Development of novel fiber-reinforced eco-friendly concrete: application in geopolymer concrete pipes infrastructure systems

Abstract The continuous improvement and renewal of existing products throughout their life cycle are essential for achieving an economical and user-friendly design. In this context, sustainable and efficient development of drinking water and sewerage networks, which are among the basic needs of society, is of great importance. This study aims to produce high-strength geopolymer pipes as an alternative to cement-based concrete pipes widely used in underground water or sewerage networks. Compressive strength, sulfate resistance, displacement and load carrying capacity of the produced infrastructure concrete pipe elements were tested. As a result of the tests, it was determined that the steel fiber-reinforced GS-1 geopolymer concrete specimen showed approximately 30% higher strength compared to the Portland cement reinforced CS-2 specimen. Furthermore, pipes produced from geopolymer concrete (GS-1) offered significant structural improvements, exhibiting approximately 71% higher ultimate strength than cementitious pipes without gaskets (CS-2) and approximately 41% higher ultimate strength than pipes with gaskets (C-2). Consequently, it is believed that geopolymer pipes which have high sulfate resistance will offer greater durability characteristics and environmental benefits compared to standard market pipes. This product represents a new environmentally friendly generation of precast elements, produced through the alkali activation of waste materials, offering an alternative to infrastructure concrete pipe products reliant on traditional Portland cement. Graphical abstract