Adding barium sulfate (BaSO4) to fly ash geopolymer increases its compressive strength as X-ray shielding for medical imaging applications

Background

Geopolymers, a novel cementitious material, have the potential for reducing carbon dioxide wastes resulting from the manufacture of cement.

Purpose

This study presents an experimental inquiry conducted to produce a fly ash geopolymer mortar with a good of compressive strength of the batch.

Methods

Activation of the mortar is accomplished through the use of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. The mortar is created from a mixture of fly ash and sand. In order to determine the maximum load that a material is capable of bearing before experiencing failure, the compressive strength test was utilized.

Results

According on the findings of the compressive strength testing device, the fly ash geopolymer with 15 % barium sulfate (BaSO4) demonstrates the highest compressive strength, which is measured at 56 MPa. When compared to the results obtained from cement mortar, this one is twice as high, which indicates that the strength improvement factor is 2. This study's findings highlighted the necessity of employing fly ash geopolymer that contains 15 % BaSO4 for the purpose of providing shielding protection. Conclusion: Therefore, in terms of its performance, fly ash geopolymer is superior to cement mortar. This is due to the fact that it is manufactured with a high compressive strength.