Experimental study on the bond and durability properties of mortar incorporating polyacrylic ester and silica fume

Abstract

The bond and durability properties, including the drying shrinkage, abrasion resistance, water permeability, freeze–thaw and carbonation resistance of mortar containing polyacrylic ester (PAE) and silica fume (SF) were analysed and compared in this study. Results showed that mortars containing PAE and SF had higher bond strength, lower drying shrinkage, superior abrasion resistance, water impermeability, freeze–thaw and carbonation resistance compared with the control mortar (M0), which contains no PAE or SF. With the addition of 30% PAE and 10% SF by weight of cement, an abrasion resistance strength of specimens up to 36·98 h/(kg/m2) was achieved, which was 53·19% more than M0. The water penetration depth of specimens with the same contents of PAE and SF decreased to 9·56 mm, whereas the value for M0 was 26·85 mm. Therefore, mortars incorporating PAE and SF can be utilised as repair materials, especially in repairing hydraulic concrete structures, as they have excellent bond strength and durability properties.