Polymer concrete

1. Polymer Concrete
And
Polymer Fiber Reinforced
Concrete

Prepared By
Mohammed Abdul Haakim
M.E. Structural Engineering
I
ST
Year-I
ST
Semester
M.J.C.E.T

2. INTRODUCTION
 Concrete is a composite material containing cement, water, coarse aggregate and fine aggregate.
 The resulting material is a stone like structure which is formed by the chemical reaction of the cement
and water.
 Some of the reasons for this are its simplicity in preparation, the easy availability and low cost of its
ingredients, and above all, the satisfactory properties of the structure.
 Concrete strength is much influenced by the porosity of hardened concrete.
 When the water dries out it leaves pores .These pores become the entry points for liquid water, water
vapor, different gases and chemical substances that could be damaging to concrete.
 Any reduction of the concrete porosity adds to its strength.
 To improve the strength of concrete, its susceptibility to corrosion, to make it more durable, and
withstand any kind of abrasion resistance, reduce its porosity , reduce the values of heat of hydration
,to have more tensile strength and to be more ductile a concrete which almost or nearly eradicates the
above drawbacks was developed known as polymer concrete.
 Polymer concrete is a part of group of concretes that use polymers to supplement or replace cement as
a binder
 Polymer concretes are relatively high-performance materials that have been developed since the early
1960’s.
 Polymer concrete consists of well-graded aggregates bonded together by a strong resin binder instead
or along with water and cement, which are alone typically used in cement-based materials.
 Polymer concretes are very strong, anticipated to be durable, and cures very rapidly, which is an
important consideration in many civil engineering applications.
 This stone like material is a brittle material which is strong in compression but very weak in tension
due to which cracks develop and concrete fails.
 So to increase the tensile strength of concrete a technique of introduction of fibers reinforced in
polymer concrete is being used. These fibers act as crack arrestors and prevent the propagation of the
cracks. These fibers are uniformly distributed and randomly arranged. This concrete is named as fiber
reinforced polymer concrete.
 The production of Portland cement as a major construction material worldwide releases large amounts
of CO2 in to the atmosphere (production of 1 tone OPC releases 1 tone CO2), and this gas is a major
contributor to the greenhouse effect and the global warming of planet
 The main benefit of geopolymeric cement/concrete is reduction in environmental impacts to move
toward sustainable development which is defined as the optimum usage with correct and efficient
operation of basic and natural resources for providing the requirements of the future generation.
 Therefore, the availability and application of polymer concrete in local construction is worth to
explore.

3. POLYMER CONCRETE
Polymer concrete is a part of group of concretes that use polymers to supplement or replace cement as a binder
The composites using polymer can be:
1. Polymer concrete (PC), when the binder is a polymer that replaces the cement paste
2. Polymer modified concrete (PMC), when the polymer is mixed along with cement
3. Polymer impregnated concrete (PIC), when the cement concrete is treated by soaking and
polymerization.
4. Partially Impregnated And Surface coated polymer concrete
1.POLYMER CONCRETE
 Polymer concrete is a composite material which results from polymerization of a monomer/aggregate
mixture. The polymerized monomer acts as binder for the aggregates and the resulting composite is
called “Polymer Concrete.”
PREPARATION
 The main technique in producing PC is to minimize the volume of voids in aggregate so as to reduce
the quantity of polymer required for binding the aggregates. This is achieved by properly grading the
aggregates so as to attain maximum density and less voids
 T=these aggregates are prepacked and vibrated well in a mould and monomer is diffused through the
aggregates and polymerization is initiated.
 A silane coupling agent is added to the monomer to improve the bond strength between the aggregates
and the polymer
 Polymer concrete is similar to ordinary cement concrete because it contains fine and coarse aggregates,
but the hydraulic binder is totally substituted with a polymer material.
 The aggregates are bounded together by the polymer matrix.
 Polymer concrete contains no cement or water.
 The performances of polymeric concrete depend on the polymer properties, type of filler and
aggregates, reinforcing Fiber type, curing temperature, components dosage, etc.,
 The aggregate must be of good quality, free of dust and other debris, and dry.
 Failure to fulfill these criteria can reduce the bond strength between the polymer binder and the
aggregate.
 The resin dosage reported by various authors mostly lie in the range of 10 to 20% by weight of polymer
concrete. Early studies on polyester resin concrete while taking resin content as a variable reported that
compressive strength of polymer concrete is dependent upon the resin content
 Normally, the binder content ranges from 5% to 15% of the total weight but if the aggregate mix is
fine, it may even require up to 20% binder

4.  Normally aggregates are added in two size groups, that is, coarse aggregates comprising material of
more than 5 mm size and fine aggregates having size less than 5 mm
 Polymer binder can be a thermoplastic, but more frequently a thermosetting Polymer.

Thermosetting Polymer
 A thermosetting plastic, also known as a thermoset, is a petrochemical material.
 They are induced by heat, generally above 200 °C (392 °F), through a chemical reaction, or
suitable irradiation
 Thermoset materials are usually liquid or malleable prior to curing and designed to be molded into their
final form.
 Once hardened a thermoset resin cannot be reheated and melted to be shaped differently.
Eg: Vulcanized rubber,Epoxy resins
 Thermoset materials are generally stronger than thermoplastic materials and are also better suited to
high-temperature applications.
 Since their shape is permanent, they tend not to be recyclable as a source for newly made plastic.
Thermo plastic polymer
 A thermoplastic, or thermosoftening plastic, is a plastic material, typically a polymer, that becomes
pliable or moldable above a specific temperature and solidifies upon cooling.
Eg Teflon,nylon
 Thermo setting resins are used as the principal polymer component due to their high thermal stability
and resistance to a wide variety of chemiclas.
 The aggregates used in dry state can be silicates, quartz, crushed stone, gravel,
 Filler, especially fly ash, can improve the properties of polymer concrete.
PROPERTIES
 The properties of PC are largely dependent on the amount and properties of polymer in the concrete.
 Each type of polymer can imparts specific properties to Polymer Concrete when incorporated with the
aggregates.
 So Depending on the properties of the Polymer Concrete to be achieved, the nature and quantity of the
polymer composition should be chosen.
 PC made with MMA is a brittle material that shows a nearly linear stress-strain relationship with high
ultimate strength, but the addition of butyl acrylate produces a more ductile material.
 As yet, there is no polymer which can serve for all drawbacks of the concrete.
 Polymer concrete may be used for new construction or repairing of old concrete because of rapid
curing, excellent bond to cement concrete and steel reinforcement, high strength, and durability, it was
extensively used as repair material. Precast polymer concrete has been used to produce a variety of
products like acid tanks, manholes, drains, highway median barriers, and so forth

5.  The adhesive properties of polymer concrete allow patching of both polymer and conventional cement-
based concretes.
 These composites have some advantages compared to ordinary cement concrete such as: rapid
hardening, high mechanical strengths, chemical resistance, etc.
Advantages
 Rapid curing at ambient temperatures
 High tensile, flexural, and compressive strengths when fibre reinforcement is used
 Good adhesion to most surfaces
 Good long-term durability with respect to freeze and thaw cycles
 Low permeability to water and aggressive solutions
 Good resistance against corrosion
 May be vibrated to fill voids in forms
Disadvantages
 Product hard to manipulate due to its strength and density
 It tends to be brittle in nature i.e. if fiber reinforcement is not provided in some polymer concrete cases
they tend to develop cracks
 Polymer concretes are viscoelastic and will fail under a sustained compressive loading at stress levels
greater than 50 percent of the ultimate strength. Sustained loadings at a stress level of 25 percent did
not reduce ultimate strength capacity for a loading period of 1000 hr. So in such cases polyester
concrete should be considered with a high ratio of live load to dead load
 Among the disadvantages is their high cost. Small boxes are more costly when compared to its precast
counterpart however pre cast concretes induction of stacking or steel covers quickly bridge the gap.
 Various curing regimes have been reported by researchers like room temperature curing, high
temperature curing, water curing, and so forth.
 Curing time studies on polymer concrete have established that it achieves around 70–75% of its
strength after a curing of one day at room temperature whereas normal Portland cement concrete
usually achieves about 20% of its 28-day strength in one day.
 The early strength gain is important in precast applications because it permits the structures to resist
higher stresses early due to form-stripping, handling, transportation, and erection operations.

6. Author Resin Aggregate and
micro filler
used
Variables Properties
evaluated
Brief findings
Compressive strength, flexural strength, and so forth
Mani et al.
Epoxy,
polyester
Crushed
quartzite,
siliceous sand,
and calcium
carbonate
Resin type,
silane treatment,
and micro filler
addition
Compressive
strength, flexural
strength, and split
tensile strength
(I) Epoxy concrete has
much superior properties
than the polyester
concrete.
(ii) Compressive strength
goes up by 30% for the
polyester concrete and
36% for the epoxy
concrete by incorporation
of a silane coupling
agent.
(iii) The compressive and
flexural strengths of the
polyester concrete are
greatly improved on
incorporation of the
micro filler.
Vipulanandan
et al
Epoxy,
polyester
Ottawa sand,
blasting sand
Resin content,
silane treatment,
compaction, and
glass fiber
content
Compressive
strength, flexural
strength, and split
tensile strength
(I) Maximum
compressive and flexural
strength were reported at
14% resin content.
(ii) Addition of glass
fibers increases the
flexural strength,
compressive strength.
(iii) Silane treatment
increases the flexural
strength by 25%.

7.  Vipulanandan and
Paul [62]
(I)
Epoxy,
(ii)
polyester
Ottawa
sand,
blasting
sand
Temperature,
strain rate,
aggregate type,
and curing
conditions
Compressive
strength, split
tensile
strength
(I) Compressive
strength increases
with curing
temperature.
(ii) Maximum
strength was
obtained for one-
day room
temperature
curing followed
by one-day curing
at 80°C.
(iii) Use of gap
graded aggregate
resulted in highest
compressive
strength.

8. GEO POLYMER CONCRETE
 ‘Geopolymer cement concretes’ (GPCC) are Inorganic polymer composites, which are prospective
concretes with the potential to form a substantial element of an environmentally sustainable
construction by replacing/supplementing the conventional concretes.
 GPCC have high strength, with good resistance to chloride penetration, acid attack, etc.
 Geopolymer cements cure more rapidly than Portland-based cements. They gain most of their strength
within 24 hours. However, they set slowly enough that they can be mixed at a batch plant and delivered
in a concrete mixer. Geopolymer cement also has the ability to form a strong chemical bond with all
kind of rock-based aggregates
 The term ‘geopolymer’ was first introduced by Davidovits in 1978 to describe a family of mineral
binders with chemical composition similar to zeolites but with an amorphous microstructure.
 Two main constituents of geopolymers are: source materials and alkaline liquids. The source materials
on alumino-silicate should be rich in silicon (Si) and aluminium (Al).
 They could be byproduct materials such as fly
ash, silica fume, slag, rice-husk ash, red mud, etc.
 These are commonly formed by alkali activation
of industrial aluminosilicate waste materials such
as FA and GGBS, and have a very small
Greenhouse footprint when compared to
traditional concretes
 Geopolymers are also unique in comparison to
other aluminosilicate materials (e.g.
aluminosilicate gels, glasses, and zeolites).
 The concentration of solids in geopolymerisation
is higher than in aluminosilicate gel or zeolite synthesis.
 Composition of Geopolymer Cement Concrete Mixes
 Following materials are generally used to produce GPCCs:
1. Fly ash,
2. GGBS Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)
3. Fine aggregates and
4. Coarse aggregates
5. Catalytic liquid system (CLS): It is an alkaline activator solution (AAS) for GPCC. It is a
combination of solutions of alkali silicates and hydroxides, besides distilled water. The role of
AAS is to activate the geopolymeric source materials (containing Si and Al) such as fly ash and
GGBS.

9. Formulating the GPCC Mixes
 Unlike conventional cement concretes, GPCCs are a new class of materials and hence, conventional
mix design approaches are applicable.
 The formulation of the GPCC mixtures requires systematic numerous investigations on the materials
available.
Preparation of GPCC Mixes
 The mixing of ingredients of GPCCs can be carried out in mixers used for conventional cement
concretes
– Such as pan mixer, drum mixer, etc.
 In geopolymer concrete, aggregates are bound by binder which is composed from two parts including
alumina silicates and alkali solution and named geopolymer binder.
 Mix proportioning is based on determining the quantities of the ingredients, when mixed together and
cured properly will produce workable concrete that achieves the desired strength and durability when
hardened.
 Therefore different variables including desired workability measured by slump, water to binder ratio,
binder content and aggregate proportions should be considered in the mix design procedure.
 In geopolymer concrete based on alkali activated fly ash the weight ratio of alkali solution to fly ash is
suggested in the range of 0.3 to 0.45
Geopolymer concrete Casting and Curing
 The equipment’s needed for geopolymer concrete production are the same as OPC concrete.
 Usually for casting this type of concrete, fundamental materials such as fly ash and aggregates are
mixed and alkaline solution with additives are added to it. Curing at elevated temperature helps the
reaction of the paste in geopolymer concrete.
 Curing time and temperature have an effective role on compressive strength of geopolymer concrete.
Two curing conditions can be considered which are fog and sealed conditions.
 It is shown that sealed condition shows around 15% more compressive strength than samples are cured
at steam condition
Properties
 Compressive Strength: With proper formulation of mix ingredients, 24 hour compressive strengths of
25 to 35 MPa can be easily achieved without any need for any special curing. Such mixes can be
considered as self-curing. However, GPCC mixes with 28 day strengths up to about 60-70 MPa have
been developed at SERC.
 Modulus of Elasticity The Young’s modulus or modulus of elasticity (ME), Ec of GPCC is taken as
tangent modulus measured at the stress level equal to 40 percent of the average compressive strength of
concrete cylinders. The MEs of GPCCs are marginally lower than that of conventional cement
concretes (CCs), at similar strength levels.
 Stress Strain Curves The stress-strain relationship depends upon the ingredients of GPCCs and the
curing period.
 Rate of Development of Strength This is generally faster in GPCCs, as compared to CCs.

10.  The properties of geopolymers based on different alumina silicates are summarized as below:
Alkali activated slag
 Alkali activated slag cements have been known for about four decades and usually for activation2-7
percent Na2O or 3-10 percent K2O of the slag content is necessary.
 This kind of concrete has shown progressive gain of strength from 21Mpa in 3days to 36Mpa in 1 year
and to 40Mpa in 6years (for a concrete mix having binder content 350Kg/m3, binder to aggregate ratio
of 1:5.96, water to binder ratio of 0.46 and MSA of 25mm) .
 When alkali-activated slag cement concrete is cured in water, compressive strength of the concrete
keeps increasing until 365 days.
 However, if the concrete is cured in a sealed condition, the strength stopped increasing at about 90
days. This may be attributed to the lack of moisture available for the hydration of slag inside the
concrete.
 The concrete exposed to air exhibits the lowest strength all the time and strength retrogression occurs at
ages greater than 28 days.
 The strength reaches a maximum after 14 to 28 days of hydration, and then starts to decrease
Alkali activated fly ash
 Although there are only a few reports regarding the flexural strength and elastic modulus of alkali
activated fly ash (AAFA), it seems that both show inferior values to those of Portland cement.
 It was also reported that the flexural strength of alkali activated PFA mortars are 5.79 MPa while OPC
based mortars are 7.76 MPa.
 The values presented for OPC concrete ranged from 30.3 to 32.3GPa while for geopolymer concrete
they ranged from 10.7 (without silicate) to 18.4 GPa (with silicate). It was observed better elastic
modulus results for a concrete samples made in similar conditions: 22.95 to 30.84 GPa.
 Apart from their short setting times compared to conventional concrete, geopolymers also attain higher
unconfined compressive strengths and shrink much less on setting than OPC (for 7 days only 0.2% that
of OPC while for 28 days it is 0.5% of OPC) .
 One explanation for this behavior may be found in the microstructural characteristic of the new binder
which in alkali activation of fly ash can form a zeolite-type phase. Zeolite properties and
microstructure are widely known to be unaffected by the loss of the water incorporated during their
synthesis because not only water loss is reversible in most zeolites but also they are able to absorb
water from the humidity in atmosphere
Alkali activated Natural Pozzolana
 Geopolymeric concrete mixes based on activated natural pozzolans mostly have shown lower strength
and modulus of elasticity than OPC mixes at early ages, but they reach the same and even higher
strength and modulus of elasticity than OPC mixes after long-term curing.
 It is concluded that concrete made with an alkali activated natural pozzolana develops moderate to high
mechanical strength and modulus of elasticity and shrinks much less than ordinary OPC.
 All of the geopolymer concrete mixes show lower ultrasonic pulse velocity than OPC concrete mixes
even though they have higher compressive strengths despite lower densities
 shrinkage during setting

11.  compressive strength (uniaxial): > 90 MPa at 28 days (for high early strength formulation, 20 MPa
after 4 hours).
 flexural strength: 10–15 MPa at 28 days (for high early strength of 10 MPa after 24 hours).
 Young Modulus: > 2 GPa.
 freeze-thaw: mass loss < 0.1% (ASTM 4842), strength loss <5 % after 180 cycles.
 Geopolymer binders and cements even with alkali contents as high as 10%, do not generate any
dangerous Alkali-Aggregate Reaction..
 Geopolymer concretes develop moderate to high mechanical strength with a high modulus of elasticity
and shrinkage much lower than with OPC.
 Geopolymer concrete manufacture is liable to reduce CO2 emission from 22.5% to 72.5% compared to
OPC production.
 Geo-polymer concrete can be produced with the same cost of OPC concrete and comparable properties.
Energy needs and CO2 emissions for 1 tone of Portland cement and Rock-based Geopolymer cement.
Energy needs(MJ/ton) Calcination Crushing Silicate Sol. Total Reduction
Portland Cement 4270 430 0 4700 0
GP-cement, slag by-product 1200 390 375 1965 59%
GP-cement, slag manufacture 1 950 390 375 2715 43%
CO2 emissions (tone)
Portland Cement 1.000 0.020 1.020 0
GP-cement, slag by-product 0.140 0,018 0.050 0.208 80%
GP-cement, slag manufacture 0.240 0.018 0.050 0.308 70%

12. 1

13. 3

14. 2. POLYMER MODIFIED CONCRETE
 It is also known as polymer cement concrete
 Polymer modified concrete is gaining popularity because of its ease of handling, economy and
satisfactory results when compared with its counterparts
 It has high chemical resistance.
 Low water absorption and permeability make it an effective material for use in hydraulic structures as
well.
 It has the property of setting quickly
PREPARATION
 It is made by mixing cement,aggregates,water and polymer
 Such mixture is cast in moulds,cured dried and then polymerized
The polymers that are used in this process are
1. Poly butadiene styrene
2. Epoxy styrene
3. Furans
 Among these epoxy resin is mostly used because of the superior charecteristics it possessed in
comparison with the ordinary concrete the addition of latex provides a large quantity of the needed
mixing water in concrete
 Epoxy resin is a better binder than cement.
 PMC is made with as low as possible addition of extra mixing water as possible
 Typically, water-cement ratios are in the range 0.40 to 0.45.
 The hardening of a latex takes place by drying or loss of water.
 Dry curing is mandatory for LMC; the material cured in air is believed to form a continuous and
coherent polymer film which coats the cement hydration products, aggregate particles, and even the
capillary pores.
PROPERTIES
 The most impressive characteristics of PMC are its ability to bond strongly with old concrete, and to
resist the entry of water and aggressive solutions.
 It is believed that the polymer film lining in the capillary pores and micro cracks does an excellent job
in impeding the fluid flow in PMC, these characteristics have made the PMC a popular material for
rehabilitation of deteriorated floors, pavements, and bridge decks.
 Each type of polymer latex can and usually does impart specific properties to PMC when incorporated.
 As yet, there is no polymer latex to serve a universal purposes.
 Depending on the properties of the PMC to be achieved, the nature and quantity of the polymer
composition should be chosen.

15.  Superior polymer concrete was obtained by the addition furfural alcohol and aline hydrochloride in the
wet mix
 It claimed to be a specially dense and non-shrinking material and to have high corrosion resistance low
permeability and high resistance to abrasions
 Epoxy resin produced a concrete that showed some superior charecteristics over ordinary Portland
cement
 Table 1 shows the general characteristics and typical applications of some widely used polymer latex.
 Table 2 summarizes the property variation factor F of the PMC product as compared to Portland
cement concrete (defined as the ratio between the parameter of PMC and that of the conventional
mortar or concrete prepared under identical conditions).
Disadvantages
 Modest improvement of strength and durability
 Materials poorer than OPC are obtained
 This shows that monomers ae incompatible with aqueous solutions and interfere with the cement
hydration process

16. 3.POLYMER IMPREGNATED CONCRETE
PREPARATION
 It is one of the widely used polymer concreting methods
 Produced by impregnating or infiltrating a hardened concrete with a monomer
 The concept underlying PIC is that if voids are responsible for low strength as well as poor durability
of concrete in severe environments, then they should be eliminated by filling with a polymer
 It is difficult for a liquid to penetrate it if the viscosity of the liquid is high and the voids in concrete are
not empty (they contain water and air).
 Therefore by filing polymer voids are closed.
 Therefore, for producing PIC, it is essential not only to select a low-viscosity liquid for penetration but
also to dry and evacuate the concrete before subjecting it to the penetration process.
 A conventional concrete is taken and completely cured and dried in an oven there by removing any
kind of air is removed after which monomer is applied onto it
 The amount of manner that can be loaded into a concrete specimen is dependent upon the amount of
water and the air space that was occupied on the specimen
 So for proper application of this process the specimen should be completely dried so that monomer is
completely penetrated
 For best results the lesser the pores, the less the monomer required and less will be the monomer
loading time
 Monomers such as methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene are commonly used for penetration
because of relatively low viscosity, high boiling point (less loss due to volatilization), and low cost.
 The types of monomer used are
1. Methylmetharylate
2. Styrene
3. Other thermoplastic monomers
 After penetration, the monomer has to be polymerized insitu. This can be accomplished in one of three
ways.
 A combination of promoter chemical and catalysts can be used for room-temperature polymerization;
but it is not favored because the process is slow and less controllable.
 Gamma radiation can also induce polymerization at room temperature, but the health hazard associated
with it discourages the wide acceptance of this process in filed practice.
 The third method, which is generally employed, consists of using a monomer-catalyst mixture for
penetration, and subsequently polymerizing the monomer by heating the concrete to 70 C with steam,
hot water, or infrared heaters

17. Sequence Of Operation
Casting conventional concrete elements:
 Since the quality of concrete before penetration is not important from the standpoint of properties of
the end product, no special care is needed in the selection of materials and proportioning of concrete
mixtures.
 Section thickness is generally limited to a maximum of about 150 mm, since it is difficult to fully
penetrate thick sections.
Drying and evacuation:
 The time and temperature needed for removal of free water from the capillary pores of moist-cured
products depend on the thickness of the elements.
 At the drying temperatures ordinarily used (i.e.,105 C), it may require 3 to 7 days before free water has
been completely removed from a 150- by 300-mm concrete cylinder.
 Temperatures on the order of 150 C can accelerate the drying process so that it is complete in 1 to 2
days
Soaking the dried concrete in a monomer
 The in situ penetration of concrete in the field may be achieved by surface ponding, but precast
elements are directly immersed in the monomer catalyst mixture.
 Commercial monomers contain inhibitors that prevent premature polymerization during storage;
 The catalyst serves to overcome the effect of the inhibitor.
Sealing the monomer
 To prevent loss of monomer by evaporation during handling and polymerization, the impregnated
elements must be effectively sealed in steel containers or several layers of aluminum foil; in the
rehabilitation of bridge decks this has been achieved by covering the surface with sand
Polymerizing the monomer
 Thermal-catalytical polymerization is the preferred technique.
 The time for complete polymerization of the monomer in the sealed elements exposed to steam, hot
water or air, or infrared heat at 70 C may vary from a few to several hours.
 In the case of a MMA-benzoyl peroxide mixture, no differences in strength were found between
specimens polymerized at C with hot air for 16 hr. or with hot water for 4 hr.

18. Curing the elements
 Following the removal of elements from forms, at ambient temperatures conventional moist curing for
28 days or even 7 days is adequate because the ultimate properties of PIC do not depend on the
penetration concrete quality.
 For fast production schedules, thermal curing techniques may be adopted
PROPERTIES
 The degree of polymerization of monomer is greater in case of PIC specimen prepared by microwaves
than ones prepared from conventional thermal methods.
 The mechanical and chemical resistant properties of PIC composites are superior to the conventional
cement mortar.
Porosity
 Porosity of the conventional
cement mortar is greatly reduced
when it is impregnated with
polymers thereby increasing its
durability when it is exposed to
chemically polluted
environments.
 Polymers give a more compact
structure to the cement matrix
and seal the cracks in cement
mortar matrix
Microstructural studies
 The porosity and morphology of
the polymer cement matrix in the PIC was studied.
 The porosities of conventional cement mortars and the PICs were found to be 17.3% and 9.8%
respectively.
 Fig.3 Comparison of the Pore diameter in OPC and PIC specimens
 The decrease in porosity in the latter case could be attributed to the sealing of the voids and micro‐
cracks by the polymer in the precast cement mortar thereby increasing durability and strength of the
cement structure as seen in the previous section


Durability
 Fig.2 and Table 1 depicts the chemical resistant properties of the PICs on exposure to 5M sulphuric
acid were compared with

19.  Those obtained for conventional cement mortar by calculating the weight losses for different periods of
exposure time.
 The presence of the polymer in a PIC not only envelopes the cement mortar but also seals the voids
formed during the cement hydration.
 This prevents cement‐acid interactions that would otherwise result in loss of weight of the composite

Compressive strength increases and is different for different
composition and on type of polymers used.
 Tensile strength increases and is different for different composition
and on type of polymers used.

20. 


21. 4. PARTIALLY IMPREGNATED AND SURFACE COATED
CONCRETE
 Partial impregnation may be sufficient in situations where the major requirement is surface resistance
against chemical and mechanical attack in addition to increase in its strength
 Even with partial impregnation significant increase in the strength of concrete of original concrete has
been obtained
 The partially impregnated concrete can be easily produced by initial soaking the dried specimens in the
liquid monomer like MMA,then sealing them by keeping them under hot water at 70c to prevent or
minimize loss due to evaporation
 The polymerization can be done using thermal catalyst method in which 3% by weight of benzoyl
peroxide is added to the monomer as catalyst
 The depth of monomer penetration depends upon
 Pore structure
 Duration of soaking
 Viscosity of the monomer
PREPARATION
 The surface is dried for several days with electric heating blanket
 Remove the blanket and cover the slab with oven dried light weight aggregate
 Apply initially around 2000 to 3000 ml of the monomer system per sq.m.
 Cover the surface with polyethylene to retard evaporation
 Shade the surface to prevent temperature increase which might initiate polymerization prematurely
 Add periodically addtl. Monomer to keep the aggregate moist for min soak time of 8 hours
 Apply heat to polymerize the monomer
 Heat blanket or steam water can be used for this purpose
ADVANTAGES
 It reduces freeze thaw deterioration, corrosion
 Increase in tensile strength
 Increase in compressive strength
 Increase in modulus of elasticity
 Resistance to acid attack
 It improves the durability of concrete
 Less pores
 They are more or less similar to PIC

23. FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMER
CONCRETE
PREPARATION
 A large number of studies have been reported regarding the effect of reinforcement of polymer
concrete by addition of various types of fibers. Steel fibers, glass fibers, carbon fibers, and polyester
fibers have been added in polymer concrete in varying quantities for enhancement of its properties.
 Polymer concrete can be reinforced with fibers like: glass, carbon, boron or natural fibers like: coconut,
banana fibers, sugar cane bagasse, cellulose.
 In the case of natural fibers only coconut fibers can be excellent reinforcement for polymer concrete
 Fracture properties can be improved by addition of short glass or carbon fibers.
 Sugar cane bagasse can be an alternative for using as reinforcement.
 Most of the studies have reported the addition of glass fibers in the range of 0 to 6% by weight of
polymer concrete.
 These fibers are oriented randomly or in a proper at the time of concrete mix
 For polymer concretes in particular, natural or synthetic fibers – such as carbon or glass fibers – can be
added to the PC matrix to improve the mechanical performance.
 Glass fibers are non-corrosive, non-conductive and non-magnetic and offer low density and high
modulus.
 Mechanical improvement depends on the fiber type and on its concentration in the PC.
 For example glass and organic fibers have little effect on the precracking behavior but do substantially
enhance the post-cracking response, which leads not only to improved toughness and ductility but also
to higher tensile, flexural and impact strength.
 A special case of fiber reinforcement is the addition of oriented fibers. Reinforcement glass fibers and
plastic bars placed along the principal stress directions reduce the creep deformation, which if present
to a large degree might result in an impaired structure or even cause structural collapse.
 The orientations of fibers play a key role in determining the capacity of concrete.
 If the reinforcements are placed in desired direction. But in FRC, the fibers will be oriented in random
direction. The FRC will have maximum resistance when fibers are oriented parallel to the load applied
PROPERTIES
 It has been reported that addition of glass fibers improves the post peak behavior of polymer concrete.
 The strength and toughness of polymer concrete also increase with addition of fibers.
 Few studies on silane treatment of glass fibers before their use in polymer concrete report an
enhancement in mechanical properties up to the extent of 25%.

24.  Table 1 provides the details of the various types of reinforcements and their effect on the properties of
polymer concrete as reported by various researchers.
 Heat assisted drying of the aggregates before mixing with resin has been suggested by most of the
researchers. It has been reported that water content of the aggregate has a remarkable influence on the
strength of polymer concrete and therefore the water content shall be limited to 0.1%.to 0.5% for better
mechanical properties
 A shortcoming of using fibers in concrete is reduction in workability.
 As fiber content increases, workability decreases. Most researchers limit volume of fibers to 4.0%
 It has been reported that addition of glass fibers improves the post peak behavior of polymer concrete.
The strength and toughness of polymer concrete also increase with addition of fibers

Table 1: Fiber reinforcements and their effect on polymer concrete.
Author Resin Aggregate Fibers addition Properties evaluated Brief findings
Broniewski
et al. [55]
Epoxy resin Sand
Steel fibers of
0.24 mm diameter
and 15 mm
length, added in 0
to 3.5% by
weight
Flexural strength,
creep
Addition of 3.5%
steel fibers
increases the
flexural strength by
40%.
Valore and
Naus [56]
Polyester,
vinylester,
epoxy
—
Nylon, glass,
aramid, steel
fibers of length
12.7 to 38.1 mm
Compressive
strength, Young’s
modulus, split
tensile strength, and
density
(i) Compressive
strength increases
as function of
density.
(ii) Flexural
strength is related
to compressive
strength (inPsi)
as psi.
(iii) Fiber addition
increases flexural
strength and
ductility.
(iv) Longer fibers
have better effect
on compressive
strength.


 The current knowledge about effects of fiber reinforcement (with random distribution, not
unidirectional) on strength of several specific types of polymer concretes is summarized as follows:
For polyester PC with fiber glass

25.  Reinforcement, the compressive strength values depend on the percentage of polyester resin in the mix
and the concentration of fiber glass.
 For each resin content, there is an optimal fiber content (based on maximum strength).
 Values of the modulus of elasticity in compression (e) decrease when the fiber content increases.
 On the other hand, there is an increase in e with increasing polyester resin content.
 With respect to the failure strain property, values increase when the glass fiber content increases.
 For PC with 10 % polyester resin content, failure strain goes from 0.013 to 0.024 mm/mm as fiber
content increases from 0 to 6 vol. %.
 For polyester PC, improvement of 95 % in the flexural strength has been obtained when adding 2 % of
glass fibers and using silane as coupling agent.
For

TEXTILE FIBRES
 The textile cutting waste, when mixed with thermosetting, epoxy resin and foundry sand produce a
unique composite material the can be used for lightweight construction. The composite material pro-
duced exhibits lower flexural and compressive characteristics when reinforced with textile cutting
wastes, i.e. textile fibers when added to polymer concrete mixture does not accomplish the expected
reinforce or at least has the same strength characteristics of unreinforced polymer concrete.
 Textile fibers do not increase polymer concrete flexural and compressive strength but their addition to
the mixture eliminates the signs of brittleness behavior of unreinforced polymer concrete. The use of
those fibers, in specific applications, may solve two problems, namely, elimination of an environmental
pollutant and provision of an alternative material for the construction industry
 The results displayed in fig.7 show that flexural strength of polymer concrete made with textile fibers
decrease with the increase of textile fibers content.
 Ultimate failure load decrease is observed in all cases and failure becomes even less brittle, especially
for 12% resin content polymer concrete reinforced with 2% of textile fibers. The unreinforced speci-
mens collapse catastrophically and textile reinforced has a more soft failure, avoiding specimens from
break completely, failure occurred but specimens did not break apart.
 Increasing resin content increases the flexural strength in both formulations, unreinforced and textile
fiber reinforced polymer concrete. This behavior was expected according to previous studies
 From fig.7, it is clear that increasing resin and fiber content higher flexural strength is obtained.
 Fig.3 presents compressive strength comparison of all formulations tested plain and textile reinforced
polymer concrete.

 Table 1. Mix proportion of PC formulations.
Test series Resin: sand (w.w–1) Fiber content (%)
Flexural
EPO100F 10:90 0
EPO101F 10:90 1
EPO102F 10:90 2

26. Compressive
EPO120C 12:88 0
EPO121C 12:88 1
EPO122C 12:88 2

27. CONCLUSIONS
 Polymer concrete may be used because of rapid curing, excellent bond to cement concrete and steel
reinforcement, high strength, and durability; it was extensively used as repair material.
 Compressive strength and tensile strength vary with temperature and polymer used
 The strength of polymer-modified concrete is greatly influenced by the mixing ratio of ingredients and
type of the polymer used.
 Polymer concretes are viscoelastic and will fail under a sustained compressive loading if the load is
much greater than the ultimate load
 The presence of the polymer in a PIC not only envelopes the cement mortar but also seals the voids
formed during the cement hydration, this prevents cement‐acid interactions that would otherwise result
in loss of durability of the concrete, Low permeability to water and aggressive solutions, good chemical
resistance and resistance against corrosion
 Micro filler is also often added to polymer concrete mix to reduce the void content in aggregate
mixture and thereby increase the strength of polymer concrete like fly ash, silica….
 Studies have shown that small size of spherical particles also contributes to a better packing of the
aggregate materials which reduces porosity and hinders the penetration of aggressive agents, thus
considerably improving the chemical resistance of polymer concrete.
 Enhancement in compressive strength up to 30% has been reported by addition of 15% fly ash in
polymer concrete.
 Textile fibers do not increase polymer concrete flexural and compressive strength but their addition to
the mixture eliminates the Signs of brittleness behavior of unreinforced polymer concrete. The use of
those fibers, in specific applications, may solve two problems, namely, elimination of an environmental
pollutant and provision of an alternative material for the construction industry
 Addition of glass fibers improves the post peak behavior of polymer concrete.
 The strength and toughness of polymer concrete also increase with addition of fibers
 Geopolymer cements offer an alternative to, and potential replacement for, ordinary Portland cement
(OPC). Geopolymer technology also has the potential to reduce global greenhouse emissions caused by
OPC production but also possesses excellent mechanical properties (strength & durability).
 Aging infrastructure can be repaired using PMC, and It showed excellent bonding with old concrete
 Although polymer concrete might initially seem a bit more expensive when compared to conventional
materials because of the monetary cost per unit weight,
 It will appear extremely feasible when judged on its low maintenance requirements, its durability and
other parameters.
 This material has excellent potential for use in various fields in and it seems to be on the right path in
initiating research into applications of PMC.
 As yet, there is no polymer to serve universal purposes.

28. PLACES OF APPLICATION
 PMC is widely used for floor and bridge overlays, floor tiles, building cladding, hazardous waste
containment, post-tensioned beams and slabs, and stay-in place formwork ,also precast PC was used for
drains, underground boxes, manholes, acid tanks and cells, tunnel lining, shells, floor tiles, architectural
moldings and machine tools and bases.
 70–75% of its strength after a curing of one day at room temperature , whereas normal Portland cement
concrete usually achieves about 20% of its 28-day strength in one day. The early strength gain is
important in precast applications because it permits the structures to resist higher stresses early due to
form-stripping, handling, transportation, and erection operations.
 The low permeability and corrosive resistance of polymer concrete allows it to be used in swimming
pools, sewer structure applications, drainage channels, electrolytic cells for base metal recovery, and
other structures that contain liquids or corrosive chemicals.
 Prior to deciding what repair material to use, make sure you know what the intent is: Are you trying to
bond a crack together or just cover it up?
 How quickly do you want the repair to achieve full strength?
 How important is compressive strength or flexural strength? How about abrasion resistance?
 It is especially suited to the construction and rehabilitation of manholes due to their ability to withstand
toxic and corrosive sewer gases and bacteria commonly found in sewer systems.
 It can also be used as a bonded wearing course for asphalt pavement, for higher durability and higher
strength upon a concrete substrate.
 High-strength lightweight polymer concrete could be a solution in such application for structures are
heavy and require heavy reinforcements for making cantilevers and walls.
 For some concrete repairs, the best repair material is simply high quality concrete. polymers leading to
higher bond strength and durability
 PMC possess excellent bonding ability to old concrete, and high durability to aggressive solutions; it
has therefore been used mainly for overlays in industrial floors, and for rehabilitation of deteriorated
bridge decks
 In the case of PIC, by effectively sealing the micro cracks and capillary pores, it is possible to produce
a virtually impermeable product which gives an ultimate strength of the same order as that of PC.
 Geopolymer concrete drawback such as loss of workability, quick setting time and the health and
safety implications of working with strong alkali sol can easily be adapted in applications such as pre
cast concrete and mass concretes as a dam construction where roller compacted geopolymer concrete
can be construction method. It can also be used as waste water pipe line, hydraulic structures.
 This type of concrete, especially in countries with greater resources of natural pozzolana and alumina
silicate by products, can help decrease energy consumption and environmental impacts

29. FUTURE SCOPE
 Polymer-modified concrete materials are a very promising group of new building materials. They
possess remarkable potential due to a wide variety of interesting features, properties and applications.
Such materials can respond to the many needs of current and future construction works.
 Structures in hostile environments, inaccessible for repair, or subject to impact, cyclic, or dynamic
loading could benefit from PMC.
 The properties of individual polymers and polymer modified concretes have been investigated by
several researchers.
 High cost of polymers may limit the use of these materials in repairs and rehabilitation of concrete
structure for practical applications. However, their use with other subsidiary chemicals could reduce
their cost. This cost reduction may, therefore, help to promote the use of polymer in concrete. Hence,
cheaper polymers may be made for this purpose
 Further developments in polymer concrete may lead to common usage of the material in additional
infrastructure applications
 Polymer concrete has historically not been widely adopted due to the high costs and difficulty
associated with traditional manufacturing techniques. However, recent progress has led to significant
reductions in cost, meaning that the use of polymer concrete is gradually becoming more widespread
 PMC materials have the potential to be used in residential and other civil constructions
 GPCC offers an alternative and potential replacement for OPC, because of its effect in reducing the
greenhouse emissions produced during the manufacture or processing of OPC. Because of lower
internal energy (almost 20% to 30 % less) and lower CO2 emission contents of ingredients of
geopolymer based composites compared to those of conventional Portland cement concretes, the new
composites can be considered to be more eco-friendly and hence their utility in practical applications
needs to be developed and encouraged
 On March 2010, the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration released a
TechBrief titled Geopolymer Concrete that states:
[3]
The production of versatile, cost-effective
geopolymer cements that can be mixed and hardened essentially like Portland cement represents a
game changing advancement, revolutionizing the construction of transportation infrastructure and the
building industry

30. REFERENCES
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Gillespie, And Robert Y. Nelson
2. Polymer Concretes: A Description and Methods For Modification And Improvement By Martinez-
Barrera, E. Vigueras-Santiago, O. Gencel And H.E. Hagg Lobland
3. Mechanical Properties Of Polymer Concrete By Raman Bedi, Rakesh Chandra, And S. P. Singh
4. Indian Concrete Journal-Geo Polymer Concrete,December2014
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Polymer-Modified Concrete For Repair Of Concrete Structures In Pakistan By Muhammad Farhan
Arooj, Sajjad Haydar And Kafeel Ahmad
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Of Polymer Concrete By João Marciano Laredo Dos Reis, Universidade Federal Fluminense,Brazil
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