Fundamental strength properties of polymer concrete – effect of heating

Abstract

In the present study, investigation on mechanical properties of effect of grading of aggregate, size of fly ash and polymer content on Polymer Concrete (PC) with fly ash as fillers was conducted. The polymer-based concretes were also exposed to elevated temperatures and tested to study the change in its mechanical behavior. The mechanical properties, i.e., compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, stress-strain behavior and modulus of elasticity of PCs and Ordinary Cement Concrete (OCC) were determined. The polymer and fly ash content were kept between 12.4%-13.2% and 7.6%-9.6%, respectively. The results obtained show that the PC possess significantly higher mechanical strength as compared to the respective OCC. Also, the polymer and fly ash content have to be controlled properly in order to achieve higher strength. The mechanical properties of PC depend on grading of aggregate and particle size of fly ash. The mechanical properties of PC exposed to elevated temperatures show satisfactory behavior up to 240°C, beyond which it decreases significantly.