Polymer Concrete Composites Research Articles

Automated design of architectured polymer-concrete composites with high specific flexural strength and toughness using sequential learning

Architectured polymer-concrete composite (APCC) is a promising structural material with high mechanical performance while optimizing the design of APCC for a high flexural strength, high toughness, and light weight remains a challenge. This paper presents a machine learning-based approach to design APCC with high specific flexural strength and toughness. The proposed approach integrates sequential surrogate modelling, Latin hypercube sampling, and Lion Pride Optimization to predict and optimize the flexural properties of APCC. The proposed approach was implemented into designing APCC beams, which were fabricated via 3D printing and tested under flexural loads. Results show that the APCC beams achieved high flexural strength, high toughness, and light weight, simultaneously. The devised architecture of APCC arrested crack propagation and promoted energy dissipation. Parametric studies were performed to evaluate the effect of key design variables of APCC on flexural properties. This research advances the basic knowledge and capabilities of AI-assisted design of APCC.

Evaluation of the effect of E-waste on the permeability properties of polymer concrete composites and their behavior in aggressive environments

The rapid increase in the number of electronic products worldwide, in terms of both variety and advanced technology, together with the decrease in costs, has led to the generation of a large amount of electronic waste (e-waste), which has significantly increased environmental pollution. This study was conducted to investigate the hypothesis that the adhesion of polymer binders and plastic origin e-waste will be more effective and stronger, and therefore have a positive effect on the permeability properties of polymer concrete and its behavior against aggressive solutions. For this purpose, quartz aggregates and gravel used as an aggregate in polymer concrete were replaced with 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, 12% and 15% e-waste. In the study where unsaturated polyester resin was used as a binder, the changes in the permeability properties (capillary water absorption, rapid chloride permeability) of the e-waste polymer concrete and its behavior against aggressive solutions (acid and sulfate attacks) were evaluated after 7, 28 and 90 days. In addition, mechanical experiments were conducted and comparisons were made. After the control concrete, the highest compressive strengths were obtained from the polymer concrete specimens using 3% e-waste, measured as 59.05 MPa, 64.5 MPa and 73.05 MPa after 7, 28 and 90 days, respectively. The research showed that polymer concretes with capillary water absorption coefficient values close to zero after 90 days can be produced with using up to 9% e-waste. The use of e-waste as an aggregate in polymer concrete at 3%, 6% and 9% e-waste, in particular, produced concrete with a high resistance to acid and sulfate attacks. The hypothesis of the study was confirmed after extensive experiments.Graphical

An Outstanding Engineer, Scientist, Teacher — Alexander Matveevich Ivanov. To the 110th Anniversary of His Birth

The scientific works of an outstanding scientist, A.M. Ivanov, devoted to the development of new methods for calculating wooden elements taking into account the time – creep factor have so far aroused great interest among modern researchers. The Voronezh Scientific School of Polymer Concrete A.M. Ivanov has substantiated and created universal models called “structural diagrams”, which lay the probabilistic foundations for evaluating the properties of materials, as well as polymer concrete and other composites. The article describes the life path, the formation of scientific activity and teaching of an outstanding scientist, Dr. of Technical Sciences, Professor A.M. Ivanov, a participant in the Great Patriotic War. Grateful students and followers showed that the issues of reinforcement of steel-polymer concrete structures, anchoring of reinforcement in polymer concrete and calculation of joints of prefabricated steel-polymer concrete structures of solid and annular cross-section with various types of reinforcement; the development of a whole range of polymer materials reinforced with fiberglass reinforcement and wood chips is the result of mentoring activities of an outstanding teacher and scientist.

Ultrasonic pulse velocity of recycled polymer concrete composites

The recent study related to the construction and testing of polymer concrete composites that have been formulated with the use of solid industrial waste materials, mainly fly ash, red mud, and silica fume. The eight dissimilar fabricated solid wastes that have been assembled from polymer concrete composites are examined in the current investigation. The characteristics have been recorded with eight samples of dissimilar compositions of fly ash (8–12%), red mud (12–25%), silica powder (10–15%), and epoxy resin (30–35%) by weight. The fabricated polymer concrete composites were examined for ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and tensile strength. The fabricated PCs with 35 percent epoxy resin, 15 percent silica fume, and 12 percent fly ash achieve the highest tensile strength (29.23 MPa) and best ultrasonic pulse velocity (3101 m/s in time 12.9 µs). Therefore, this composition of polymer concrete composite has been identified as the best replacement of the current popular material among others.

DETERMINATION OF THE DYNAMIC MODULUS OF LINEAR DEFORMATIONS OF REINFORCED HIGHLY FILLED POLYMER CONCRETE COMPOSITES DURING CURING

The objects of this study are reinforced polymer concrete composites with epoxy matrix and mineral dispersion fillers. Dynamic modulus of linear deformations has been measured according the standardized dynamic testing method ASTM E1876 - 02. The quantitative values of the modulus are obtained by the action of longitudinal and bending. After statistical processing of the obtained results has been established the influence of fiber in the composition on the dynamic characteristic.

Fracture mechanics of polymer concretes: A review

One of the main advantages of polymer concrete (PC) composites compared to ordinary cement concretes is having much higher fracture toughness and fracture energy. In this review, after a brief introduction to fracture mechanics, the standard test methods to determine the fracture properties of PC are considered. Different types of specimens used in fracture tests, the governing equations, and their fracture patterns are evaluated. Afterward, the parameters affecting the fracture properties of PC including materials (resins, aggregates, fibers, and nanofillers), and the specimen parameters (shape and size, crack depth, and crack angle) are investigated. Like the other mechanical properties, exposure to high temperatures, thermal cycles, and chemical solutions as well as exposure to the atmospheric condition can have destructive effects on the fracture properties of the PC, which are reviewed based on the results of the previous studies. These findings provide a necessary comprehensive understanding of the fracture mechanics of polymer concretes. After reviewing and summarizing almost all the research conducted in this field, research gaps are pointed out and suggestions for future works are presented.

Modeling and Model Verification of the Stress-Strain State of Reinforced Polymer Concrete.

This article considers the prospects of the application of building structures made of polymer concrete composites on the basis of strength analysis. The issues of application and structure of polymer-concrete mixtures are considered. Features of the stress-strain state of normal sections of polymer concrete beams are revealed. The dependence between the stresses and relative deformations of rubber polymer concretes and beams containing reinforcement frame and fiber reinforcement has been determined. The main direction of the study was the choice of ways to increase the strength characteristics of concrete with the addition of a polymer base and to increase the reliability of structures in general. The paper presents the results of experimental and mathematical studies of the stress-strain state and strength, as well as deflections of reinforced rubber-polymer beams. The peculiarities of fracture of reinforced rubber-polymer beams along their sections have been revealed according to the results of the experiment. The peculiarities of fracture formation of reinforced rubber-polymer beams have also been revealed. The conducted work has shown that the share of longitudinal reinforcement and the height of the fibrous reinforcement zone are the main factors. These reasons determine the characteristics of the strength of the beams and their resistance to destructive influences. The importance and scientific novelty of the work are the identified features of the stress-strain state of normal sections of rubber-concrete beams, namely, it has been established that the ultimate strength in axial compression and tension, deformations corresponding to the ultimate strength for rubber concrete exceed similar parameters for cement concrete 2.5-6.5 times. In the case of the addition of fiber reinforcement, this increase becomes, respectively, 3.0-7.5 times.

Effect of Short Fibers on Fracture Properties of Epoxy-Based Polymer Concrete Exposed to High Temperatures.

Recently, polymer concrete (PC) has been widely used in many civil engineering applications. PC shows superiority in major physical, mechanical, and fracture properties comparing to ordinary Portland cement concrete. Despite many suitable characteristics of thermosetting resins related to processing, the thermal resistance of polymer concrete composite is relatively low. This study aims to investigate the effect of incorporating short fibers on mechanical and fracture properties of PC under different ranges of high temperatures. Short carbon and polypropylene fibers were added randomly at a rate of 1 and 2% by the total weight of the PC composite. The exposure temperatures cycles were ranged between 23 to 250 °C. Various tests were conducted including flexure strength, elastic modulus, toughness, tensile crack opening, density, and porosity to evaluate the effect of addition of short fibers on fracture properties of PC. The results show that the inclusion of short fiber lead to an increase in the load carrying capacity of PC by an average of 24% and limits the crack propagation. On the other hand, the enhancement of fracture properties of based PC containing short fibers is vanished at high temperature (250 °C), but still more efficient than ordinary cement concrete. This work could lead to broader applications of polymer concrete exposed to high temperatures.

AI-assisted Design, 3d Printing, and Evaluation of Architecture Polymer-concrete Composites (APCC) With High Specific Flexural Strength and High Specific Toughness

AI-assisted Design, 3d Printing, and Evaluation of Architecture Polymer-concrete Composites (APCC) With High Specific Flexural Strength and High Specific Toughness

Evaluation of fracture toughness properties of polymer concrete composite using deep learning approach

AbstractUsing artificial intelligence‐based methods in predicting material properties, in addition to high accuracy, saves time and money. This paper models and predicts the fracture toughness properties of polymer concrete (PC) composites using the deep learning method. After preparing a database consisting of 209 experimental data from 19 relevant studies, the effect of seven important variables on critical stress intensity factor (KIc) and crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) is considered. Then, the deep neural network (DNN) model is developed and trained using the prepared database. The accuracy of the DNN model is examined by implementing four statistical criteria, MSE, R2, RMSE, and MAE. Finally, the sensitivity of the KIc and CTOD to each input variable is evaluated using a partial dependence plot (PDP) analysis. While aggregate size, nanofiller content, and a/R ratio have the most positive effect on KIc, aggregates and nanofiller content have the most positive influence on CTOD.

A material-independent deep learning model to predict the tensile strength of polymer concrete

This study intends to predict the tensile strength of polymer concrete (PC) composites using one of the deep learning-based methods called deep neural network (DNN). A database including 9 variables and the corresponding tensile strength, which consists of 281 experimental data from 22 previous works is prepared. These variables are the weight percentage of materials and also dimensions of fillers, which are used as input variables of the DNN system, and the corresponding tensile strength is the output. The performance of the developed DNN model is evaluated using statistical criteria R, R2, MSE, RMSE, and MAE. Afterward, the sensitivity of the tensile strength of the PC to each input variable is investigated using a partial dependence plot (PDP) analysis within the obtained DNN model. The positive and negative influence of each input variable on the tensile strength can be implemented in the optimized design of the composition of the PC.

Experimental investigation of fracture toughness of nanoclay reinforced polymer concrete composite: Effect of specimen size and crack angle

This study experimentally investigates the influence of specimen size on fracture toughness properties of a polymer concrete (PC) composite. The PC was composed of a mixture of a Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE or DGEBA) epoxy resin and its polyamine hardener as a binder, crushed basalt and silica sand as aggregates, ultrafine fly ash as a micro filler, and a montmorillonite nanoclay as a nanofiller. For this purpose, semi-circular bend (SCB) specimens in three sizes (R = 20, 30, and 60 mm), and for each size, four different crack angles (0°, 10°, 20°, and 41°), totally 12 types of specimen were fabricated. Three-point bending tests were performed to evaluate the size effect on the behavior of KIf, KIIf, Keff, T stress, and rc (length of the fracture process zone). It was shown that increasing the radius from 20 mm to 30 mm and 60 mm, increased KIf by 30.6% and 41.1%, and also increased KIIf by 10.4% and 20.7%, respectively. As the crack angle increased from 0° to 41°, KIf decreased and KIIf increased, both in almost a linear manner for all sizes, and the line slop slightly increased with the increasing specimen size. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis was performed to study the fracture surface of the PC specimen.

Utilization of Polymer Concrete Composites for a Circular Economy: A Comparative Review for Assessment of Recycling and Waste Utilization.

Polymer composites have been identified as the most innovative and selective materials known in the 21st century. Presently, polymer concrete composites (PCC) made from industrial or agricultural waste are becoming more popular as the demand for high-strength concrete for various applications is increasing. Polymer concrete composites not only provide high strength properties but also provide specific characteristics, such as high durability, decreased drying shrinkage, reduced permeability, and chemical or heat resistance. This paper provides a detailed review of the utilization of polymer composites in the construction industry based on the circular economy model. This paper provides an updated and detailed report on the effects of polymer composites in concrete as supplementary cementitious materials and a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature on their utilization and the production of polymer composites. A detailed review of a variety of polymers, their qualities, performance, and classification, and various polymer composite production methods is given to select the best polymer composite materials for specific applications. PCCs have become a promising alternative for the reuse of waste materials due to their exceptional performance. Based on the findings of the studies evaluated, it can be concluded that more research is needed to provide a foundation for a regulatory structure for the acceptance of polymer composites.

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ВПЛИВУ ВМІСТУ ПІСКУ ТА МОДИФІКУЮЧИХ ДОБАВОК НА ВЛАСТИВОСТІ ПОЛІМЕРБЕТОННИХ КОМПОЗИЦІЙ

Purpose. Establishment of the influence of the content of sand and modifying additives on the hardness, compressive strength, and impact strength of polymer concrete compositions. Methodology. Polymer concrete compositions in the form of round pancakes, sticks and bars based on polyester resin of the CHROMOPLAST GP 2000 brand, hardener (organic peroxide for cold curing) of the Luperox K1 brand, cobalt stearate (cobalt salt of stearic acid), styrene and river sand were subject of investigation. Samples of polymer concrete composites were obtained in two stages: 1) mixing the resin with sand 2) the addition of hardener, styrene and cobalt stearate. To obtain a hardened polyester composition, metal forms with bent sides were used; ceramic boats (not enameled) metal molds 2 cm high. Preparation of the composition was carried out in the following sequence: first, resin was mixed with sand, then hardener, cobalt stearate and styrene were added. The following sequence of preparation of the composition also took place: first the resin and hardener were mixed, only then sand mixed with styrene and cobalt stearate was added. The forms were loaded into a heating cabinet and heated to a temperature of 100 °C for 30-40 minutes. After cooling in the form of the product was removed. The hardness, compressive strength and toughness of the developed compositions were investigated by standard methods. Results. It was found that an increase in sand content from 0 to 90% of the mass. in polymer concrete compositions leads to an increase in hardness by ~ 466%, as well as a decrease in compressive strength by ~ 62% and impact strength by ~ 50%. Scientific novelty. An increase in the hardness index and a decrease in the compressive strength and toughness of polymer concrete compositions with an increase in the sand content to 90 % of the mass was established. This is because the sand has a higher hardness than the polyester resin, and accordingly, an increase in its content leads to an increase in the hardness of the composition. The decrease in compressive strength and toughness is due to a decrease in the amount of binder, due to which the composition becomes more fragile. Practical value. The developed polymer concrete compositions can be used in construction, as well as for repairing damaged concrete surfaces and eliminating cracks.

The effect of recycled PET bottles on the fracture toughness of polymer concrete

In this study, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are shredded in different sizes and added to the polymer concrete composition to investigate the effect on fracture toughness and fracture energy as well as an idea to reduce environmental pollution. In order to measure the mode I fracture toughness, center cracked Brazilian disk (CBD) specimens are manufactured with 20 wt% epoxy resin and 80 wt% quartz aggregate in the size of 2.4–4.75 mm. Recycled PET fillers in two different sizes, i.e., fine (less than 2.4 mm) and coarse (2.4–4.75 mm) with 4 wt% are added to the polymer concrete. Experimental results show that the addition of the fine and coarse PET filler materials to the polymer concrete mixture can increase the fracture toughness relative to the control material. However, the coarse PET filler can improve much more significantly the fracture toughness and fracture energy compared to the polymer concrete containing the fine PET filler. This is due to resistance made by the coarse PET filler via two energy dissipation mechanisms: a) crack growth through the matrix/PET interface by rounding the coarse PET filler; b) PET bridging. In addition, a linear relationship between the fracture toughness and fracture energy of tested polymer concrete mixtures was observed.

Materials and technologies in road pavements - an overview

One of the major factors endeavors to preserve the lives of those traveling the roadways all over the world is using well designed, strong, durable and safe roadways. The maintenance of roadways and the application of safety planning into every part of construction and the neatly working with stakeholders of transportation safety is one of the channels paid lot of attention by government worldwide. Extensive efforts are conducted by road sector to reduce the risks induced by the bad pavements conditions in addition to other causes procured by driver behavior and vehicle maintenance. Because having an accurate picture and understanding of the effect of road construction materials on traffic safety is key to the felicitous achievement of roadways virtue plans of management, the current work has been carried out to reviewing and highlighting the technologies in particular the innovative used to enhance the properties of materials used in transport structures that deals with increasing road strength and durability as well as traffic safety improvement to reduce roadways accidents. Innovation in using polymer and geopolymer concrete composites, solar panels, supplementary cementing materials, self-healing materials, shape-memory alloy and illuminating cement are included.

Effect of glass and carbon fibres on the compressive and flexural strength of the polymer concrete composite

This article is focused on testing the mechanical properties of polymer concrete testing samples. After a thorough literature search, the basic conditions of the research were determined and under the standards, three types of samples of special new concrete mixtures were created as a building element for special CNC machines. The samples were subjected to the research of the influence of used fillers, binders and additives on their properties. Testing was carried out in a certified laboratory and included checking the dimensions of the test bodies, weighing on the calibrated weight, determining the volumetric weight, determining the maximum load of the testing samples using special devices and then determining the compressive strength, or flexural tensile strength according to the relevant formulas. The final part of the testing also examined the morphology and mapping of the chemical composition with a focus on carbon, oxygen and aluminum using an electron microscope. The obtained results clearly show an increase in tensile and compressive strength using dispersed carbon fibre reinforcement of approximately 4 MPa. The conclusion of the article provides an overall summary of the results obtained and a summary of the features.

Effect of Gravel-sand Ratio on Physico-mechanical, Thermal and Macrostructural Properties of Micro Epoxy Polymer Concrete based on a Mixture of Alluvial-dune Sand

Introduction: In the Polymer Concrete (PC) composites, aggregates are the most important constituent, which considerably affect their performance. The purpose of this experimental study is to examine the effect of Gravel-to-Sand (G/S) ratio on the physico-mechanical, thermal and microstructural properties of epoxy micro-polymer concrete made up of local aggregates. Materials & Methods: The Micro Epoxy Polymer Concrete (MEPC) studied consists of epoxy resin as a binder and a mixture of two types of sands (alluvial (0/0.63 mm) and dune (0/4 mm) sands), as well as crushed limestone gravel (3/8 mm). Six compositions were prepared with two epoxy resin contents (10% and 14% of the total weight of mixture) and three G/S ratios (0.25, 0.50 and 0.75). The studied properties are density, water absorption, compressive and flexural strengths, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat and macrostructure. Results & Discussion: The obtained results show that the G/S ratio, as well as the epoxy resin content, has a significant influence on the properties of MEPC. In addition, 14% epoxy resin and the G/S ratio of 0.75 can be considered as optimal values, which lead to very interesting physico-mechanical performances (denser and less porous material, more resistant with almost similar thermal conductivity). Moreover, the density, the water absorption and the optical microscopic observation confirm that mixes containing 14% epoxy are more impermeable, compact and homogeneous than those containing 10% epoxy. Conclusion: Finally, it should be noted that the incorporation of aggregates being relatively coarse decreases the grains’ specific surface and reduces the porosity of the granular mix, which enable the epoxy product to completely cover the surface of mineral grains. A perfect covering of aggregate grains with a bender improves the adhesion between the aggregates and the polymer matrix.

Prediction of Structural Performance of Vinyl Ester Polymer Concrete Using FEM Elasto-Plastic Model.

This paper presents the methodology for predicting the mechanical performance of structural elements made of polymer concrete (PC). A vinyl ester polymer concrete composition and the results of experimental studies to determine the basic mechanical properties of the material are presented. Following the strategy for sustainable development in the building industry, the material cost of polymer concrete was lowered by reducing the consumption of raw materials and the partial replacing of the microfiller fraction with recycled waste products—calcium fly ash. An accurate computational model enabling stress analysis is a convenient way to verify the suitability of PC as a construction material in structural applications. Due to difficulty in deriving an accurate analytical formula, numerical approximation (finite element method) was used as a method for solving the problem. Constitutive modeling of PC is a very important aspect of the strength calculations and here it was done within the framework of elasto-plasticity. Numerical evaluation of the static bearing capacity of PC manhole covers is shown as an example of the proposed FEM methodology. The results of computer simulations were compared with laboratory tests. Finally, the adequacy of the numerical modeling for testing new construction and material improvements is discussed. The study showed that the concrete damaged plasticity material model can be effectively used for the description of PC mechanical behavior.

Radiation induced strength enhancement of sulfur polymer concrete composites based on waste and residue fillers

The behavior and properties of sulfur polymer concrete composites (SPC) based on mineral fillers (industrial waste and residues) were investigated towards potential application under high radiation exposure conditions. The composites were irradiated in a dose range up to 1.5 MGy using Co-60 gamma source. The test specimens were subjected to compressive tests, SEM analysis, capillary water absorption tests, XRD, FTIR and DSC analysis. The obtained results indicate for a high radiation resistance of investigated materials. The irradiated samples exhibit up to 35% higher compressive strength in comparison with the native samples with retaining other parameters unchanged. According to the XRD, FTIR and DSC analyzes, the proposed mechanism laying behind enhancement of mechanical properties of SPC is the sulfur polymer binder amorphization with a possible simultaneous radiation induced polymerization and/or crosslinking. The SPC materials can be considered as promising alternative for hydraulic cement concrete composites, especially in radiation and nuclear technology sectors.