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Application of Polymer Concrete

APPLICATION OF POLYMER MODIFIED CONCRETE


1. INTRODUCTION
Despite being thought of as a modern material, concrete has been in use for hundreds of years. The word concrete comes from the Latin concretus, which means mixed together or compounded. Concrete is an extremely popular structural material due to its low cost and easy fabrication. Concrete is made up of sand or stone, known as aggregate, combined with cement paste to bind it. Aggregate can be of various sizes. It is broadly categorized as fine (commonly sand) and coarse (typically crushed stone or gravel). The greater proportion of concrete is aggregate which is bulky and relatively cheaper than the cement. As much of the constituents of concrete come from stone, it is often thought that concrete has the same qualities and will last forever. Concrete has been called artificial stone, cast stone, reconstructed stone and reconstituted stone. However, concrete must be thought of as a distinct material to stone. It has its own characteristics in terms of durability, weathering and repair. Concrete is a relatively durable and robust building material, but it can be severely weakened by poor manufacture or a very aggressive environment. A number of historic concrete structures exhibit problems that are related to their date of origin. These problems can be solved by application of polymer in concrete construction. A polymer is a large molecule containing hundreds or thousands of atoms formed by combining one, two or occasionally more kinds of small molecule (monomers) into chain or network structures. The main polymer material used in concrete construction are polymer modified concrete and polymer concrete.
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Application of Polymer Concrete

Polymer modified concrete may be divided into two classes: polymer impregnated concrete and polymer cement concrete. The first is produced by impregnation of pre-cast hardened

Portland cement concrete with a monomer that is subsequently converted to solid polymer. To produce the second, part of the cement binder of the concrete mix is replaced by polymer (often in latex form). Both have higher strength, lower water permeability, better resistance to chemicals, and greater freeze-thaw stability than conventional concrete. Polymer concrete (PC), or resin concrete, consists of a polymer binder which may be a thermoplastic but more frequently is a thermosetting polymer, and a mineral filler such as aggregate, gravel and crushed stone. PC has higher strength, greater resistance to chemicals and corrosive agents, lower water absorption and higher freeze-thaw stability than conventional Portland cement concrete. 2. AIM The main aims of this research are to identify and present the application of polymer in concrete construction 3. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this work are: i) To study the application of polymer in concrete construction. ii) To determine the advantage and disadvantage of polymer. iii) To investigate the problems in the use of the polymer as repair materials in concrete construction 4. INTRODUCTION TO POLYMERS
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Application of Polymer Concrete

Polymers are a large class of materials consisting of many small molecules (called monomers) that can be linked together to form long chains, thus they are known as macromolecules . A typical polymer may include tens of thousands of monomers. Because of their large size, polymers are classified as macromolecules. Humans have taken advantage of the versatility of polymers for centuries in the form of oils, tars, resins, and gums.

However, it was not until the industrial revolution that the modern polymer industry began to develop. In the late 1830s, Charles Goodyear succeeded in producing a useful form of natural rubber through a process known as "vulcanization." Some 40 years later, Celluloid (a hard plastic formed from nitrocellulose) was successfully commercialized. Despite these advances, progress in polymer science was slow until the 1930s, when materials such as vinyl, neoprene, polystyrene, and nylon were developed. The introduction of these revolutionary materials began an explosion in polymer research that is still going on today Unmatched in the diversity of their properties, polymers such as cotton, wool, rubber and all plastics are used in nearly every industry. Natural and synthetic polymers can be produced with a wide range of stiffness, strength, heat resistance, density, and even price. With continued research into the science and applications of polymers, they are playing an ever increasing role in society 5. POLYMER MODIFIED CONCRETE Although its physical properties and relatively low cost make it the most widely used construction material, conventional Portland cement concrete has a number of limitations, such as low flexural strength, low failure strain, susceptibility to frost damage and low resistance to chemicals. These drawbacks are well recognized by the engineer and can usually be allowed for in most applications. In certain situations, these problems can
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Application of Polymer Concrete

be solved by using materials which contain an organic polymer or resin (commercial polymer) instead of Portland cement. These relatively new materials offer the advantages of higher strength, improved durability, good resistance to corrosion and reduced water permeability. There are three principal classes of composite materials containing polymers: 1. Polymer impregnated concrete 2. Polymer cement concrete 3. Polymer concrete. The distinction between these three classes is important to the design engineer in the selection of the appropriate material for a given application. 5.1 Polymer Impregnated Concrete Polymer impregnated concrete is made by impregnation of pre-cast hardened Portland cement concrete with low viscosity monomers (in either liquid or gaseous form) that are converted to solid polymer under the influence of physical agents (ultraviolet radiation or heat) or chemical agents (catalysts). It is produced by drying conventional concrete; displacing the air from the open pores (by vacuum or monomer displacement and pressure); saturating the open pore structure by diffusion of low viscosity monomers or a pre-polymer-monomer mixture (viscosity 10 cps; 1 x 10 -2 Pas); and insitu polymerization of the monomer or pre-polymer-monomer mixture, using the most economical and convenient method (radiation, heat or chemical initiation). The important feature of this material is that a large proportion of the void volume is filled with polymer, which forms a continuous reinforcing network. The concrete structure may be impregnated to varying depths or in the surface layer only, depending on whether increased strength and/or durability is sought. The main disadvantages of polymer impregnated concrete products are their relatively high cost, as the monomers used in impregnation are expensive
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Application of Polymer Concrete

and the fabrication process is more complicated than for unmodified concrete. Impregnation of concrete results in a remarkable improvement in tensile, compressive and impact strength, enhanced durability and reduced permeability to water and aqueous salt solutions such as sulfates and chlorides. The compressive strength can be increased from 35 MPa to 140 MPa, the water absorption can be reduced significantly. And the freezethaw resistance is considerably enhanced. The greatest strength can be achieved by impregnation of auto-claved concrete. This material can have a compressive-strength-to-density ratio nearly three times that of steel. Although its modulus of elasticity is only moderately greater than that of non-autoclaved polymer impregnated concrete, the maximum strain at break is significantly higher. The monomers most widely used in the impregnation of concrete are, such as 1. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) 2. Styrene 3. Acrylonitrile 4. T-butyl styrene 5. Vinyl acetate Acrylic monomer systems such as methyl methacrylate or its mixtures with acrylonitrile are the preferred impregnating materials, because they have low viscosity, good wetting properties, high reactivity, relatively low cost and result in products with superior properties. By using appropriate bifunctional or polyfunctional monomers (cross-linking agents) in conjunction with MMA, a cross-linked network is formed within the pores, resulting in products with greatly increased mechanical strength and higher thermal and chemical resistance. Improvement of these properties will depend on the degree of cross-linking. A cross-linking agent commonly used with vinyl monomers such as MMA and styrene is trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate.

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Application of Polymer Concrete

Thermosetting monomers and pre-polymers are also used to produce polymer impregnated concrete with greatly increased thermal stability (i.e. resistance to deterioration by heat). These include epoxy prepolymers and unsaturated polyester-styrene. These monomers and prepolymers are relatively viscous and, therefore, their use results in reduced impregnation. Their viscosity can be reduced by mixing them with lowviscosity monomers such as MMA. Applications of concrete impregnated in depth in building and construction include structural floors, high performance structures, food processing buildings, sewer pipes, storage tanks for seawater, desalination plants and distilled water plants. Marine structures, wall panels, tunnel liners, prefabricated tunnel sections and swimming pools. Partially impregnated concrete is used for the protection of bridges and concrete structures against deterioration and repair of deteriorated building structures, such as ceiling slabs, underground garage decks and bridge decks. Table no: 5.1 General Characteristics and Applications of PolymerModified Concretes Polymer Impregnated Concrete Consists generally of a pre-cast concrete, which has been dried then impregnated with a low viscosity monomer that polymerizes to form a network within the pores. Impregnation results in markedly improved strength and durability in comparison with conventional Principal Applications concrete. Principal applications include use in structural steel floors, food processing buildings, sewer pipes, storage tanks for seawater, desalination plants and distilled water plants, wall panels, tunnel liners and swimming Remark pools. Disadvantage: Its relatively high cost, as polymer is more expensive than cement and the production
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General Characteristics

Application of Polymer Concrete

process is more complicated.

5.2 Polymer Cement Concrete


Polymer cement concrete is a modified concrete in which part (10 to 15% by weight) of the cement binder is replaced by a synthetic organic polymer. It is produced by incorporating a monomer, pre-polymermonomer mixture, or a dispersed polymer (latex) into a cement-concrete mix. To effect the polymerization of the monomer or pre-polymermonomer, a catalyst is added to the mixture. The process technology used is very similar to that of conventional concrete. Therefore, polymer cement concrete can be cast-in-place in field applications, whereas polymer impregnated concrete has to be used as a pre-cast structure. The monomers that are used are: 1. Polyster-styrene. 2. Epoxy-styrene. 3. Furans. 4. Vinylidene Chloride. Modification of concrete with a polymer latex (colloidal dispersion of polymer particles in water) results in greatly improved properties, at a reasonable cost. Therefore, a great variety of latexes is now available for use in polymer cement concrete products and mortars. The most common latexes are based on poly (methyl methacrylate) also called acrylic latex, poly (vinyl acetate), vinyl chloride copolymers, poly (vinylidene chloride), (styrene-butadiene) copolymer, nitrile rubber and natural rubber. Each polymer produces characteristic physical properties. The acrylic latex provides a very good water-resistant bond between the modifying polymer and the concrete components, whereas use of latexes of styrene-based polymers results in a high compressive strength Curing of latex polymer cement concrete is different from that of conventional concrete, because the polymer forms a film on the surface of
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Application of Polymer Concrete

the product. Retaining some of the internal moisture needed for continuous cement hydration. Due to the film-forming feature, moist curing of the latex product is generally shorter than for conventional concrete. Generally, polymer cement concrete made with polymer latex exhibits excellent bonding to steel reinforcement and to old concrete. Its flexural strength and toughness are usually higher than those of unmodified concrete. The modulus of elasticity may or may not be higher than that of unmodified concrete, depending on the polymer latex used. For example, the more rubbery polymer. Generally, as the polymer forms a low modulus phase with the polymer cement concrete, the creep is higher than that of plain concrete and decreases with the type of polymer latex used in the following order: polyacrylate; styrene-butadiene copolymer; polyvinylidene chloride; unmodified cement The drying shrinkage of polymer cement concrete is generally lower than that of conventional concrete; the amount of shrinkage depends on the water-to-cement ratio, cement content, polymer content and curing conditions. It is more susceptible to higher temperatures than ordinary cement concrete. For example, creep increases with temperature to a greater extent than in ordinary cement concrete, whereas flexural strength, flexural modulus and modulus of elasticity decrease. The main application of polymer cement concrete is in floor surfacing, as it is non-dusting and relatively cheap. Because of lower shrinkage, good resistance to permeation by various liquids such as water and salt solutions, and good bonding properties to old concrete, it is particularly suitable for thin (25 mm) floor toppings, concrete bridge deck overlays, anti-corrosive overlays, concrete repairs and patching Recently Russian authors have reported the production of superior Polymer Cement Concrete by the incorporation of furfurly alcohol and
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Application of Polymer Concrete

aniline hydrochloride in wet mix. This material is claimed to be specially dense and non shrinkage and to have high corrosion resistance, low permeability and high resistance to vibration and axial extension. Table no: 5.2 General Characteristics and Applications of

Polymer-Modified Concretes

Polymer cement concrete Products made with thermosetting polymers and General Characteristics polymer latex have greater mechanical strength, markedly better resistance to penetration by water and salt, and greater resistance to freeze-thaw damage than Portland cement concrete; excellent bonding to steel reinforcing and to old concrete Major applications are in floors, bridge decks, road Principal Applications surfacing and compounds for repair of concrete structures. Latex modified mortar is used for laying bricks, in prefabricated panels and in stone. The mixing and handling are similar to Portland cement Remark concrete. However, in the production process, air entrainment occurs without the use of an admixture, and prolonged moist curing is not required

5.3 Polymer Concrete


Polymer concrete (PC) is a composite material in which the binder consists entirely of a synthetic organic polymer. It is variously known as synthetic resin concrete, plastic resin concrete or simply resin concrete. The main technique in producing Polymer Concrete is to minimize void volume in the aggregate so as to reduce the quantity of polymer needed for binding the aggregate. This is achieved by properly grading and mixing the aggregate to attain the maximum density and minimum void volume.
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Application of Polymer Concrete

The graded aggregate are prepacked and vibrated in a mould. Monomer is then diffused up through the aggregate and polymerization is initiated by radiation or chemical means. An important reason for the development of this material is the advantage it offers over conventional concrete where the alkaline Portland cement on curing, forms internal voids. Water can be entrapped in these voids which on freezing can readily crack the concrete. Also the alkaline Portland cement is easily attacked by chemical aggressive materials which result in rapid deterioration, whereas Polymer can be compact with minimum voids and are hydrophobic and resistant to chemical attack. The strength obtained by Polymer Concrete can be as high as 140 MPa with a short curing period. 5.3.1 Nature and General Properties Polymer concrete consists of a mineral filler (for example, an aggregate) and a polymer binder (which may be a thermoplastic, but more frequently, it is a thermosetting polymer). When sand is used as a filler, the composite is referred to as a polymer mortar. Other fillers include crushed stone, gravel, limestone, chalk, condensed silica fume (silica flour, silica dust) granite, quartz, clay, expanded glass, and metallic fillers. Generally, any dry, non-absorbent, solid material can be used as a filler. Polymer concrete composites have generally good resistance to attack by chemicals and other corrosive agents, have very low water sorption properties, good resistance to abrasion and marked freeze-thaw stability. Also, the greater strength of polymer concrete in comparison to that of Portland cement concrete permits the use of up to 50 percent less material. This puts polymer concrete on a competitive basis with cement concrete in certain special applications. The chemical resistance and physical properties are generally determined by the nature of the polymer binder to a greater extent than by the type and the amount of filler. In
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Application of Polymer Concrete

turn, the properties of the matrix polymer are highly dependent on time and the temperature to which it is exposed The viscoelastic properties of the polymer binder give rise to high creep values. This is a factor in the restricted use of PC in structural applications. Its deformation response is highly variable depending on formulation; the elastic moduli may range from 20 to about 50 GPa, the tensile failure strain being usually 1%. Shrinkage strains vary with the polymer used (high for polyester and low for epoxy-based binder) and must be taken into account in an application. A wide variety of monomers and pre-polymers are used to produce PC. The polymers most frequently used are based on four types of monomers or pre-polymer systems: methyl methacrylate , polyester pre-polymerstyrene, epoxide pre-polymer hardener and furfuryl alcohol. The typical range of properties of PC products made with each of these four polymers is presented in Table no: 5.3 General characteristics and principal applications are described.

Table no: 5.3 General Characteristics and Principal Applications of Polymer Concrete General Characteristics Polymer Concrete Polymer concrete or resin concrete made using thermosetting polymer, and a mineral filler such as aggregate, gravel and crushed stone. PC has higher strength, greater resistance to chemicals and corrosive

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Application of Polymer Concrete

agents, lower water absorption and higher freeze-thaw stability than conventional Portland cement concrete.

Principal Applications

Major applications are in floors, bridge decks, road surfacing, storage tanks for seawater, swimming pools, surfacing material and compounds for repair of concrete structures. Polymer concrete mortar is used for laying bricks, in prefabricated panels and in stone

Remark

Uses of Polymer binder over comes the problem of voids, micro cracks, permeability and cost effective etc. Thus replaces the conventional concrete.

Table no: 5.4 Typical Range of Properties of Common PC Products and Portland Cement Concrete Type of Binder Densit y (kg/dm ) Poly(methylm ethacrylate) Polyester Epoxy Furan polymer Portland Cement Concrete 1.9-2.5 5-8 13-35 1.5-3.5 2-8 20-30 1.6-1.7 0.02 48-64 7-8 20-40 25-35 0.050.60 0.301.0 0.021.0 Water Sorptio n (%) Compressi ve Strength, (MPa) Tensile Strengt h (MPa) Flexura l Strengt h (MPa) Modulus of Elasticity (GPa)

2.0-2.4 2.0-2.4 2.0-2.4

70-210 50-150 50-150

9-11 8-25 8-25

30-35 15-45 15-45

35-40 20-40 20-40

6. PROPERTIES

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Application of Polymer Concrete

6.1 Polymer Modified Concrete:


Stress-Strain Relationship Polymer Impregnated Concrete has a nearly linear stress-strain relation to failure there is a very little departure from linearity up to 90 percent of ultimate strength and there is no abrupt change at the proportional limit. The modulus of elasticity increased from 27 GPa for unimpregnated specimen to 49 GPa for impregnated specimen. Compressive strength Using methylemethacrylate as monomer and with a polymer loading of 6.4 percent, strength of the order of 144 MPa has been obtained using radiation technique of polymerization. The compressive strength obtained with thermal catalytic process was 130 MPa. Tensile Strength The increase in tensile strength in the case of PIC has been observed to be as high as 3.9 times that of the control specimen. Impregnated concrete has shown tensile strength of order 11.6 MPa compare to the strength of control specimen using rotation process of polymerization. The thermal catalytically initiated polymerization produced concrete with tensile strength 3.6 times that of the control specimen. Polymer latex has given tensile strength of 5.8 MPa compared to the controlled specimen of 4.4 MPa strength. Polyester resin concrete with binder content varying from 20 to 25% have shown tensile strength in the range of 9to 10 Mpa. At 7 days Flexural Strength Polymer impregnated concrete with MMA and polymerised by radiation have shown flexural strength 3.6 times more than of the controlled specimen, i.e. the flexural strength was increased to 18.8 MPa from 5.2 MPa.
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Application of Polymer Concrete

Polyester resin concrete has been reported to give flexural strength of the order of 15 MPa at 7 days. Durability Freeze Thaw Resistance: Polymer impregnated concrete has shown excellent resistance to freeze-thaw MMA impregnated and radiation polymerised specimen have withstood 8110 cycles of freeze-thaw compared to 740 cycles in case of unimpregnated concrete. Resistance to sulphate attack: There is 200 % improvement in the resistance of polymer impregnated concrete and 89% improvement in case of partially impregnated concrete over conventional concrete. Acid Resistance: the acid resistance of PIC has been observed to improve by 1200%. Water absorption A maximum reduction of 95% in water absorption has been observed. Co-efficient of thermal expansion Polymer impregnated concrete has shown appreciable improvement in resistance to abrasion. Radiation polymerised concrete has a co-efficient of thermal expansion of 4.02 X 10 -6, radiation polymerised concrete has a co-efficient of thermal expansion of 5.63 X 10 -6 and styrene impregnated specimens have value of 5.10 X 10-6. Resistance to abrasion Polymer impregnated concrete has shown appreciable improvement in resistance to abrasion. MMA impregnated concrete has been found to be 50 to 80% more resistance to abrasion. Wear and Skid Resistance

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Application of Polymer Concrete

The treated surface show excellent skid resistance compared to the unimpregnated surfaces. The wear after 50000 simulated vehicular passes has been less than 0.025cm. Fracture of Polymer Impregnated Concrete Impregnation improves the strength of mortar matrix and the strength of the paste-aggregate interface by elimination of microcracks. Polymer probably enters the aggregates also forms a network of polymer fibers across the interface, thus strengthening. The typical properties of these polymer-containing concrete are compared with those of conventional Portland cement concrete in Table. Their general characteristics and applications are summarized as Table no: 6.1 Typical Properties of Polymer-Containing Concrete and Portland Cement Concrete Modulus Of Elasticity (GPa) Compress ive Strength (MPa) Shear Bond Strength (KPa) Water Absorpti on (%)

Material

Tensile Strength (MPa)

Acid Resistan ce

Polymer Impregnat ed Concrete Polymer Cement Concrete Polymer concrete Portland Cement Concrete 2.5 24.5 35 875 5.5 10 40 140 0.5 8 5.8 14 53 11.6 42 144 0.6 10

>4550

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Application of Polymer Concrete

7. APPLICATION OF POLYMER MODIFIED CONCRETE


It is useful in a large number of application, some of which have been listed and discussed below: 1. Prefabricated structural element. 2. Prestressed concrete. 3. Marine works. 4. Desalination plants. 5. Sewage Works- pipe and disposal works. 6. Ferrocement products. 7. For water proofing of structure. 8. Industrial applications. 9. Polymer Concrete Overlays. 10. Surfacing Material 11. Polymer Concrete Drainage System with Grating 12. Polymer concrete used to make Lintels Prefabricated structural element For solving the tremendous problem of urban housing storages, maintaining quality, economy and speed, buildings had to fall back on prefabricated technique of construction. At present due to low strength of conventional concrete, the prefabricated sections are large and heavy, resulting in costly handling and erection. These reasons have prevented wide adoption of prefabricated in many countries. At present, the technique of polymer impregnated is ideally suited for precast concrete. It will find unquestionable use in industrialization of building components. Owing to higher strength, much thinner and lighter sections could be used which enables easy handling and erection. They can be even used in high raised buildings without much difficulty. Polymer concrete precast components continue to be widely used for junction boxes, communication boxes, machine bases, railroad crossings, and wall panels.

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Application of Polymer Concrete

Figure 7.1 Rail crossings

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Figure 7.2 Prefabricated Structure Prestressed concrete Further development in prestressed concrete is hindered by the inability to produce high strength concrete, compatibility with high tensile steel available for prestressing. Since PIC provides a high compressive strength of the order of 100 to 140 MPa, it will be possible to use it for large spans and for heavier loads. Low creep properties of PIC will also make it a good material for prestressed concrete. Marine Works Aggressive nature of sea water, abrasive and leaching action of waves and inherent porosity, impair the durability of conventional concrete in marine works. PIC possessing high surface hardness, very low permeability and greatly increased resistance to chemical attack, is a suitable material for marine works.

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Application of Polymer Concrete

Desalination Plants Desalination of sea water is being resorted to augment the shortage of surface and ground water in many countries. The material used in the construction of distillation vessels in such works has to withstand the corrosive effects of distilled water, brine and vapour at temperature upto 1430C. Preliminary economic evaluation has indicated a saving in construction cost over that of conventional concrete by thus use of PIC.

Figure 7.3 Vessels

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Application of Polymer Concrete

Figure 7.3 Vessels

Sewage Disposal Works It is common experience that concrete sewer pipes deteriorate due to the attack of effluents and when buried is sulphate infested soils. Further, in the sewage treatment plant, concrete structures are subjected to severe attack from corrosive gases particularly in sludge digestion tanks. Polymer impregnated concrete due to its high sulphate and acid resistance will prove to be a suitable material in these situations.

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Figure 7.4 Egg Shaped Pipes

Figure 7.5 Circular Pipes

Ferrocement Products The Ferrocement techniques of construction is being extensively used in manufacture of boats, fishing trawlers, domestic water thanks, grain storage tanks, manhole cove, Chemical Containment, Waste Containers etc.

Figure 7.6 Boat


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Application of Polymer Concrete

Figure 7.7 Water Tank

Figure 7.8 Storage Tank

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Figure 7.9 Man Hole and its Cover Water proofing of structures Seepage and leakage of water through roofs and bathrooms slabs, is a nagging problem and has been fully over come by use of conventional water proofing methods. The use of polymer impregnated mortar will solve this problem.

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Application of Polymer Concrete

Industrial Applications Concrete has been used for floor for tanneries. Chemical factories, dairy farms, base for a transformer and other machines. The newly developed PIC will provide a permanent solution for durable flooring in such situations.

Machine Base Polymer Concrete Overlays

Figure 7.10

Transformer Base

Used to restore concrete surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks, patios, pool decks, etc. They are used to level uneven concrete surfaces to correct water drainage problems, hide crack repairs and discolored concrete. Once cracks are repaired, a thin layer of overlay is applied in a decorative way to enhance the concrete surface. Overlays give old concrete a completely new look.

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Before Figure 7.11 Polymer Concrete Overlays

After

Surfacing Material Polymer concrete is a proven surfacing material for both interior and exterior concrete surfaces. The long lasting durability of polymer concrete is abrasion and impact resistant coupled with being fully resistant to the thermal cycling of the harshest winter cold or the blistering heat of the summer sun. The polymer concrete system will maintain its beauty and durability for years to come. The cement coating can be applied as paint.
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Before

Figure 7.1 Surfacing Process

After

Figure 7.13 Finished Floor by Polymer Concrete Polymer Concrete Drainage System with Grating

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Figure 7.14 Drainage System with Grating

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Figure 7.15 Implementation of Drainage System

Polymer concrete used to make Lintels Polymer Concrete Lintels are horizontal element intended to carry the load of the upper walls of door and window spans.

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Application of Polymer Concrete

Figure 7.16 Polymer Concrete Lintels Figure shows the application of polymer in concrete construction. Polymer used in selected the project sites can be classified as new structure, existing structure and bridge. The typical application of polymer is used to repair concrete defects on columns, beam and slab. From the figure, the applications of polymer are more on beam for new structure. For the existing structure and bridge, the applications of polymer are more on slab.

Figure 7.17 The application of polymer in concrete construction

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8. Application of Polymer Modified Concrete in Repair of Column


A large copper mine and refinery in the western United States had a dilemma. Their cell house, which contains over 1,500 cells, each holding more than 20,000 gallons of electrolyte, had experienced severe corrosion and structural degradation of the support columns for the tanks. Over time, highly acidic leakage from the cells had corroded the support columns to the point that their ability to adequately withstand the imposed load was in doubt. The leakage of copper sulfate and 25% sulfuric acid at a pH of 1.0 or less, corroded not only the concrete but more significantly the No. 8 reinforcement bar (rebar) encased in the concrete. Corrosion of the rebar resulted in an increase of internal pressure due to expansion of the corrosion products, therefore putting the concrete in high tensile stress. The direct effect of this stress was cracking the concrete. Figure 8.1 shows a typical degradated column requiring restoration.

Figure 8.1 Column Degradation The original construction of the columns used No. 8 rebar spaced 6-inches on center vertically and 18-inches on center horizontally. The refinerys standard repair procedure was to remove corrosion products from the concrete and steel and then to top them with a polymer-modified portland-cement mortar. They decided upon a new approach using a polymer concrete (PC). This material is designed for maximum flowability, mechanical properties and chemical resistance. The PC repair system utilizes the polymer concrete for encapsulation, chemical protection, mechanical support and resistance to physical abuse.

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Figures 8.2 illustrate the method by which the stainless steel rebar was attached to the columns after surface-preparation. Stainless steel rebar was imbedded into the concrete floor using an epoxy mortar. These channels provided a recess into which the rebar was bent and then secured into place with the epoxy mortar. Grouting of the rebar with this high strength epoxy mortar also served to provide tensile stress relief. By lowering stress relief, corrosion rates are reduced.

Figure 8.2 Stainless steel rebar bent and grouted Polymer concrete was poured into place completely encapsulating the columns and the rebar. 75 columns have been repaired using this method. Figures 8.3 and 8.4 show the forming and pouring of the PC. Figure 8.5 shows the PC after the form has been removed.

Figure 8.3 The forms placed around the column

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Figure 8.4 Pouring of the polymer concrete

Figure 8.5 Columns after removal of forms A slump of 6 inches is considered to be flowable. This particular polymer concrete used exhibits a slump of 8-inches, which is very flowable. Figures 7.6 illustrate the flowability of the polymer concrete mixture.

Figure 8.6 Slump Test

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Application of Polymer Concrete

The PC is roughly three times as strong as a portland cement mix and is not chemically affected by the electrolyte. These properties make it an ideal product for the column restoration. As expected, none of the 75 columns repaired to date have exhibited any signs of failure and have required no maintenance since the repair program commenced in early 2007. Coatings will typically have a service life of 8 to 15 years depending upon the exposure and physical abuse. Figure 8.6 illustrates the completed column.

Figure 8.6 Completed column repair

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Application of Polymer Concrete

9. CONCLUSION Corrosion protection from a severely aggressive electrolyte, as well as protection from physical abuse. Polymer concretes are also proving to be cost effective alternatives to using portland cement-based concretes with chemical-resistant topcoats for corrosion protection. The cost of maintenance for polymer concretes per year of service life is significantly less than that of concrete with applied barrier coatings, which may require multiple re-applications over the same number of years of service. Polymer Concrete can be used for realizing the rehabilitation of structures by coating or for realizing structural elements such as beams, columns, foundation beams, etc. The substitution of cast iron with polymer concrete in machine tool main spindle housing has been made. Without considerable reduction in static performances a significant improvement in damping is obtained. The new product, development time and the manufacturing cost have been dramatically reduced due to the simplification of the production process. The mechanical and chemical resistant properties of PIC composites are superior to the conventional cement mortar 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. The main use of these materials is in thin section applications, in waterproofing and protection of concrete structures.

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10. Reference
Application of Polymer in Concrete Construction by LEEENG HING in the year 2007/2008. Concrete Technology Theory and Practice Text book by M.S. SHETTY. Design and manufacture of hybrid polymer concrete bed for high-speed CNC milling machine by JUNG DO SUH and DAI GIL LEE. Polymer Concrete White Paper by David E. Snider and Heather M. Ramsey. The compressive strength of a new urea formaldehyde-based polymer concrete by A. ALZAYDI AND S. A. SHIHATA.

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