Study on skid resistance and skid-resistance durability of polymer modified cement mortar based on surface texture properties

Abstract

In this paper, the effects of the three polymer emulsions-EVA, XSBRL, and SBR, on the skid resistance and skid-resistance durability of cement mortar were investigated based on the surface texture properties of the specimens. The surface texture properties include texture roughness and texture abrasion resistance, which were evaluated by 3D surface texture parameters. Using close-up photography and reverse engineering techniques, texture data was retrieved from the surface of the specimen to determine the 3D texture parameters. The friction coefficient tester and the wet track abrasion tester were used to verify the surface texture roughness and texture abrasion resistance, respectively. The results show that the polymer content increment can significantly improve the surface texture roughness, which is beneficial to enhancing the skid resistance of cement mortar. The varying surface texture roughness improvement effects of the various polymer emulsions are the main reason for the variation in the skid resistance of the three PCMs. EVA provides the best skid resistance by effectively improving the surface texture height (Sa), symmetry (Ssk), and core material volume (Vmc) of the cement mortar. In contrast, XSBRL enhances skid resistance by increasing the surface texture sharpness (Sku), slope (Sdq), top material volume (Vmp), and surface area (Sdr), with slightly less improvement. SBR is the least effective in improving the surface texture parameters of the cement mortar and therefore has the worst skid resistance. The three polymer emulsions increased the texture abrasion resistance of cement mortar. E-PCM was the highest texture abrasion resistance, followed by X-PCM, and S-PCM was the poorest. The Vmc may have a role in the variation in texture abrasion resistance, as the more peak core material volume there is, the more material is available for abrasion. Therefore, polymer emulsions can enhance the skid resistance and skid-resistance durability of cement mortar by improving the texture properties, with E-PCM being the most enhancement effect.