The effect of using different types of aggregates on the properties of geopolymer mortars

In this study, the effect of the use of aggregates with different properties on the compressive and flexural strength of the geopolymer mortar was revealed. Mixtures obtained by using CEN standard sand, sinter magnesite aggregate, bricks powder aggregate and expanded perlite aggregate were exposed to curing temperatures of 40 and 70°C. At the same time, the mixtures obtained with two different flow diameters (15 and 21 cm) allowed for determining the effect of the amount of water on the strength. This diameter was measured for each sample by the flow table test. Since the water needs of the aggregates in the mixture are different from each other, the amount of water added to the mixtures varied. The flexural and compressive strength values of 7 and 28 days, the effect of water amount, and curing temperature on these values were investigated. The changes in the microstructure with SEM images were tried to be correlated with the strength results.