Elevated temperature properties of basalt microfibril filled geopolymer composites

The present work deals with elevated temperature properties of basalt microfibril filled geo-polymer composites when exposed to 200, 400 and 800 °C. The basalt microfibrils were obtained after 30 min dry pulverization of basalt fibrous wastes. Further, the microfibrils were added into geopolymer synthesized from calcined kaolin and shale clay residues under 5, 10 and 15 wt% loading. The prepared composites were evaluated for physical properties, microstructural analysis and compression strength before and after exposure to elevated temperatures. The compression strength of basalt microfibril filled geopolymers was found higher than the neat geopolymer due to their increased thermal resistance and dense microstructures. The geopolymer composite of 10 wt% basalt microfibrils maintained the residual compressive strengths of 23.13 and 16.08 MPa at 400 °C and 800 °C, respectively and thus recording a minimum strength loss of 32 and 43%, respectively.