Evaluating the impact of nano-silica on characteristics of self-compacting geopolymer concrete with waste tire steel fiber.

The demand for cement-free concrete is increasing worldwide to make the construction industry closer to being sustainable. The current research’s main objective was to develop self-compacting fiber-reinforced geopolymer concrete using waste/recycled materials. Steel wire from an old discarded tire was cut to make steel fibers. Wheat straw ash, an agricultural waste material, was utilized as the primary binder, and alkali-activated solutions were used as the precursors. Further, nano-silica (NS) was added from 0.5 to 3.0%, and waste tire steel fibers (WTSF) were added from 1 to 3.5% by binder content in different mixes. To evaluate the characteristics of different concrete, tests were performed, such as compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength for mechanical properties and sorptivity, rapid chloride penetration (RCP), and drying shrinkage tests for durability properties. It was noted that at 2.5% NS and 3.0% WTSF, the strength increases as 71.5, 6.5, and 8.2 MPa strength was achieved at 90 days for compressive, split tensile and flexural strength. For the RCP test, all samples were categorized as “low” in electrical conductance, micro-strains for drying shrinkage all came in an acceptable range for all samples, and sorptivity values were higher in earlier curing phases than in later phases of concrete. To understand the phase analysis of concrete, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed, and it was revealed that the M5 mix (2.5% NS + 3.0% WTSF) had the highest peaks of C-S-H, N-A-S-H, and C-A-S-H, which demonstrates the densified microstructure of concrete with addition of nano-silica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]