Fly Ash Based Geopolymer for High Temperature and High Compressive Strength Applications in Aggressive Environment

Geopolymers are the results of geosynthetic reactions between aluminosilicates and strong bases. This results in chemical bonds between aluminum (Al), Silicon (Si)and oxygen (O) composing polymer rings in tetrahedral coordination. These bonds give them widespread useful applications such as high heat bearing ceramics, and base construction material whilst being far more environmentally conscious. The purpose of the experiment is to examine the effect of Silicon Carbide whisker and inorganic glass particles on thermal and mechanical properties of Geopolymers. This study will help understand the effect of various compositions and concentrations of SiO2 in mechanical strength. In this experiment, the major source of Aluminosilicate material to make the geopolymer paste was fly ash, potassium hydroxide, Potassium silicate, Glass silica and water. A variety of concentrations of Silicon Carbide Whisker and glass particles will be added into geopolymer paste in order to evaluate their performance specifically on compressive strength and thermal conductivity. These are essential properties of cementing materials in energy or heat extraction process. Therefore, the material under investigation has potential for geothermal energy extraction and subterranean structures