Studies of Ferro-Geopolymer for High Column Water Retention

The aim of the dissertation is to develop a Ferro Geo-polymer that can be utilized in water tight structures for retaining water. Especially in dams, where the main problem is faced due to unwanted seepage of water through the base of the structure and fails the purpose of dam construction. The designed ferro- Geo-polymer is strong enough to bear loads and has very low permeability of water under pressure. Geo-polymer is an eco-friendly construction material that is prepared by mixing any pozzolonic material, other than cement into the sand and simultaneously activated by an alkali solution. In this dissertation we used flyash as the pozzolonic material, which is a threat to the disposal authorities. Fly-ash is a by-product retained from the industries that uses coal as their raw material and an important contributor to the global warming. Since fly-ash particles are extremely small and hard to be trapped in the scrubbers installed in the industries, they create nuisance. Developing any material that utilizes fly-ash into it is an economical and environmental friendly technique. Ferro Geo-polymer utilizes chicken wire mesh to prepare a durable, strong and cheap material that can withstand sufficient loads and also does not allow water to pass through it. Several cubes of Ferro Geo-polymer were moulded in the laboratory and after proper curing is subjected to the tests that were performed to observe the properties of the developed material. Compression test & water penetration test was the main focus of the dissertation, and the Ferro Geo-polymer material designed proved its competence on the decided criteria.