Fire endurance of steel reinforced fly ash geopolymer concrete elements

Abstract

As a new alternative to OPC, investigation into the fire endurance of geopolymer concrete is of utmost importance in order to ensure safety. Geopolymer and OPC concrete panels of 125–175 mm thickness containing a layer of steel mesh were exposed to fire for 2 h. Test results show higher heat transfer rate and less cracking and spalling in the geopolymer concrete specimens. The residual load capacity was between 61% and 71% for the geopolymer and between 50% and 53% for the OPC concrete panels. Thus, the reinforced geopolymer concrete elements demonstrated superior fire endurance than the OPC counterparts.