Papers by Author: A.R. Rafiza

Abstract: Wood fibres have long been known as a fibre reinforcement for concrete. Due to its availability and low production cost, this natural fibre has been used in less developed country where conventional construction materials were very expensive. In Japan, the production of these types of composites such as high performance fibre-reinforced cement-based composite (HPFRCB), ultra high performance (UHPFRCB) and strain-hardening (SHCC) fibre-reinforced cement-based composite has been developed rapidly in last decades. Geopolymer, future composite and cement produced by the alkali-activation reaction is well known as a potential replacement to Ordinary Portland Cement. This study aims at studying the possibility to produce wood fibre-reinforced geopolymer composite (WFRGC). The various percentage of fibre have been made from 10% to 50% and cured at 60C, tested for compressive strength for 7^th and 14^th day and the microstructure examined using SEM. The density and water absorption test have been performed. The results showed are encouraging and indicate the feasibility of producing a wood fibre-reinforced geopolymer composite (WFRGC).

Abstract: The mud of mud volcano samples were collected from an eruption site named ‘LUSI’ (Lumpur “mud” –Sidoarjo), East Java, Indonesia for characterization. Analysis showed that, the major constituents of mud are SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ which are higher than those in fly ash. The particle of mud has a flake-shaped particle and the overall particle size is dominated by particles between 2.5µm – 25.0µm. The results of XRD shows that mud of mud volcano have a characteristic of structurally disordered compounds, and a set of peaks corresponding to minor crystalline phases such as quartz, feldspars, and kaolinite. FTIR adsorption bands of the raw material of mud have the chemical bonding between bands 1-5.

Abstract: Fly ash and a mixture of alkaline activators namely sodium silicate (Waterglass) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution were used for preparing geopolymer. The aim of this research is to determine the optimum value of the alkaline activator/fly ash ratio. The effect of the oxide molar ratios of SiO2/Al2O3, water content of the alkaline activator and the Waterglass% content were studied for each Alkaline activator/fly ash ratio. The geopolymers were synthesized by the activation of fly ash with alkaline solution at three different alkaline activator/fly ash ratios which were 0.3, 0.35, and 0.4 at a specific constant ratio of waterglass/NaOH solution of 1.00. The geopolymers were cured at 70°C for 24 h and cured to room temperature. Results revealed that the alkaline activator/fly ash ratio of 0.4 has the optimum amount of alkaline liquid, which shows the highest rate of geopolymerization compared to other ratios. A high strength of 8.61 MPa was achieved with 0.4 of activator/fly ash ratio and 14% of waterglass content.

Abstract: Brake pads are important safety devices in vehicles. An effort to avoid the use of asbestos in brake pads has led to the development of asbestos-free brake pads that incorporate various organic and inorganic fillers. Palm slag as a filler in brake pads was investigated in this paper. Different processing pressures were employed during production of samples through compression molding. The properties examined included hardness, compressive strength, and wear behavior. The results showed that brake pad samples prepared with 60 tons of compression pressure resulted in the most desirable properties. Hence, palm slag has its own potential for use as a filler in asbestos-free brake pads.

Abstract: Geopolymer requires an alkaline activator to induce it pozzolanic property and to accelerate the geopolymerisation process. The geopolymerisation process occurs due to the mixing of fly ash, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide as the alkaline activator, which produces aluminosilicate gel that acts as a binder. As such, the ratios of fly ash to alkaline activator and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH play an important role in obtaining desirable compressive strength; the concentration of NaOH used in this study was 12 M. Different ratios of fly ash to alkaline activator (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0) and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0) were investigated in order to determine the maximum compressive strength. The alkaline activator was mixed with fly ash with different ratio as mentioned above and the samples were cured at 70°C for 24 hours and tested on the seventh day. The maximum compressive strength was obtained when the ratios of fly ash to alkaline activator and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH were 2.0 and 2.5 with compressive strength 73.86 MPa.

Abstract: Geopolymer, produced by the reaction of fly ash with an alkaline activator (mixture of Na₂SiO₃ and NaOH solutions), is an alternative to the use of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in the construction industry. However, there are salient parameters that affecting the compressive strength of geopolymer. In this research, the effects of various NaOH molarities, Na₂SiO₃/NaOH ratios, fly ash/alkaline activator, and curing temperature to the strength of geopolymer paste fly ash were studied. Tests were carried out on 50 x 50 x 50 mm cube geopolymer specimens. Compression tests were conducted on the seventh day of testing for all samples. The test results revealed that a 12 M NaOH solution produced the highest compressive strength for the geopolymer. The combination mass ratios of fly ash/alkaline activator and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH of 2.0 and 2.5, respectively, produced the highest compressive strength after seven days. Geopolymer samples cured at 60 °C produced compressive strength as high as 70 MPa.