ABSTRACT
This work presents a comparative study of the mechanical behavior of precast concrete beams (CCP), manufactured by a local company and geopolymer concrete of metakaolin (CCG) and geopolymer concrete with 20% of fly ash and rice husk ash silicate (CCG-20CV-CCA), as substitutional matrices. The results showed that the geopolymer concretes presented similar behavior to the CCP, in the same class of concrete strength, reinforcement rate and arrangement in the structural element studied. The use of the ashes promoted an increase of the flexural stiffness modulus and the limits of deformation of the geopolymer beams, in particular for the CCG-20CV-CCA under the highest reinforcement rate. The cracking patterns and failure modes found were similar to those shown by CCP, with the conclusion, in this case study, that precast beams, as manufactured by the company were super-reinforced along the top of the beams. Although the dimensioning of the beam has not been the object of this study, it has been shown that the geopolymer concrete can completely replace the CCP in reinforced concrete, opening up the opportunity to use the same structural design codes developed for this traditional material.
Keywords:
Geopolymer; Precasting; Reinforced Concrete
