Out-of-plane performance of basalt fiber reinforced polymer reinforced thin panel using slag and fly ash based geopolymer mortar with recycled waste glass aggregates

Abstract

Recycled waste glass (RWG) is rarely used as fine aggregate in geopolymer mortar due to its susceptibility to alkali-silica reaction under high alkalinity. Therefore, this study employs low-alkalinity Na₂CO₃-activated geopolymer mortar, which allows for the use of RWG as a replacement for river sand as fine aggregate. Eight geopolymer mortar mixtures were prepared to investigate the effects of RWG replacement ratios (0%–30%) and steel fiber incorporation on mechanical properties. Subsequently, six basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) reinforced geopolymer mortar one-way panels were fabricated and tested under four-point load. The parameters investigated included the RWG replacement ratio, steel fiber ratio, and BFRP rebar reinforcement ratio. A two-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis was conducted, and a parametric analysis was performed. The feasibility of the existing design formula was assessed. The results indicated that: geopolymer mortar incorporating RWG exhibited mechanical properties comparable to sand-based geopolymer mortar, with steel fiber addition significantly enhancing its compressive and flexural strength; RWG containing panels demonstrated performance similar to sand-based counterparts, whereas steel fiber-reinforced panels showed improved post-cracking stiffness (20.8%–23.9% higher), load-carrying capacity (56.4%–72.0% higher), and deformability; the proposed FE model incorporating bond-slip behavior accurately reproduced panel performance; and the equations in ACI 440.1R-15 and CAN/CSA S806 reasonably predicted the panels’ load-carrying capacity.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

recycled glass aggregate / geopolymer / one-way thin panel / flexural performance / shear performance / finite element analysis

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