Feasibility study on the utilization of granulated calcium carbonate as precursor in alkali-activated fibre-reinforced composites

摘要

A feasibility study on the use of ground calcium carbonate (GCC) as a co-precursor with blast furnace slag (BFS) in the production of alkali-activated fibre-reinforced composites (AAFCs) in order to produce greener engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) was carried out. The GCC was used to replace up to 75 of BFS as the precursor and activated with commercially available lime (LM) at a dosage of 8. The influence of the precursor composition was investigated in terms of the mechanical and durability properties. The outcome of this study revealed that GCC can be used alongside BFS as the precursor to replace the Portland cement utilized in the production of ECCs. However, there is a corresponding reduction in the strength and increase in permeability with higher content of GCC. On a positive note, the incorporation of GCC as a partial replacement for BFS increased the deflection capacity. The 90 days deflection capacity of AAFCs made with GCC as 25, 50 and 75 replacement of BFS increased by 23.9, 33.1 and 62.6, respectively. Thus, AAFCs made with higher GCC content would be suitable for applications where higher deflection capacity is required. Moreover, AAFCs offer a sustainable path to a more environmentally friendly engineered cementitious composite.