Assessment of sulfur concrete properties for use in civil engineering

Abstract

Sulfur concrete is a material that was introduced to the civil engineering industry as a substitute of a typical concrete in which cement is a binder. Sulfur concrete properties are provided by a sulfur polymer produced in the process of synthesis of the ordinary sulfur with modifiers that prevent a process of crystallization of sulfur what results in stabilizing sulfur polymer structure. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate characteristics of sulfur concrete, which was designed with combustion products. It was established that mechanical parameters of sulfur concrete should correspond with properties of a cement concrete used in production processes of prefabricated elements of road and construction industry. Accurateness of parameters of a designed mixture was confirmed and rated by a series of tests of hardened concrete – physical, mechanical (compression strength), durability in harsh environment. The test results confirmed low water absorption, high resistance to wear abrasion, high freeze-thaw scaling resistance (surface weathering) in a salty environment and high compressive and tensile strength of individual compositions. However, due to the internal structural damage, the freeze-thaw-attack cube tests did not prove the freeze-thaw resistance of the sulfur concrete specimens. The reason was low freeze-thaw-attack resistance of sulfur binders.