Investigation into Strength Properties of Polymer-Sand Aggregate Concrete

Abstract

Polymer concrete (PC) is a composite material formed by combining mineral aggregates such as sand or gravel with a monomer. This study investigated the strength properties of a polymer concrete using reprocessed Pure Water Sachet (PWS) as a binder and sharp sand as aggregate for possible replacement for conventional cement concrete in some areas of application. The polymer sand aggregate concrete was prepared by mixing reprocessed PWS with sand in different polymer-aggregate percentage replacements by volume (50%-50%, 60%-40%, 70%-30%, and 80%-20%) after sieve analysis had been carried out on the sand while the control specimen, that is, conventional cement concrete was prepared from a mix ratio of 1:2:4. Compressive strength test was carried out on all samples after 28 days curing in air and water for both polymer aggregate concrete and conventional cement concrete respectively. It was discovered that, the more the polymer (reprocessed PWS) content the lower the compressive strength. The compressive strength ranged from 2.0N/mm²-0.5N/mm² (50%-50% to 80%-20%) at an average of 1.2N/mm²; but very low compared to conventional cement concrete strength as specified in BS 8110 1-1997. However, modifying cement formulations with polymers provides many important properties that make a variety of applications possible, including concrete patch and repair, decorative cement overlays, ceramic tile adhesives, and many others.

Keywords: Polymer Concrete (PC), Pure Water Sachet (PWS), Polymer-Aggregate, Sieve analysis, Compressive Strength.