Study of alkali-activated mortar used as conventional repair in reinforced concrete

Alkali-activated mortar (AAM) is a growing interest material as an environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional one. In this study, the use of AAM was investigated as repair material to conventional concrete. Reinforced concrete beams of 150 mm wide × 150 mm high × 500 mm long were produced to be repaired by the AAM. The concrete substrates and the AAM mortar were characterized, and the flexural strengths of the reinforced concrete beams with and without the repair were obtained (bending stress curves). The results showed that AAM developed a fast and good strength (30 MPa after 24 h) and had good adherence to the substrate. AAM had good performance and promoted strength increase. This study indicates the possibility of using an AAM as a repair material to conventional concrete substrate.