Prediction of Geopolymer Concrete Compressive Strength Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Geopolymer concrete emerges as a promising avenue for sustainable development and offers an effective solution to environmental problems.Its attributes as a non-toxic,low-carbon,and economical substitute for conventional cement concrete,coupled with its elevated compressive strength and reduced shrinkage properties,position it as a pivotal material for diverse applications spanning from architectural structures to transportation infrastructure.In this context,this study sets out the task of using machine learning(ML)algorithms to increase the accuracy and interpretability of predicting the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete in the civil engineering field.To achieve this goal,a new approach using convolutional neural networks(CNNs)has been adopted.This study focuses on creating a comprehensive dataset consisting of compositional and strength parameters of 162 geopolymer concrete mixes,all containing Class F fly ash.The selection of optimal input parameters is guided by two distinct criteria.The first criterion leverages insights garnered from previous research on the influence of individual features on compressive strength.The second criterion scrutinizes the impact of these features within the model’s predictive framework.Key to enhancing the CNN model’s performance is the meticulous determination of the optimal hyperparameters.Through a systematic trial-and-error process,the study ascertains the ideal number of epochs for data division and the optimal value of k for k-fold cross-validation—a technique vital to the model’s robustness.The model’s predictive prowess is rigorously assessed via a suite of performance metrics and comprehensive score analyses.Furthermore,the model’s adaptability is gauged by integrating a secondary dataset into its predictive framework,facilitating a comparative evaluation against conventional prediction methods.To unravel the intricacies of the CNN model’s learning trajectory,a loss plot is deployed to elucidate its learning rate.The study culminates in compelling findings that underscore the CNN model’s accurate prediction of geopolymer concrete compressive strength.To maximize the dataset’s potential,the application of bivariate plots unveils nuanced trends and interactions among variables,fortifying the consistency with earlier research.Evidenced by promising prediction accuracy,the study’s outcomes hold significant promise in guiding the development of innovative geopolymer concrete formulations,thereby reinforcing its role as an eco-conscious and robust construction material.The findings prove that the CNN model accurately estimated geopolymer concrete’s compressive strength.The results show that the prediction accuracy is promising and can be used for the development of new geopolymer concrete mixes.The outcomes not only underscore the significance of leveraging technology for sustainable construction practices but also pave the way for innovation and efficiency in the field of civil engineering.

A Study on the Effect of Low Calcium Ultra-fine Fly Ash as a Partial Sustainable Supplementary Material to Cement in Self-compacting Concrete

The aim and scope of the present study were to determine the efficacy of UFFA in evaluating the workability,static and dynamic stabilization properties,retention period,and slump loss of SCC systems in their fresh state,as well as their compressive strength at various ages.Microstructure(SEM and XRD)of blended SCC systems were studied.Also,the thermogravimetry behavior of blended SCC specimens were researched.According to the evaluated results,incorporating up to 20%UFFA into fresh concrete improved its performance due to its engineered fine particle size and spherical geometry,both of which contribute to the enhancement of characteristics.Blends of 25%and 30%of UFFA show effect on the water-binder ratio and chemical enhancer dosage,resulting in a loss of homogeneity in fresh SCC systems.The reduced particle size,increased amorphous content,and increased surface area all contribute to the pozzolanic reactivity of the early and later ages,resulting in denser packing and thus an increase in compressive strength.The experimental results indicate that UFFA enhances the properties of SCC in both its fresh and hardened states,which can be attributed to the particles’fineness and their relative effect on SCC.

Analysis of the Performances and Optimization of Polyurethane Concrete with a Large Percentage of Fly Ash

The properties of polyurethane concrete containing a large amount of fly ash are investigated,and accordingly,a model is introduced to account for the influence of fly ash fineness,water ratio,and loss of ignition(LOI)on its mechanical performances.This research shows that,after optimization,the concrete has a compressive strength of 20.8 MPa,a flexural strength of 3.4 MPa,and a compressive modulus of elasticity of 19.2 GPa.The main factor influencing 28 and 90 d compressive strength is fly ash content,water-binder ratio,and early strength agent content.

Effect of Fly Ash and Early Strength Agent on Durability of Concrete Exposed to the Cyclic Sulfate Environment

The effect of fly ash and early strength agent on resistance of concrete to the cyclic sulfate environment was studied.Concrete specimens made with ordinary portland cement or ordinary portland cement incorporating fly ash with the replacement of 10% or 20%,or 1% early strength agent and fly ash with the replacement of 20%,were made and subjected to 250 cycles of exposure to the cyclic sulfate environment.Concrete properties including loss of mass,chloride ion diffusion coefficient,compressive strength and flexural strength were measured.Microstructure and chemical component of samples were determined by means of X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy.The experimental results indicated that effect of fly ash on the cyclic sulfate resistance of concretes was mostly dependent on the amount of fly ash.Early strength agent improved performances of concrete with 20% fly ash exposed to cyclic sulfate environment.

Effects of GH Admixture on the Early Strength of Fly Ash Concrete and Mortar

The enhancement effects of GH admixture on the early strengths of fly ash concrete and mortar were studied, and the mechanism was analyzed by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electro microscope （SEM）. Experimental results show that, by the incorporation of GH admixture, both of cement hydration and pozzolanic reaction of fly ash are accelerated, the strengths of fly ash concrete and mortar are enhanced noticeably, especially the early strength. With a mixture design of 200 kg/m^3 OPC （Ordinary Portland Cement ）, 200 kg/m^3 fly ash and 50 kg/m^3 GH admixture, the strength of concrete at 1 d, 3 d and 28 d reaches 25 MPa, 50 MPa and 70 MPa respectively.

Shrinkage, Strength of High and Ordinary Concrete Incorporating Kosovo and Japanese Fly-ash

Ordinary and high performance concrete （OC-C 25/30 and HPC C-50/60） made with fly ash has found numerous applications all over the world since 1970. In Kosovo, fly ash as cement substitution in concrete has not been utilized yet despite the large amount that is produced annually and the positive economical-environment aspects of such technique. This hesitance is due to the laek of experience in the concrete engineering field and because of the chemical composition of Kosovo fly ash, which is classified as non-standard high calcium fly ash （KF）. In light of this fact, this study intended to develop further. So, this paper reports the consistency, workability, shrinkage, high and ordinary compressive strength of concrete containing different percentage of non-class high calcium fly ash as Portland cement substitution （first case-Kosovo fly ash KF） comparing results with F class-low caleium fly ash content （second ease-Japanese fly ash JF） which is common used as cement replacement.

Modeling Wood and Fly Ash Behaviour as Partial Replacement for Cement on Compressive Strength of Self Compacting Concrete

Wood and fly ash were observed to have significant qualities that could improve the strength of self compacting concrete.The material was applied to increase the compressive strength of concrete strength.This material could be the demanding material for partial replacement for ce­ment.The study observed the behaviour of the material from experts that applied these material through experimental investigation,but the study monitored the behaviour of this material by applied modeling and simula­tion to determine other effect that could influence the behaviour of these materials in compressive strength.This was to determine the significant effect on the addictive applied as partial replacement for cement.Lots of experts have done works on fly ash through experiment concept,but the application of predictive concept has not been carried out.The adoption of this concept has expressed other parameters that contributed to the effi­ciency of wood and fly ash as partial replacement for cement on self com­pacting concrete.The study adopting modeling and simulation observed 10 and 20%by weight of cement as it is reflected on its performance in the simulation,from the simulation wood recorded 10%as it was ob­served from the growth rate of this self compacting concrete reflected from the trend.The simulation for model validation was compared with the works of the studies carried out[20].And both values developed best fits correlation.

Preparation of Reactive Powder Concrete Using Fly Ash and Steel Slag Powder

To decrease the cement and SF content of RPC by using ultra-fine fly ash （UFFA） and steel slag powder （SS）, the effect of these mineral admixtures on compressive strength of RPC were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the utilization of UFFA and SS in RPC is feasible and has prominent mechanical performance. The microstructure analysis （SEM and TG-DTG-DSC） demonstrated that the excellent mechanical properties of RPC containing SS and UFFA were mainly attributed to the sequential hydration filling effect of the compound system.

Assessment of Curing Efficiency and Effect of Moist Curing on Performance of Fly Ash Concrete

This study was conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of compressive strength,water permeability and electrical resistance of near-surface layer concrete with different fly ash contents to curing conditions.It is shown that the sensitivity to curing condition and fly ash content descends in the following order：difference between internal and surface resistivity （ρ） at 28 days,water permeability and compressive strength;both of longer duration of moist curing and use of fly ash in concrete enhanced the water penetration resistance.It is indicated that the resistivity difference ρ at 28 days can reflect accurately the curing history of fly ash concrete regardless of mix proportions;and use of fly ash in concrete requires longer moist curing duration.

Cellular lightweight concrete containing high-calcium fly ash and natural zeolite

Cellular lightweight concrete （CLC） with the controlled density of approximately 800 kg/m3 was made from a preformed foam, Type-I Portland cement （OPC）, fly ash （FA）, or natural zeolite （NZ）, and its compressive strength, setting time, water absorption, and microstructure of were tested. High-calcium FA and NZ with the median particle sizes of 14.52 and 7.72 μm, respectively, were used to partially replace OPC at 0, 10wt%, 20wt%, and 30wt% of the binder （OPC and pozzolan admixture）. A water-to-binder mass ratio （W/B） of 0.5 was used for all mixes. The testing results indicated that CLC containing 10wt% NZ had the highest compressive strength. The replacement of OPC with NZ decreased the total porosity and air void size but increased the capillary porosity of the CLC. The incorporation of a suitable amount of NZ decreased the setting time, total porosity, and pore size of the paste compared with the findings with the same amount of FA. The total porosity and cumulative pore volume decreased, whereas the gel and capillary pores increased as a result of adding both pozzolans at all replacement levels. The water absorption increased as the capillary porosity increased; this effect depended on the volume of air entrained and the type or amount of pozzolan.

Recycled Aggregate Pervious Concrete: Analysis of Influence of Water-Cement Ratio and Fly Ash under Single Action and Optimal Design of Mix Proportion

Pervious concrete is recommended,which is of great benefit to the ecological environment and human living environment.In this paper,the influences of five water-cement ratios and four fly ash contents to replace the cement by mass with a water-cement ratio of 0.30 on the properties of Recycled Aggregate Pervious Concrete(RAPC)were studied.Following this,based on the Grey relational-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution(TOPSIS)optimization method,the strength,permeability,abrasion loss rate,and material costs of RAPC were adopted as evaluation indices to establish a mix proportion optimization model.The results show that the increase of water-cement ratio and fly ash replacement level of RAPC leads to decreased compres-sive strength while an increase in the permeability and abrasion loss rate.According to test results based on the optimal model 0.30 was identified as the best mix proportion.In addition,ecological-economic analysis of RAPC raw materials was carried out by comparing different natural aggregates.The results of EE(embodied energy)and ECO 2e(embodied CO_(2) emission)pointed out that the combination of recycled aggregate and fly ash leads to sig-nificant ecological and economic benefits.

Comparison of High Performance Fly Ash Concrete Using Nano Silica Fume on Different Mixes

This paper investigates the experimental results on the effect of nano silica fume on compressive strength development of concretes containing high volume fly ash (HVFA). The effect of various silica fumes contents such as 1%, 2% & 3% (wt. %) as partial replacement of cement on the compressive strength of cements is evaluated in the first part. The nano silica fume content which exhibits the highest compressive strength above is used in high volume fly ash concretes containing 30% and 50% class F fly ash. The results show that among three different silica fumes contents, the addition of 1% increases the compressive strength of concretes. The addition of 1% silica fume also increases the early age and 28 days compressive strengths of HVFA concretes.

Preparation and Properties of Eco-Friendly Aerated Concrete Utilizing High-Volume Fly Ash with MgO and CaO Activators

The associated MgO in limestone is believed to affect the volume stability of cementitious materials at room tem-perature,which limits the utilization of low grade limestone.In this study,MgO was used as an alkali activator instead of partial CaO to prepare the aerated concrete under hydrother mal conditions.The expansion process was studied to evaluate the influence of the raw materials on the gas forming stability of the slurry.The pore structure(porosity,pore size and its distribution)was analyzed by the image method.The physic mechanical properties(density,strength,thermal properties)of concrete with the addition of MgO were comprehensively investigated.Besides,the mineral compositions and morphology of the hydration products were analyzed to demonstrate the infuence mechanism of MgO on the mechanical properties.Experimental results show that the final expansion rate of the slurry decreases with MgO content.A reasonable MgO content,ie,MgO/(MgO+CaO)<20%,con-tributes to improve the compressive strength,attributing to an increased reaction rate to C-S-H gel and tobermor-ite.The addition of MgO causes the thermal conductivity and specific heat to increase.The pore structure is mainly related to the amount of air entraining agent.This study has a significance for the further utilization of magnesium-rich carbonates in the autoclaved building products.

High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete-A Relevant Step to Sustainable Development

HVFA （high-volume fly ash） concrete could be a sustainable way for by-product utilization to conserve natural resources and protect environment. HVFA concrete can play the role of a high-performance material that may be comparable to the conventional Portland cement concrete. The results of the research programme concerning the relationships between the composition of concrete （w/b ratio, fly ash content and type of cement） and their physical and mechanical properties are presented and discussed in the paper. It is found that the introduction of high-volume fly ash into concrete has caused a decrease in compressive strength at the early age of storage. The significant increase in strength was observed between 28 days and 90 days of curing. The high-volume fly ash concretes were characterized with lower water absorbability and sorptivity than control concrete.

Preparation for Retarding and High Early Strength Concrete

The primary objective of this research was to determine optimum dosage of mixing concrete containing plasticizers and fly ash, consistent with desirable structural grade concrete properties. Factorial tests were also conducted to investigate the four main factors： water-cementing materials ratio, water content, content of superplasticizers （SP） and fly ash content. It was found that the requirement for setting time played the dominant role in shrinkage and anti-cracking, and fly ash played a critical role in workability and reducing heat of hydration but showed insignificant effects on slump, early strength and initial setting time of concrete.

Effective Utilization of Coal Fly Ash in Building Material Production

This paper is aimed at verifying utilization possibilities of alkaline modified coal fly ash as cement replacement in the concrete. The influence of alkaline activated coal fly ash originating from Slovakian power plant in Novsky （Si/Al = 3,1） as a partial cement replacement in concrete on compressive strength of hardened composites after 28 and 90 days was investigated. Alkaline activation of coal fly ash was realized in an autoclave at 130 ℃ and pressure of 160 kPa during 5 hours and in a reactor under normal conditions （equal temperature during 36 hours） at solid/liquid ratio of 0.5. Coal fly ash/cement mixtures were prepared with 25 % cement replacement by starting and modified coal fly ash and given in forms. Compressive strengths of composites after 28 and 90 days of hardening were compared to referential composite without coal fly ash and evaluated according to the standard of STN EN 450 by the value of relative strength KR （compressive strength of coal fly ash/cement composite to compressive strength of comparative concrete）. The final compressive strengths of hardened composites based on alkaline activated coal fly ash reached values in the range of 6 up to 50 MPa. In the set of experimental composites based on alkaline activated coal fly ashes, the highest value of relative strength after 28- and 90- days of hardening reached composite with cement replacement by coal fly ash zeolitized in autoclave （105% of compressive strength of referential sample）, what is connected with formation of zeolitic phases on surface of coal fly ash particles. The achieved results confirm that alkaline activation of coal fly ash in an autoclave under observed conditions can be successfully used as a partial cement replacement in concrete of C20/25 and C25/30 in accordance with requirements of standards （STN EN 450 and STN EN 206）.

高温蒸汽养护复掺混凝土力学性能时变特性与模型研究

为研究高温蒸汽养护下粉煤灰-矿粉机制砂混凝土(简称复掺混凝土)力学性能时变特性与模型,本文结合某高速公路高温蒸汽养护复掺混凝土预制梁项目,设计了蒸汽-标准养护、蒸汽-自然养护和标准养护三种养护方式,测试了不同阶段复掺混凝土的抗压强度、劈裂抗拉强度和弹性模量,探究了抗压强度与劈裂抗拉强度、弹性模量的关系。结果表明:合适的蒸汽养护方式能促进复掺混凝土抗压强度、劈裂抗拉强度和弹性模量更快增长,其中对抗压强度形成作用最显著,后期的力学性能不倒缩;蒸汽养护恒温阶段复掺混凝土的力学性能具有最大的增长率,其次是升温阶段,降温阶段力学性能增长率最小;蒸汽-标准养护方式下复掺混凝土的抗压强度时变模型可取对数或对数与幂函数复合函数,劈裂抗拉强度、弹性模量时变模型可取幂函数。

The Impact of Marine Water on Different Types of Coarse Aggregate of Geopolymer Concrete

This research studies the impact of different types of coarse aggregate on the behavior of geopolymer concrete based on both fly ash (FA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) in different marine environments. Aiming to solve the problems caused by the construction and demolition waste and the depletion of natural aggregates, in the present study coarse recycled aggregates is used to produce new green concrete with a fly ash-slag based geopolymer. By this examination, the research seeks to improve the quality and productivity of concrete used in construction and hydraulic projects. For this research, four mixtures containing different types of coarse aggregate in two different water environments were used. The utilized mixtures contained natural aggregate concrete (NAC) such as basalt and crushed marble. Also, recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RAC), which totally replaced natural aggregate, was presented in this paper such as crushed concrete and crushed ceramic. For this study, in the sieve analysis;specific and unit weights, was recorded. Furthermore, the mechanical properties were determined, using a compressive test that was conducted on the 7th, 28th, 56th and 90th days at different water environments;potable water (PW) and sea water (SW). Durability test was also performed for total absorption measurement. Results indicated that geopolymer concrete exhibits better strength in marine environments than in those of potable water. Results also showed that crushed marble (CMA) exhibits higher compressive strength and durability.

超高强自密实混凝土胶凝材料配合比的优化研究

C100及以上强度等级的自密实混凝土配合比中,胶凝材料用量大且水胶比低,容易在施工过程中出现混凝土粘度大且不容易施工等问题。为了获得较低粘度的超高强自密实混凝土,研究了不同掺量硅灰、微珠、Ⅰ级粉煤灰及S105级矿粉对胶凝材料浆体粘度、流动度和3、28 d胶砂抗折、抗压强度的影响规律,并结合四因素四水平正交试验,得到适合超高强自密实混凝土的胶凝材料配合比,为配制超高强自密实混凝土提供参考。结果表明:硅灰、S105级矿粉能增加胶凝材料浆体的粘度,降低流动度;微珠、Ⅰ级粉煤灰能降低浆体的粘度,增加流动度,为关键降粘组分;4种矿物掺合料都能提高胶砂的28 d强度,其中硅灰提升最为明显,为关键增强组分;结合正交试验,得出超高强自密实混凝土胶凝材料的最适宜配合比为P·Ⅰ52.5硅酸盐水泥∶硅灰∶微珠∶Ⅰ级粉煤灰=60%∶10%∶15%∶15%。

基于拟水平法的脱硫灰混凝土配合比试验研究

采用拟水平法研究了脱硫灰掺量、粗骨料掺量和水胶比对脱硫灰混凝土抗压强度的影响。结果表明:水胶比对试件抗压强度的影响最显著,脱硫灰掺量次之,粗骨料掺量影响最小;随着水胶比的增加,试件的抗压强度下降;粗骨料掺量为0的试件抗压强度较粗骨料掺量为64%的试件低;随着脱硫灰掺量的增加,试件的抗压强度先增大后减小。脱硫灰混凝土的最佳配合比为:水胶比0.34、脱硫灰掺量20%、粗骨料掺量64%。