The influence of microstructure on mechanical properties of 3D printable geopolymer composites

¹ Cracow University of Technology, Faculty of Material Engineering and Physics, Institute of Materials Engineering, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, Poland
² National Ilan University, Department of Civil Engineering, Shennong Rd., I-Lan 260, Taiwan
³ University of Technology Sydney, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 81 Broadway, Ultimo NSW 2007, Sydney, Australia

^* Corresponding author: kinga.korniejenko@pk.edu.pl

Abstract

The additive manufacturing technologies are fast-developing industrial sector and, potentially, a ground-breaking technology. They have many advantages such as the saving of resources and energy efficiency. However, the full exploitation of 3D printing technology for ceramic materials is currently limited; a lot of research is being conducted in this area. A promising solution seems to be geopolymers, but its application requires a better understanding of the behaviour this group of materials. This article analyses the influence of microstructure on mechanical properties whilst taking the production method into consideration. The paper is based on comparative analysis – the investigation is focused on the influence of material structure on the mechanical properties and fracture mechanism of these kinds of composites, including those reinforced with different kind of fibres. As a raw material for the matrix, fly ash from the Skawina coal power plant (located in: Skawina, Lesser Poland, Poland) was used. The investigation was made by SEM analysis. The results show that the microstructural analysis did not sufficiently explain the underlying reasons for the observed differences in the mechanical properties of the composites.