Mechanical fracture characterization of alkali-activated slag mortars with standardized and natural sand

This paper is focused on the development of the physical, mechanical and fracture characteristics of alkali-activated slag (AAS) mortars during ageing. The two AAS mortars were selected for the purpose of the experiment. The difference was in a type of used sand: first mortar was made using the standardized siliceous sand with the maximum nominal grain size of 2 mm and the second mortar using the natural sand with a maximum grain size of 4 mm. The results of the elastic, fracture and strength parameters determined within the time interval of 3 to 330 days of ageing are summarized in the paper. All experimental results were evaluated for the prismatic specimens with dimensions of 40 × 40 × 160 mm and were expressed by the average value and sample standard deviation calculated from three independent measurement