Long-term performance of basalt fibre-reinforced marine geopolymer concrete in harsh environment

The current study reports on the long-term structural performance of novel reinforced marine geopolymer concrete beams under accelerated weathering conditions. The study covers the flexural performance of 40 geopolymer concrete beams reinforced with basalt fibre-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars, including 12 beams under sustained loading when exposed to 3, 6 and 12 months of accelerated marine environment consisting of tidal cycles of seawater at a temperature of 50°C. The experimental results revealed that the novel marine geopolymer concrete reinforced with BFRP bars reported minimal micro- and macro-mechanical degradation compared to geopolymer concrete or ordinary concrete beams under the same exposure environment, with and without sustained loading. The BFRP-reinforced self-compacting geopolymer concrete (SCGC) beams reported 87% residual ultimate load after 12 months of exposure to marine environments, while the sustained loaded BFRP-SCGC beams reported a residual strength of 79%. In addition, microstructural assessment using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis revealed that after 12 months of exposure there was a trace of chloride salts, indicating the chemical ingress over time; however, the impact on structural properties is not distinct.