Effect of Micro Polypropylene Fibre on the Performance of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete

Geopolymer offers significant promise to the construction world as a possible alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Like conventional Portland cement concrete, the matrix brittleness in geopolymer composites can be reduced by introducing suitable fibre reinforcement. A few investigations on fibre reinforced geopolymer composites are available. However there is still a gap to comprehend and enhance their performance. This paper describes the effect of incorporating micro polypropylene fibres on the strength and durability characteristics of geopolymer concrete. The engineering and durability properties like workability, compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, and sorptivity of geopolymer concrete reinforced with micro polypropylene fibres is presented. The effect of the sulfuric acid attack on Geopolymer Concrete reinforced with micro polypropylene fibres is also discussed. The results show that hydrophobic characteristics of the micro polypropylene fibre led to weak contact with the geopolymer binder and hence weakened the mechanical performance of the fly ash based geopolymer matrix. However significant improvements in durability properties were noted.