Mechanical Properties of Reinforced Polymer Concrete with Three Types of Resin Systems

This paper studies the mechanical properties of polymer concrete (PC) with three types of resin systems. First, the effect of 0.5 wt% up to 3 wt% basalt fiber on the mechanical properties of a quaternary epoxy-based PC is investigated experimentally, and the best weight percentage of basalt fiber is obtained. The results show that adding basalt fiber to PC caused the greatest enhancement within 10% in compressive strength, 10% in flexural strength, 35% in the splitting tensile strength, and 315% in impact strength. In the next step, the effect of nanoclay particles on the mechanical properties of basalt fiber-reinforced PC (BFRPC) is analyzed experimentally. Nanoclays increase the compressive strength up to 7%, flexural strength up to 27%, and impact strength up to 260% but decrease the tensile strength of the PC. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis is performed to study the fracture surface and morphology of various concrete specimens. In the last step, we consider the effect of two other different resin systems, rigid polyurethane and rigid polyurethane foam on the mechanical properties of reinforced polymer concrete. A comparison study presents that the epoxy PC has a higher specific strength than the polyurethane and ultra-lightweight polyurethane foam PC.

Long-term alkali-silica mitigation of high-alkali concrete with cement replacements

The impact of high-alkali Portland cements on the prescribed level of supplementary cementitious materials required in the Canadian standard for akali-silica reaction mitigation was evaluated. Based on the results, for concretes containing aggregates exhibiting moderate reactivity, the maximum allowable cement alkali limit was raised from 1.00% to 1.15%. For all levels of aggregate reactivity, cement alkali contents could be allowed up to 1.25% provided the recommended level of mitigation by supplementary cementitious materials was increased. In the initial laboratory study, mortar bars and concrete prisms were cast and monitored using two different reactive aggregates and recommended levels of fly ash and slag. For the concrete prism tests, the alkali contents of the cements were increased to 1.25%, as per the standard, or were increased by 0.25%. Instrumented outdoor exposure concrete blocks, along with additional concrete prisms stored at different temperatures, were cast from numerous mixtures made with cement alkali equivalents ranging up to 1.22%. This paper report on the long-term performance of the prisms and concrete blocks after 12 and 27 years. The performance of the outdoor blocks is also compared to predicted performance based on the accelerated mortar bar and concrete prism test results.