Effect of metakaolin on the autogenous shrinkage of alkali-activated slag-fly ash paste

Zhenming Li*, Xuhui Liang, Yun Chen, Guang Ye

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)
37 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The high autogenous shrinkage of alkali-activated materials made from slag and fly ash is recognised as a major drawback with regard to the use as construction materials. In this study, metakaolin was introduced into the alkali-activated slag-fly ash (AASF) paste to mitigate the autogenous shrinkage. The shrinkage mitigation mechanism of metakaolin was explained by studying the influences of metakaolin on the microstructure, shrinkage related properties, and mechanical properties of AASF paste. It was found that adding metakaolin could significantly reduce the chemical and autogenous shrinkage of AASF paste. This shrinkage mitigation is accompanied by a decrease in the alkalinity of AASF paste pore solution, a reduced drop in internal relative humidity, and an increase in porosity of AASF paste. Moreover, the incorporation of metakaolin does not change the type of the reaction products, but greatly delays the formation of the reaction products of AASF paste. The addition of metakaolin, above 5% of the binder, results in lower 28-day compressive and flexural strength of AASF paste.

Original languageEnglish
Article number122397
Number of pages11
JournalConstruction and Building Materials
Volume278
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Alkali-activated materials
  • Fly ash
  • Metakaolin
  • Shrinkage
  • Slag

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