Evaluating the Properties of Alkali-Activated Materials Incorporating Waste Materials Using Non-destructive Testing: A Review

In recent years, industrial waste disposal has become a major environmental issue. Researchers have reported several ecological, economic, and environmental benefits for recycling such wastes for making concrete. The addition of some wastes was found to improve concrete’s mechanical and durability performance due to their physical and chemical properties. On the other hand, the application of Alkali-Activated Materials (AAMs) as one of the best substitutes for the Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) materials due to their long-lasting durability and low carbon emission can be a perfect solution for reducing the impact of construction industry on our environment. Although plenty of researches have focused on OPC materials incorporating such wastes, limited studies have explored their effect on AAMs. Furthermore, the application of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) provides many advantages such as time and cost-saving for engineers to assess the structures in comparison with destructive testing. Among the studies on the AAMs incorporating wastes, there are few applications of non-destructive testing. Hence, this paper provides a review on the application of NDT on AAMs incorporating waste materials and compares the results with OPC materials. Moreover, the correlation between the destructive and non-destructive testing for AAMs incorporating waste materials is demonstrated. This study provides a basic knowledge for in-situ engineers to select a fast and convenient tool for evaluating the produced elements.