Lightweight dense polymer concrete exposed to chemical condition and various temperatures: An experimental investigation

Abstract

Throughout the last years, Polymer concrete (PC) has been using to enhance the performance of concrete structures. Manufacturing lightweight construction material aims to reduce the weight of structures and utilize lightweight polymer concrete (LPC) to combine with ordinary cement concrete (OCC). The purpose of this paper is to determine the mechanical and durability properties of LPC using destructive and non-destructive test methods. The mixtures were prepared with five polyester resin ratios (15%, 18%, 21%, 24%, and 27%) and two types of aggregates, lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) and natural river sand. Specimens were investigated under compression, flexural and tensile tests after 1, 7 and 28 days of curing for mechanical tests. Water absorption, chemical resistance and heating test at 23 ᵒC, 100 ᵒC, 150 ᵒC, 200 ᵒC, 250 ᵒC, 300 ᵒC, and 400 ᵒC was used for assessing the durability of LPC. Outcomes were compared to the OCC in similar condition. Results demonstrate that an increase in the polymer ratio led to improve the strength in compression, flexural, and tensile, which is attributed to coat all aggregates and fill the pores. Despite increases in the polymer content, excess resin ratio (27%), has no significant influence on the properties of LPC. As for durability tests, LPC represents an excellent behavior against the chemical situation, while by raising the temperature, an intense reduction in the PCs properties is observed. Finally, the most favorable mix proportion that provides higher performance is obtained for polymer content of 24%.