Mode-I fracture testing of alkali activated materials

In an attempt to reduce the CO2 emissions related to the production of cement and ceramic materials, a new class of materials known as alkali activated materials (AAMs) has rapidly grown in interest in the last two decades. One of the main advantages of AAMs is the possibility of using waste-based powders thus promoting a circular economy approach. In this work, three different coal fly ash-based alkali activated mortars were studied in order to investigate their fracture properties. The fracture energy depended on the type of aggregate employed and its values were consistent with those of similar cement-based mortars. Similarly, the size of the fracture process zone compared well with similar cement-based mortars.