkali reaction. In this study, the early age properties of alkali activated slag mortar are investigated to obtain the fundamental data for AAS concrete application to structural members. The water-binder ratio (W/B) was fixed at 0.35 and sodium hydroxide and waterglass as alkali activator was used. The compressive strength, the flow and the ultrasonic pulse velocity were measured according to the type of superplasticisers, which were naphthalene(N), lignin(L), melamine(M) and PC(P), up to a maximum of 2 percent by the mass of GGBFS. The results showed that adding melamine type of superplasticizer improved the fluidity of AAS mortar without decreasing the compressive strength, while naphthalene and polycarbonate type of superplasticizer had little effect on the fluidity of AAS mortar.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.273-281
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• 2015

In this paper, the performance of alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) is assessed in terms of compressive strength and drying shrinkage, using three different types of silica sand and river sand. The sand type has an important influence on the properties of AASC mortar. Three silica sands (SS1, SS2 and SS3) and river sand (RS) were considered. Three series of blended sands have been tested. A first series (S1) with RS and SS1, a second series (S2) with RS and SS2 and third series (S3) with RS and SS3 with a different blended ratios. The result shows a very significant influence of the blended sand on the AASC mortar properties. The compressive strength and drying shrinkage related with the particle sizes and blended ratios of sands are investigated considering blended sand properties like fineness modulus (FM) and relative specific surface. The type and blended ratio of sand seems to have very significant and important consequences for the mix design of the AASC mortar.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2013

The present study tested 5 concrete mixes to develop reliable mixing proportions for the sustainable alkali-activated(AA) foamed concrete as a thermal insulation material for the floor heating system of buildings. The AA binder used was composed of 73.5% ground granulated blast-furnace slag, 15% fly ash, 5% calcium hydroxide, and 6.5% sodium silicate. As a main variable, the unit binder content varied from $325kg/m^3$ to $425kg/m^3$ at a space of $25kg/m^3$. The test results revealed that AA foamed concrete has considerable potential for practical applications when the unit binder content is close to $375kg/m^3$, which achieves the minimum quality requirements specified in KS F 4039 and ensures economic efficiency. In addition, lifecycle assessment demonstrated the reduction in the environmental impact profiles of all specimens relative to typical ordinary portland cement foamed concrete as follows: 99% for photochemical oxidation potential, 87~89% for global warming potential, 78~82% for abiotic depletion, and 70~75% for both acidification potential and human toxicity.