Investigations on Behaviour of Textile-Reinforced Geopolymer Pipes
摘要
Customary-reinforced cement concrete (RCC) pipes have several issues like susceptibility to corrosion, requirement for indispensable intermittent maintenance and related cost, high demand for cement, and allied pollution. To solve these concerns, an idea of designing sustainable geopolymer sewer pipes free from cement and reinforced with textiles is proposed. Glass textile fabric used in this study is non-corrosive, and it is embedded in geopolymer mortar to form a thick composite pipe of length 254 mm, inner diameter 225 mm, and thickness 25 mm. Mortar is a fusion of alkaline liquids and silicon and alumina-rich powder materials. A comparative study was done on the behaviour of textile-reinforced cement and geopolymer pipes by executing three-edge bearing, permeability, and water absorption tests according to IS 3597:1998 and IS 458:2003. Through three-edge bearing test, it is ascertained that textile-reinforced geopolymer pipes sustain more loads than textile-reinforced cement pipes. Geopolymer pipes have more resistance to water absorption and permeation than cement pipes. Performance of textile-reinforced pipes motivates the probable replacement of conventional reinforced concrete pipes.