• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.305-312
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• 2013

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the effects of silica fume on strength properties of alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) with water-binder (W/B) ratio and replacement ratio of silica fume content. The W/B ratio varied between 0.50 and 0.60 at a constant increment of 0.05. The silica fume content varied from 0% to 50% by weight of slag. The activators was used sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and the dosage of activator was 3M. The strength development with W/B ratio has been studied at different ages of 1, 3, 7 and 28 days. For mixes of AASC mortars with varying silica fume content, the flow values were lower than the control mixes (without silica fume). The flow value was decrease as the content of silica fume increase. This is because the higher surface areas of silica fume particles increase the water requirement. The analysis of these results indicates that, increasing the silica fume content in AASC mortar also increased the compressive strength. Moreover, the strength decreases with the W/B ratios increases. This is because the particle sizes of silica fume are smaller than slag. The high compressive strength of blended slag-silica fume mortars was due to both the filler effect and the activated reaction of silica fume evidently giving the mortar matrix a denser microstructure, thereby resulting in a significant gain in strength.

• 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 Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 2014

This paper examines the fundamental properties of alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) activated by sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The water to binder (W/B) ratio was 0.4 and 0.5. And concentration of activator were 2M and 4M. Five mix design of each W/B ratios was considered. The N0 mixture was KS L 5109 method and N1~N4 were varied in different mixing time, mix step and entering points of fine aggregate. Test results clearly showed that the flow value, strength and drying shrinkage development of AASC were significantly dependent on the entering point of fine aggregate. The flow value tended to decreases with delaying entering point of fine aggregate. The compressive strength and flexural strength increases with delaying entering point. Moreover, the XRD analysis confirmed that there were sustain these results. The drying shrinkage increases with delaying entering point of fine aggregate. Futhermore, a modified mixing method incorporating all hereby experimentally derived parameters, is proposed to improvement the physical properties of AASC.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.39-47
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• 2015

In this study, the properties of strength and drying shrinkage of alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) with magnesium oxide (MgO) contents between 0 and 16 wt% were investigated. The ground granulated furnace blast slag (GGBFS) was activated by potassium hydroxide (KOH) and dosage of activator was 2M and 4M. The MgO was replaced with 2% to 16% of GGBFS by weight. The water-binder ratio (w/b) was 0.5. In the result, the higher MgO content leads to a slightly higher degree of reaction and thus to a higher compressive strength at all ages. The compressive strength and ultra sonic velocity (UPV) increased with increases MgO contents. The drying shrinkage of AASC was decreased as the contents of MgO increases. The results from SEM confirmed that there were densified reaction product of higher MgO content specimens.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.77-86
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• 2013

This study investigates the fundamental properties of the water-binder (W/B) ratio and fine aggregate-binder (F/B) ratio in the alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) mortar. The W/B ratios are 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, and 0.50, respectively. And then the F/B ratios varied between 1.00 and 3.00 at a constant increment of 0.25. The alkali activator was an 2M and 4M NaOH. The measured mechanical properties were compared, flow, compressive strength, absorption, ultra sonic velocity, and dry shrinkage. The flow, compressive strength, absorption, ultra sonic velocity and dry shrinkage decreased with increases W/B ratio. The compressive strength decreases with increase F/B ratio at same W/B ratio. Also, at certain value of F/B ratio significant increase in strength is observed. And S2 (river sand 2) had lower physical properties than S1 (river sand 1) due to the fineness modulus. The results of experiments indicated that the mechanical properties of AASC depended on the W/B ratio and F/B ratio. The optimum range for W/B ratios and F/B ratios of AASC is suggested that the F/B ratios by 1.75~2.50 at each W/B ratios. Moreover, the W/(B+F) ratios between 0.13 and 0.14 had a beneficial effect on the design of AASC mortar.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.1005-1008
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to estimate basic mechanical properties of alkali-activated concretes based on GGBS(Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag). In this study, various mix ratios of alkali activated concretes based on sodium silicate and GGBS were set to evaluate concrete's compressive strengths and strains on the basis of results of existing alkali-activated cements and preliminary concrete tests, which were already performed by authors [Ref. 1]. Compressive strengths of concretes of ages 1, 3, 7, 28, 56 and 91 days were tested and investigated, respectively, and at early ages (< 7days) alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC) showed a high strength development, compared to that of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). A compressive strengths of AASC at age-3days range between 18 and 24 MPa, while those of OPC range 12 and 15 MPa. The stress-strain curve after maximum stress, on the other hand, is approximately reached at a compressive strain between 0.002 and 0.0025, which mechanical property is very similar to that of OPC.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2016

This research investigates the influence of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) composition on the alkali-activated slag cement (AASC). Aluminum oxide ($Al_2O_3$) was added to GGBFS binder between 2% and 16% by weight. The alkaline activators KOH (potassium hydroxide) was used and the water to binder ratio of 0.50. The strength development results indicate that increasing the amount of $Al_2O_3$ enhanced hydration. The 2M KOH + 16% $Al_2O_3$ and 4M KOH + 16% $Al_2O_3$ specimens had the highest strength, with an average of 30.8 MPa and 45.2 MPa, after curing for 28days. The strength at 28days of 2M KOH + 16% $Al_2O_3$ was 46% higher than that of 2M KOH (without $Al_2O_3$). Also, the strength at 28days of 4M KOH + 16% $Al_2O_3$ was 44% higher than that of 4M KOH (without $Al_2O_3$). Increase the $Al_2O_3$ contents of the binder results in the strength development at all curing ages. The incorporation of AASC tended to increases the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) due to the similar effects of strength, but increasing the amount of $Al_2O_3$ adversely decreases the water absorption and porosity. Higher addition of $Al_2O_3$ in the specimens increases the Al/Ca and Al/Si in the hydrated products. SEM and EDX analyses show that the formation of much denser microstructures with $Al_2O_3$ addition.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2015

In this paper, the effects of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and aluminum potassium sulfate ($AlK(SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$) dosage on strength properties were investigated. For evaluating the property related to the dosage of alkali activator, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) of 4% (N1 series) and 8% (N2 series) was added to 1~5% (K1~K5) dosage of aluminum potassium sulfate ($AlK(SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$) and 1% (C1) and 2% (C2) dosage of calcium oxide (CaO). W/B ratio was 0.5 and binder/ fine aggregate ratio was 0.5, respectively. Test result clearly showed that the compressive strength development of alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) mortars were significantly dependent on the dosage of NaOH and $AlK(SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$. The result of XRD analysis indicated that the main hydration product of $NaOH+AlK (SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$ activated slag was ettringite and CSH. But at early ages, ettringite and sulfate coated the surface of unhydrated slag grains and inhibited the hydration reaction of slag in high dosage of $NaOH+AlK(SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$. The $SO_4{^{-2}}$ ions from $AlK(SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$ reacts with CaO in blast furnace slag or added CaO to form gypsum ($CaSO_4{\cdot}2H_2O$), which reacts with CaO and $Al_2O_3$ to from ettringite in $NaOH+AlK(SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$ activated slag cement system. Therefore, blast furnace slag can be activated by $NaOH+AlK(SO_4)_2{\cdot}12H_2O$.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.104-111
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• 2015

This study shows the mechanical properties of alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) synthesized using sulfate with NaOH solution. The used sulfates were calcium sulfate ($CaSO_4$, denoted CS) and sodium sulfate ($Na_2SO_4$, denoted SS). The replacement ratio of sulfates was 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0% by weight of slag. NaOH solution of 2M and 4M concentration was used. A sample was activated with sulfate and activated with blended activator (blending NaOH solution with sulfate) respectively. 24 mix ratios were used and the water-binder weight ratio for the test was set 0.5. This research carried out the compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), absorption and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In the case of samples with CS, sample with 7.5% CS, sample with 2M NaOH+5.0% CS and sample with 4M NaOH+5.0% CS showed the good performance in the strength development. In the case of samples with SS, sample with 10.0% SS, sample with 2M NaOH+7.5% SS and sample with 4M NaOH+2.5% SS obtained good performance in strength. The results of UPV and water absorption showed a similar tendency to the strength properties. The XRD analysis of samples indicated that the hydration products formed in samples were ettringite, CSH and silicate phases. In this study, it is indicated that when compared to the use of sulfate only, the use of both sulfate and NaOH solution makes mechanical properties of AASC better.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2016

It is possible to achieve high strength ranging from 40 MPa to 70 MPa in alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC), and AASC is also known to have a finer pore structure due to its high latent hydraulicity and fineness of slag cement, which makes it difficult for chloride ions to penetrate. Electrophoresis is mostly used to calculate the effective diffusion coefficient of chloride ions, and then to evaluate resistance to salt damage. Few studies have been conducted on the fixation capacity of chloride ions in AASC. For this reason, in this study the chloride fixation within the hardened paste was evaluated according to the type and the amount of alkaline activators. As a result, it was revealed that among the test specimens, the chloride fixation was greatest in the paste containing $Na_2SiO_3$. In addition, it was found that as more activator was added, a higher level of chloride fixation was observed. Through this analysis, it can be concluded that the type and the amount of alkaline activators have a high correlation with the amount of C-S-H produced.