Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech Digital Commons Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School Spring 2010 Development of a geopolymer-based cementitious coating for the rehabilitation of buried concrete infrastructure Carlos Montes Louisiana Tech University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/dissertations Part of the Civil Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Montes, Carlos, "" (2010). Dissertation. 405. https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/dissertations/405 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Louisiana Tech Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Louisiana Tech Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEVELOPMENT OF A GEOPOLYMER-BASED CEMENTITIOUS COATING FOR THE REHABILITATION OF BURIED CONCRETE INFRASTRUCTURE by Carlos Montes, B.S., M.S. A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY May 2010 UMI Number: 3459547 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI Dissertation Publishing UMI 3459547 Copyright 2011 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. uest ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY THE GRADUATE SCHOOL March-25-2010 Date We hereby recommend that the dissertation prepared under our supervision Carlos Montes Montoya by_ entitled "Development of a Geopolymer Based Cementitious Coating for the Rehabilitation of Buried Concrete Infrastructure" be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Ph.D. in Engineering Head of Department Department Recommendatien concurred i Advisory Committee Approved. •Director of Graduate Studies ^ Dean of the College 3*^ GSForm 13a (6/07) DEDICATION To God, for His love and inspiration, Mom, for her love, patience, and prayers, Dad, who sent his blessings from Heaven to complete this work iii ABSTRACT The current research project was devoted to the incorporation of geopolymers as a new material for Trenchless projects, taking advantage of their properties in a field in which they had not been used before, providing a substantial help to municipalities to meet their rehabilitation needs. Trenchless Technologies are a family of methods, materials and equipment capable of being used for the installation of new or replacement or rehabilitation of existing underground infrastructure with minimal disruption to surface traffic, business, and other activities. The dissertation research work described herein is divided into six primary objectives: (1) the evaluation of geopolymer as a suitable candidate material for the rehabilitation of aging buried concrete infrastructure; (2) the study of the main parameters behind the process of geopolymerization; (3) the development of a geopolymer-based rehabilitation method with enhanced workability by means of a surface-active agent; (4) the evaluation of copper-substituted geopolymer with possible biocide properties; (5) testing and field validation of the resulting material; and (6) the study of its commercialization potential. Materials of a new generation are needed to suit the growing rehabilitation needs of buried concrete infrastructure. Many municipalities currently undergo difficult material selection processes; based on the best match between low cost and high quality. An optimal solution is not easy to achieve since ordinary Portland cement (OPC) iv v provides low cost and good workability, but, in many cases, does not provide extended durability; on the other hand epoxies and other organic polymers often resist biogenic corrosion well, yet are many times not within the budget of municipalities. Geopolymers are cementitious materials of a new generation. Their outstanding properties are the object of growing research all over the world, especially in France, Australia and the USA. However, regardless of their excellent mechanical strength and corrosion resistance properties, geopolymers are often seen by the construction industry as materials with poor workability and unsuitable for big scale projects. This perception and other drawbacks are addressed in the present work. The dissertation begins with the identification and study of the main variables controlling the geopolymerization process and their influence on the final material properties. A selection of materials is then conducted and the design of an appropriate formulation is achieved. The next step was to solve the problem of turning geopolymers into a friendly material for contractors. As spray coatings are a very common and convenient method for the application of cementitious materials, this process was especially emphasized throughout the dissertation. Several additives and mixing methods were experimented with during this research project to help on this objective. Having produced a sprayable geopolymer admixture, work was then conducted to evaluate the final properties of the resulting material and a comparison with products currently used by the industry. The encapsulation of copper with the intention of a future evaluation as a biogenic agent embedded in geopolymer was also considered. Important conclusions are made in this regard. An evaluation of the commercialization potential of this material is further discussed. APPROVAL FOR SCHOLARLY DISSEMINATION The author grants to the Prescott Memorial Library of Louisiana Tech University the right to reproduce, by appropriate methods, upon request, any or all portions of this Dissertation It is understood that "proper request" consists of the agreement, on the part of the requesting party, that said reproduction is for his personal use and that subsequent reproduction will not occur without written approval of the author of this Dissertation Further, any portions of the Dissertation used in books, papers, and other works must be appropriately referenced to this Dissertation Finally, the author of this Dissertation reserves the right to publish freely, in the literature, at any time, any or all portions of this Dissertation Author Date ^S-J0Q>lm0 GS Form 14 (5/03) TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION iii ABSTRACT iv LIST OF TABLES xii LIST OF FIGURES xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Objective 4 1.3 Organization of the Dissertation 4 1.4 Key Contributions 6 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 8 2.1 Pipelines: Statement of the Problem 8 2.1.1 Background 8 2.1.2 Some Types of Pipe Damage and Deterioration 9 2.1.2.1 Leakiness 9 2.1.2.2 Mechanical Wear 9 2.1.2.3 Corrosion 11 2.1.3 Mechanism of Corrosion 13 2.1.3.1 Inorganic Chemical Corrosion 14 2.1.3.2 Bacterial Induced Corrosion 15 2.1.4 Currently Used Rehabilitation Methods 17 2.2 Coatings for the Rehabilitation of Pipes 18 2.2.1 Basic Concepts 18 2.2.2 Desirable Characteristics of a Coating 20 2.2.3 Actual Materials Used for Coatings 21 2.2.3.1 Portland Cement Mortars 21 2.2.3.2 Polymer Cement Concrete 24 2.2.3.3 Reaction Resin Cements or Polymer Concrete 28 2.2.3.3.1 Some Types of Resins for Polymer Concrete 29 2.2.4 Surface Preparation 31 2.2.5 Coating Techniques 34 2.2.5.1 Gunite 34 2.2.5.2 Spray Lining 34 2.2.5.3 Curing 36 2.2.6 Quality Tests Conducted on Coatings 36 2.2.6.1 Corrosion Resistance 37 2.2.6.2 External Water Pressure Loading 38 2.2.6.3 Abrasion Resistance 38 vi vii 2.2.6.4 Bond Tensile Strength Test 38 2.2.6.5 Wetting and Drying 39 2.2.6.6 Freezing and Thawing 39 2.3 Geopolymer Cements 39 2.3.1 Basics 39 2.3.2 Raw Materials 40 2.3.2.1 Metakaolin 40 2.3.2.2 Fly Ash 40 2.3.2.3 Other Materials 42 2.3.3 Chemistry 42 2.3.4 Characterization 45 2.3.5 Curing 46 2.3.6 Properties 46 2.3.7 Ecological Advantages 49 2.3.8 Uses 50 2.3.9 Metal Encapsulation 51 2.3.10 Related Patents 52 2.4 Surfactant Theory 52 2.4.1 Surface Tension 52 2.4.2 Surfactants 54 2.4.3 Air Entraining Agents 55 2.4.4 The Effect of Air Entrainment in Concrete 57 2.4.5 Superplasticizers 60 2.5 Bactericide Coatings 63 2.6 General Conclusions 64 CHAPTER 3 STUDY OF THE MAIN PARAMETERS OF GEOPOLYMERIZATION 67 3.1 Introduction 67 3.2 Production of a Geopolymer Sample at Louisiana Tech Laboratory 68 3.2.1 Formulation 68 3.2.2 Raw Materials 68 3.2.2.1 Metakaolin 68 3.2.2.2 Alkaline Solution 70 3.2.3 Procedure 70 3.2.4 Results 71 3.2.5 Observations 72 3.3 First Preliminary Design of Experiments 72 3.3.1 Objectives 72 3.3.2 Design of Experiments 73 3.3.3 Materials 73 3.3.4 Methodology 75 3.3.5 Results and Discussion 75 3.3.6 Conclusions 78 3.4 Second Design of Experiments 79 3.4.1 Objective 79 3.4.2 Design of Experiments 79 viii 3.4.3 Materials 80 3.4.4 Methodology 81 3.4.5 Results and Discussion 81 3.4.6 Conclusions 85 3.5 General Conclusions 85 CHAPTER 4 CORROSION RESISTANCE OF GEOPOLYMER COMPARED TO PORTLAND CEMENT 87 4.1 Introduction 87 4.2 Materials 87 4.3 Mix Design 88 4.4 Methodology 89 4.5 Results and Observations 91 4.5.1 Change in Mass 91 4.5.2 Remaining Compressive Strength 94 4.5.3 Visual Appearance 98 4.6 Discussion 101 4.6.1 Mass Loss 101 4.6.2 Remaining Compressive Strength 102 4.7 Conclusions 102 CHAPTER 5 OPTIMIZATION OF THE ACTIVATOR SOLUTION 103 5.1 Introduction 103 5.2 Design of Experiments 103 5.3 Materials 104 5.4 Methodology 106 5.5 Results and Discussion 107 5.5.1 Compressive Strength 107 5.5.2 Remaining Compressive Strength 110 5.5.3 Mass Loss 112 5.5.4 Flow 114 5.6 Decision Support Table 116 5.7 Conclusions 118 CHAPTER 6 DEVELOPMENT OF A SPRAYABLE GEOPOLYMER MORTAR...