Effect of curing temperature on the properties of 100% Clay based geopolymer concrete

Substantial researches have already been carried out on alkali-activated binders for the production of geopolymerconcrete but studies on clay-based geopolymerconcrete is still insufficient. The aim of this paper is to identify the effect of curing temperature on the properties of 100% clay-based geopolymerconcrete. Clay pre-treated at 800C and 1200C for 24 hours were selected as the source binder material. Four Activator Modulus (AM); 1.0, 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75 for each of two Sodium Oxide(Na2O) dosages of 10% and 15% were selected as the activator material for this investigation. X-ray diffraction (XRF) was applied to characterize the clay material. Specimens were cured at 800C and 1200C for 24 hours. Specimens were tested under compression at seven, 14, 28 and 40 days. Specimens cured at 800C took a longer duration (>28 days) to achieve structural integrity while the specimens cured at 1200C achieved structural intigrity within seven days. Compressive strength of specimens prepared with AM of 1.0 for both of the Na2O dosage of 10% and 15% exhibited superior performance to other AMs investigated.