Resistance of concrete containing styrol acrylic acid ester latex to acids occurring on floors for livestock housing

Abstract

Lactic and acetic acid cause a quick degradation of concrete floors in pig houses in the vicinity of the feeders. A testing apparatus for accelerated degradation tests was developed to simulate in a standardized and automatized way chemical attack by aggressive liquids and abrasion caused by animals and cleaning. Polymer cement concrete, containing different amounts of styrol acrylic acid ester, was subjected to an accelerated deterioration test in a liquid containing both feed acids. The average attacked depth and the Ra-value, which is a measure of surface roughness, were measured with laser sensors, connected to a computer. It appeared that increasing the concentration of polymer by weight of cement from 0% to 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5% each time caused an additional significant decrease in average attacked depth. No significant improvement was observed by increasing the polymer content from 7.5% to 10% or 15%; therefore, a polymer concentration of 7.5% would provide an economic optimum. No significant difference could be found between two concrete types with 10% polymer addition, cured during 1 or 3 days at 90–95% relative humidity.