Volume 13, No. 2, 2019
Received: 2019/03/14, Accepted:
Authors:
Revathy Jayaseelan; Gajalakshmi Pandalu; Sanju Selvam;
Abstract:
Durability of concrete structures is one of the foremost concerns in construction industry. This research work explored the development and performance characteristics of concrete incorporating nanoparticles. The study focuses on the effective utilization of nanoparticles with different dosage amounts of 0.5 %, 1% and 1.5% added to the weight of binder (cement + metakaolin) materials. In addition, metakaolin is partially added to cement to enhance the sustainability of concrete. The performance characteristics investigated included compressive
strength, water absorption, sorpitivity and chloride ion penetrability. Based on the investigations, it is found that a combination of nano-SiO2 and nano-Fe2O3 enhanced compressive strength of concrete.
From the results of water absorption test, the higher content of nano-Fe2O3 and nano-SiO2 showed a sharp drop of about 54.16% and 35.83%, respectively. The sorptivity coefficient decreased by 43.33% and 69.01% corresponding to 1.5% addition of nano-Fe2O3 and nano-SiO2 with reference to the control group. The reason is due to densified micro-structure and refined pores. NSF group specimens indicate about 64.17% reduction in water penetration with respect to control group mixture. A lower chloride ion charge passage is noticed in NF3 and NS3 specimens of about 35.97% and 56.09%, respectively, compared with that of the control specimen. A considerable amount of reduction of about 64.17% and 73.33% is observed, respectively, for water absorption test and sorptivity coefficient test. A remarkable correlation is observed between the strength (compressive) and durability indices of concrete of various groups. Thus, nanoparticles added to concrete improve the durability of concrete and provide an effective solution for a better sustainable environment.
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