A review on mixture design methods for geopolymer concrete

Geopolymer concretes (GPCs) can be produced by chemical activation of industrial by-products and processed natural minerals that contain aluminosilicate. There have been a few demonstrative constructions built using of GPCs as a greener alternative choice to Portland cement concrete (PCC); unfortunately, there is no standard or specification of guidelines for the design of GPC mixtures. This is partially because of so many variables affecting GPC manufacture, such as the property of raw materials, type and dosage of activator and curing scheme. Despite the fact of convention of building industry, the lack of proper mixture design method limits the wide acceptance of GPC in industry. In this paper, a review on currently reported mixture design methods of GPC prepared with slag and fly ash is presented. The various methods are classified into three categories: target strength method, performance-based method, and statistical factorial model method. The difference in the procedures, advantages and disadvantages among those methods are discussed. It is recommended that a proper design method should be chosen according to actual production situation and performance requirement of GPC.