Mechanical properties of polymer concrete with different types of resin

Abstract

Polymer concrete is reported to have better mechanical properties than its counterpart, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete. It is gaining increased popularity as a new construction material due to its high compressive, tensile and flexural strengths, short curing time, impact resistance, chemical resistance and freeze-thaw durability. It can be used to repair concrete structures, build slabs and beams of small cross sections and sleepers. A research program has been initiated to improve fundamental understanding of this material and to provide the knowledge required for its broad utilization. In this experimental program, two types of resins (vinylester and epoxy resin) combined with fly ash and sand were used to make polymer concrete mortar. The weight percentages used in the mix designs were selected after analyzing volumetric properties of sand. This paper presents and discusses the results from an investigation of uniaxial compressive stress-strain relationship of polymer based concrete. The effect of resin (binder), and fly ash contents on the compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of vinylester and epoxy resin based polymer filler is reported. It has been found that epoxy resin based polymer concrete and vinylester based polymer concrete can achieve compressive strengths of 75MPa and 113MPa respectively. Vinylester polymer concrete showed 4% ultimate strain, while that for epoxy polymer concrete was 8%. Tensile strengths were as high as 15MPa for both types of polymer concrete. The results show that the polymer based filler materials are suitable for both compression and tensile loading situations.