Analytical Study and Laboratory Tests for Investigating the Application of Polymer for Achieving High Strength Concrete

Abstract

Polymer concrete is one kind of which is used as an additive of the binding material. Due to their high thermal stability, tensile and flexural strengths, high compressive strength and resistance to chemical, its popularity increasing rapidly and which is now widely used as a construction material. This paper explores a research study that has been establishing a standard correlation between concrete compressive strength with the amount of polymers and other ingredients. Hence a comparison was made between the conventional concrete and polymer concrete. As per ASTM C31, the mix design of polymer concrete is calculated and estimated the material quantity. In this research, a total of twenty-two trail mixes of polymer concrete were prepared with different amount of epoxy resin and hardener. In implementation of experimental program compressive strength test was performed for conventional concrete, polymer resin (epoxy resin) concrete with resin percentage 10%, 12%, 15%, 17% and 20% was performed and compared the results with polymer concrete (no-fly ash) with polymer concrete (fly ash) percentage 15%. It was found that the compressive strength of the polymer concrete was increased with increasing the percentage of a polymer. Compressive strength of the 17% and 20% polymer resin-based polymer concrete was 46.75 MPa and 48.32 MPa and cost was around 1,17,110.00 TK and 1,37,152.00 TK; respectively and also it was observed that by using fly ash the strength of the concrete could be increased significantly. It can be said that higher strength can be achieved with a comparatively high cost. However, the cost can be reduced by proper materials selection, mix ratio, curing and adequate quality control of the material.