Polymer concrete properties

FIGURE 1.3 Most common aggregate systems used in PC. (From V. Y. Garas and C. Vipulanandan, Review of Polyester Polymer Concrete Properties, http //www2.egr. uh.edu/ civebl/CIGMAT/03 poster/ll.pdf.)... 

Polymer-modified Portland cement concrete is normal concrete to which a synthetic resin has been added in the formulation. The same generic resins can be used that are used in polymer concretes. Properties of these two concretes differ, even when the same generic resin is used in both. 

Although the mix design of latex-modified mortar and concrete is done in much the same way as that of ordinary mortar and concrete, properties such as workability, strength, extendibihty, adhesion, watertightness and chemical resistance are controlled by the polymer-cement ratio rather... 

Popovics, S. (1985). Polymer Concrete, Uses, Materials and Properties, ACI, Detroit, SP-89, 207-29. 

Finally some important properties of cement concrete, polymer concrete, and sulfur concrete are compared with each other. For the polymer concrete the data of a commercial polyester concrete were used. 

Acrylic polymer concrete and mortars fast curing good chemical properties patch repairs... 

Table 5.6 Typical properties of methacrylate polymer concrete...

ACI (1993) Guide for polymer concrete overlays. ACI Material Journal, 90(5), 499-522. Brieton, P.R. (1994) Sealant materials properties and performance - an overview, in European Adhesive and Sealant Year Book 1994, FMJ International, Redhill, Surrey, pp. 7-8. 

Polymer concretes show excellent mechanical properties and chemical resistance compared with conventional cement concretes. Polymer concretes can be cured quickly by the use of curing agents. Thus, the applications of polymer concretes are being increased. One of the popular polymers for polymer concretes is unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin. The properties of UPE resin can be modified by changing its molecular features. For the synthesis of the resin, phthalic anhydride or isophthalic acid as well as maleic anhydride can be employed to modify the mechanical properties or hydrothermal resistance. Terephthalic acid which is also used for the synthesis of poly ethylene terephthalate (PET) enhances the thermal resistance of the cured UPE resin. However, the synthesis of unsaturated polyester resin from terephthalic acid is difficult. One method to synthesize unsaturated polyester from terephthalic acid is the use of recycled PET. 

This has particular significance due to the fact that the materials came from recycled plastic wastes. This not only alleviates pollution of the environment, but also reduces the cost of the polymer concrete. These two kinds of recycled polymer can complement each other to produce excellent properties. 

Rebeiz, K., Fowler, D.W., Paul, D. (1991) An Overview on the Properties of Polymer Concrete Using Recycled Plastics, University of Texas at Austin. 

There are many situations for which polymer concrete proves to be the most appropriate material for the intended application, since conditions often dictate specific material requirements that may be met by PC when several composite properties are considered simultaneously. 

Polymer concretes based on carbamide resins have a low toxicity and are favorable in manufacturing. However, the content of the polymer matrix in these PCs is high (up to 30%) and their physical and mechanical properties are low in comparison to other types of polymer concretes. 

Polymer concretes based on phenol-formaldehyde, acetone-formaldehyde resins and monomers, and methyl methacrylate are much less common. Phenolic resins are similar to furan in many physical and mechanical properties. However, they are unstable in alkalis like polyester resins [7],... 

Due to the properties of polymer concrete, products made of this material are durable and strong and are characterized by higher mechanical resistance to loads than traditional concrete, which means that the cross-section area for comparable load classes is smaller in polymer concrete products—thus they are lighter than concrete products, which results in easier and quicker installation. 

The advantages of polymer concrete are particularly noticeable when comparing its individual properties to traditional B30 class concrete (Table 1.1). 

Nonreactivity or corrosion (chemical) resistance of polymer concretes to aggressive influences is one of the most important features of their physical and mechanical properties. It is defined as the ability of a material to resist corrosive environments and preserve the properties and forms. 

Deformation properties of the furfurol-acetone polymer samples are reduced to a much greater extent. The modulus of elasticity of the polymer concrete samples starts to decrease noticeably (about 10% to 15%) at 50% to 95% humidity after just 150 days for the samples in water, a 30% reduction of the modulus has been observed after 50 days (Figure 1.7). After 350 days, the modulus of elasticity is reduced by 28% for the samples in the environment with 50% to 60% humidity, 46% in the medium with 85% to 95% humidity, and 67% for the samples stored in water. As this takes place, the trend of modules is not identical the modulus of elasticity of the first two series of samples trends downward over time, whereas for the samples in water, this tendency stopped after 6 months of exposure. 

Due to its properties, polymer concrete is currently used in many applications ... 

Chapter 3 is devoted to a detailed description of the composition and properties of this polymer concrete. 

Development of a manufacturing process for diene oligomers belonging to a liquid rubber class with viscous liquids consistence allowed us to create a new class of conglomerate polymer composite materials—rubber concrete (RubCon). Rubber concrete is an advanced construction material created over the last few years. It is polymer concrete with a unique set of physical-mechanical, chemical, and technological properties that allow the creation of highly effective building structures and products. 

Polymer concrete based on two kinds of liquid rubbers was investigated type A, low molecular polybutadiene (Butarez , Liten [1,4-cis 25%-39% 1,4-trans 35%-40%, 1,2-vinyl 28%-35%]) and type B, stereoregular low molecular rubber (Polyoil 110/130 , Ricon (1,4-cis 70%-80% 1,4-trans 20%-30%, 1,2-vinyl l%-2%). The main physical-mechanical properties are shown in Table 2.5. 

The destructive action of acids is caused by their nature, concentration, pH of water solutions, presence of oxidizing properties, temperature of the environment, and solubility of formed corrosion products at their interaction with polymer concretes and steel reinforcement. 

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