Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Through different research, it has been found that the addition of polymer in concrete brings high improvement in its compressive strength, toughness, fatigue resistance, impact resistance and durability. Polymer concrete is extraordinarily impermeable and resistive towards the attack of acids, alkalis and other different chemicals.
There are 3 types of polymer concrete which are explained below.
2. Types of polymer concrete
Polymer concrete can be classified into three types. They are:
a. Polymer impregnated concrete (PIC)
b. Polymer cement concrete (PCC)
c. Polymer concrete (PC)
a. Polymer impregnated concrete (PIC)
PIC is a hardened Portland Cement Concrete which has been impregnated with a monomer ( it is a low viscosity liquid natural material) and finally polymerized in situ.
In this case, the cement concrete is cast and cured in a conventional manner.
After the drying and hardening of the concrete product, air from the voids present in concrete are removed under partial vacuum and a low viscosity monomer (styrene, vinyl chloride etc.) is diffused through the pores of the concrete.
The concrete product is then sooner subjected to polymerization by using radiation or by heat treatment thereby changing the monomer filled within the voids into solid plastic.
Applications
Some field of applications of PIC are:
i. Precast slabs for bridge decks
ii. Roads
iii. Marne structures
iv. Food processing buildings etc.
b. Polymer cement concrete (PCC)
PCC is produced by incorporating an emulsion of a polymer or a monomer in ordinary Portland Cement Concrete.
The elements comprising cement, aggregates and monomer are blended with water and monomer in the concrete mix is polymerized after placing concrete in position. The resultant concrete has improved:
➢ Strength
➢ Adhesion
➢ Chemical resistance
➢ Abrasion resistance
➢ Increased impermeability
➢ Reduced absorption
Applications
Marine works.
c. Polymer concrete (PC):
In PC, polymer/ monomer is employed to act as a binder in place of cement.
The monomer and aggregate are combined collectively and the monomer is polymerized after placement of concrete in position. It is imperative to preheat the coarse and fine aggregates while mixing monomer.
Application
Irrigation works.
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