BEHAVIOUR AND DURABILITY OF GRAPHENE CONCRETE COMPOSITE AGAINST ACID AND SULPHATE ATTACKS

Abstract

Graphene is a Nano-material whose tensile strength is about two-hundred times higher as compared to steel. The effects of graphene-concrete composite on the properties of concrete have been investigated in this paper. A mix with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.4 was designed. The graphene powder was introduced as 0.5 percent, one percent, one-and-a-half percent and two percent (designated as GC2). The control mix was prepared without mixing the graphene powder. The same size and type of aggregates were used for all these concrete mixes. For each mix, resistance to acid (H2SO4) and sulphate (Na2SO4) attacks, compressive strength, water absorption, compressive strength development over time, compressive stress-strain relationship, split tensile strength, and modulus of rupture were determined. It was found that the addition of graphene increased the acid and sulphate resistance, and absorption. The acid resistance of concrete improved for all the employed mixes. The highest improvement was achieved for the GC2 mix. On the other hand, an overall decrease in water absorption of the mixes was noticed. Moreover, the addition of graphene increased the bulk and apparent density of the mix and decreased the volume of permeable voids.