European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences 2015; www.european-science.com Vol.3, No.3 Special Issue on New Trends in Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Urban Studies ISSN 1805-3602

Polymers in Concrete: Applications and Specifications

Ali Sadr Momtazi1, Reza Kohani Khoshkbijari2, Sadaf Sabagh Mogharab 3 1Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Gilan University, Iran; 2PhD Scholar in Civil Engineering, Gilan University, Iran; 3BA in Urban Planning, Hamadan University, Iran

Abstract The use of polymers in concrete has a very long history. Over the past 25 years many researches have been conducted on polymer. Due to the high impact of polymer on structures and concrete procedures, these studies are ongoing. Polymers improve mechanical and chemical properties of concrete, some of which include increased compressive strength, flexural and tensile strength as well as good performance in increasing durability and reducing corrosion and permeability of concrete. Generally, there are three types of concrete which is made by polymer including polymer impregnated concrete (PIC), polymer concrete (PC) and polymer modified concrete (PMC). In this article, we have tried to review the history of using polymers in concrete as well as reviewing techniques and modern researches in the construction and improvement of this type of concrete. Keywords: Concrete, polymer concrete, polymer modified concrete, polymer impregnated concrete Introduction Over the past 25 years considerable attention is paid to the polymers in concrete. Polymer injection which received little attention in recent years has very interesting applications nowadays. Restorative materials, especially polymer concrete with a low modulus are known to be very practical. Prefabricated pieces of polymer concrete can be an appropriate choice for places like railway crossings, aqueduct and foundation of equipment. Polymer Impregnated Concrete (PIC) was the first popular polymer composites. Polymer impregnated concrete has high resistance as well as excellent durability, but few commercial applications. Polymer concrete (PC) was recognized in 1970 and it is usually used for repairs, thin covers for floors and bridges as well as prefabricated components. Polymer modified concrete (PMC) is often used in repair and coverage. The use of polymeric materials has several limitations. However, there are many applications for these materials in current and future that effectively use their unique properties. Improved Repair methods, improvements in materials, alternative to metal, structural applications, and architecture components are common use of polymer concrete materials. Different types of polymer concrete  Polymer impregnated concrete  Polymer concrete  Polymer modified concrete Polymer impregnated concrete (PIC) Polymer impregnated concrete was first known after wide and comprehensive investigations of researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Department of improvement in the United States of America (Fowler,1999). Polymer impregnated concrete is usually produced by injecting a monomer with low-density to hydrated portland cement which is followed by radiation or thermal catalytic polymerization techniques. Modulus elasticity of this type of concrete is 50% to 100% higher than normal concrete; however, modulus of polymer is 10% more than normal concrete modules. With these excellent 62

Ali Sadr Momtazi, Reza Kohani Khoshkbijari, Sadaf Sabagh Mogharab

features, many of the applications for polymer impregnated concrete include the production of bridge deck, tubes, carriers of corrosive liquids, floor tiles, construction laminate, and concrete injection in place. These studies were also successful in detailed-deep injection processes and can be used to inject the bridge deck and other concrete surfaces. Implementation process involves drying concrete to remove moisture from the concrete surface, the use of monomers in a thin layer of sand, and then polymerization of monomers through using heat flow. This process is capable of producing deep injection of 20 to 50 mm. The concrete surfaces have lower permeability against water absorption, high resistant to abrasion and generally are more durable (Fowler, 1999: Thaulow, 1974) Full injection process includes:  Drying concrete  Air discharge from hardened concrete  Concrete injection with a monomer with low-density  Polymerization of monomers with heat or radiation Advantages:  Higher compressive strength  Higher tensile strength and flexural strength  Resistance to freezing , thawing and acid attacks  Higher durability Disadvantages:  Higher costs  Slow run  Complex run Mix Proportions

Figure 1. Features of Manning and Hope incorporation research

Figure 2. The compressive strength to Figure 3. Modulus of elasticity to the polymer percentage in concrete in percentage of polymer in concrete in Manning and Hope research Manning and Hope research Openly accessible at http://www.european-science.com 63

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Compressive strength of polymer impregnated concrete is typically three to four times more than the concrete which was made of increasing in tensile and flexural strength. Its excellent durability is extremely low especially in freezing and thawing and resistance to acids due to permeability. Manning and Hope (1971) have shown that compressive strength and modulus of elasticity of polymers have increased through increasing the amount of the polymer. Vladimir Kosi (1974) has also shown in his research that for concrete with asbestos cement through injection of methyl polymer the amount of resistance against hydrochloric acid increases by 1.74 times, and the water permeability of the concrete is 20 times lower. Findings of Feldman and colleagues (1984) also approve the effect of water vapor permeability.

Figure 4. The results of destruction test against hydrochloric acid in Vladimir Kosi research (hollow points refer to control sample and the rest of the points refer to polymer impregnated with different impregnated conditions) Polymer concrete (PC) Polymer concrete was first used in America in 1958 to produce construction laminate (Fowler, 1999). Polymer concrete is formed through combination of stones with a polymer binder material which contains no water or PC. Polystyrene, acrylic and epoxy are resins and monomers which are widely used in the manufacture of this type of concrete. Sulfur is also considered as a polymer and sulfur concrete is used for applications that require high resistance to acid. Polymer concrete is primarily used in manufacturing prefabricated laminates, but today is used in manufacturing necessary laminates in health care industry as well. Polymer coatings and concrete coatings are often used in decoration and architecture due to the ability to create thin layers, processing speed, and very low permeability. Other applications of polymer concrete are to cover bridge surfaces, floor coverings in sports arenas, stadiums, laboratories, hospitals, factories and stores (San-Jose, Vegas and Ferreira, 2005). One of the innovations is the epoxy polymer concrete which has the ability to store anti-ice fluids and then release it during snowfall and severe weather conditions (frost). The result is an appropriate and stable covering which is generally humid-proof as well as having excellent resistance to the slide. Its thickness is at least 9.5 mm and weighs 2 kilograms per square meters. These coverings are suitable for asphalt surfaces, bridge floor like concrete pavement. Surface preparation is usually used like other polymer coatings like epoxy coating layer. Antifreeze material is applied in liquid form therefore, it can absorb aggregate. When snow falls or frost occurs, the antifreeze prevents sticking as well as lowers the freezing temperature. Antifreeze materials should be applied periodically depending on the frequency of storms, snow and ice (Fowler, 1999).

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Ali Sadr Momtazi, Reza Kohani Khoshkbijari, Sadaf Sabagh Mogharab

Prefabricated concrete polymer can be used to produce a range of products including the drainage, underground boxes, building cladding, acid tanks, hazardous waste containment, tile, etc. Prefabricated components represent an excellent use of materials for rapid processing, the ability to produce complex shapes and very good vibration amortization (Kienow and Allen, 1993: Czarnecki, Garbacz, and Krystosiak, 2006). The advantages:  Fast processing  Excellent adhesion to concrete and steel  High resistance  Durability  Disadvantages  Costs, expenses  Contractors' unfamiliarity  Competition with other repair or restoration materials

Figure 5. Different percentage combination of resin and aggregate micro filer Mohan research (2004)

Figure 6. The results from different combinations in compression strength (2004) Openly accessible at http://www.european-science.com 65

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Regarding the optimal use of polymers in polymer concrete we can point to Mohan and colleagues (2004) researches who have conducted studies on the use of different aggregate and types of polymers including eruption compounds with different weight percentage. For this type of polymer and according to used aggregate, optimized weight percentage of the polymer to the total weight was about 8.5% to 12%. Mani et al. (1987) compared different properties of polymer concrete made with epoxy and polyester with conventional concrete which showed an improvement in mechanical properties including compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength and chemical characteristics such as different acid resistance.

Figure 7. The mechanical properties of polymer concrete increase and improvement compared to conventional concrete in investigation of Mani et al (1987).

Figure 8. Other improved features in polymer concrete in Mani et al (1987) investigation. Openly accessible at http://www.european-science.com 66

Ali Sadr Momtazi, Reza Kohani Khoshkbijari, Sadaf Sabagh Mogharab

Figure 9. Evaluation criteria for chemical resistance of polymer concrete in Mani et al (1987) investigation

Figure 10. Increased and improved chemical resistance of polymer concrete and conventional concrete in the Mani et al. (1987) investigation

Figure 11. The application of polymer concrete with epoxy as a cover (D. W. Fowler, 2007)

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Figure 12. Repaired and non- repaired surfaces with polymer concrete (D. W. Fowler, 2007) The use of additives in polymer concrete has also been considered. For example, Lokuge and colleagues (2013) as well as Gorninskia and colleagues (2004) investigated the effect of fly ash on polymer concrete made with epoxy, ester and polyester. The results showed that the use of fly ash reduces the amount of polymer and increases the compressive strength. Modulus of elasticity is increased by increasing the amount of fly ash. The tensile strength and flexural strength is decreased with increasing amount of fly ash as well. Golestaneh et al. (2010) investigated the effect of using silica powder as filler in polymer concrete made with epoxy. It was shown that the use of 200% silica powder and 20% polymer had the best mechanical properties. It has been also reported in this study that the values of compressive strength were 128/9, tensile strength 22/5 and flexural strength 16/2 mega Pascal respectively. Polymer concrete has very good durability against thermal cycles (Jung, Roh, and Chang, 2014: Mirza, Durand, Bhutta, and Tahir, 2014). Shokrieh and colleagues (2011) have considered three temperature cycles including 25 to 30, 25 to 70 and 30 to 70 and put polymer concrete made with epoxy in it for 7 days and 24-hour cycle which indicated the lack of a significant change in tensile and flexural strength and a slight decline in the second cycle. Polymer modified concrete PMC: Polymer-modified concrete through using latex has been used since 1950s. Polymer modified concrete is made of Portland cement concrete with a modified polymer such as acrylic, SBR, polyvinyl acetate and ethylene vinyl acetate. SBR is widely used mortar in repair and floors and bridge laminate (G Barluenga and Herna´ndez, 2004: Diab, Elyamany, 2014). Its minimum thickness is about 30 mm. The advantages are good adhesion to concrete, high flexural strength and low permeability (MANSON, 1976: Beushausen, Gillmer, and Alexander, 2014). Acrylic latex and meta-crylic acid are used to produce mortar that can be sprayed on final architecture surfaces (Son and Yeon, 2012). Acrylic polymer modified concrete has a constant color and that’s why it is considered as an attractive material in the architecture. The polymer modified concrete is very similar to conventional cement concrete. The amount of polymer is usually between 10 to 20% of Portland cement. Only a small number of polymers are suitable to be added to the concrete and most other polymers of polymer modified concrete are produced with low quality. Polymer modified concrete can be reinforced with fibers as well as increasing its tensile strength and reducing cracking possibility. Polymer modified concrete costs are less than polymer concrete because less polymer is needed (Fowler, 1999).

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Ali Sadr Momtazi, Reza Kohani Khoshkbijari, Sadaf Sabagh Mogharab

Figure 13. The main chemical structure of the polymer used in PMC (Ohama, 1998)

Figure 14. Changes in the compressive strength of conventional concrete and polymer modified concrete (Rossignolo and Agnesini, 2004)

Figure 15. Changes in the tensile strength of conventional concrete and polymer modified concrete (Rossignolo and Agnesini, 2004) Openly accessible at http://www.european-science.com 69

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As shown in Figure 14 to Figure 16, in some cases adding polymer partially reduces the compressive strength, but significantly increases tensile and flexural strength.

Figure 16. Changes in flexural strength of polymer modified concrete and conventional concrete (Rossignolo and Agnesini, 2004) Examining the fracture surfaces by SEM showed that the fracture of big ones in modified polymer samples were less than non- modified concrete. Figure 17 shows the fracture surface of non-modified concrete. Fractures of big ones are shown on the left side of the image as well as cracks in the cement matrix and the contact point of cement and big ones. In contrast, Figure 18 shows the fracture of a modified polymer concrete. Large empty space remaining in the form is due to big drawn from the cement matrix that shows the page break through a cement matrix is flexible but passes more weakly (LEWIS and LEWIS, 1990).

Figure 17. SEM from the fracture surface of Figure 18. SEM from the fracture surface of non-modified concrete modified concrete (LEWIS and LEWIS, 1999) (LEWIS and LEWIS, 1999) Durability of Polymer modified concrete against acidic attack and corrosive environments are more than non-modified concrete (Shaker et al 1997). Rossignolo and colleagues (2004) investigated the effect of SBR on durability of light concrete against sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and acetic acid which represented a significant reduction in weight loss in acid. Limitation of using polymers in concrete The first and the biggest limitation of using polymers in concrete is their cost. Polymers' cost can be 10 to 100 times more than the cost of conventional Portland cement (Fowler, 1999). For this reason, the use of polymer concrete in polymer concrete is non- applicable in cases where the great

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Ali Sadr Momtazi, Reza Kohani Khoshkbijari, Sadaf Sabagh Mogharab

amount of concrete is needed, such as sidewalks, foundations, hydraulic structures. Except in certain cases where high durability is required, the use of conventional concrete is inefficient. Other instability of these materials is in high temperatures, particularly in fire that makes it difficult to use in residential buildings. Other problems regarding the use of polymers refer to their dangerous gas and their flammability that can be resolved, but safety should be considered during construction phase. Conclusion Generally concretes which are made by polymers are of three types including polymer impregnated concrete (PIC), polymer concrete (PC) and polymer modified concrete (PMC). Due to the high impact of polymer on structures and concrete procedures, researches on these additives are still continuing. Polymers have improved mechanical and chemical properties of concrete including increased compressive strength, flexural and tensile strength as well as good performance in durability increase and reduction of corrosion and permeability of concrete. References Barluenga, G., & Herna´ndez, F. (2004). SBR latex modified mortar rheology and mechanical behaviour, Cement and Concrete Research, 527–535. Beushausen, H., and Gillmer, M. (2014). The use of superabsorbent polymers to reduce cracking of bonded mortar overlays, Cement & Concrete Composites. Beushausen, H., Gillmer, M., & Alexander, M. (2014). The influence of superabsorbent polymers on strength and durability properties of blended cement mortars, Cement & Concrete Composites. Corte´s, F., & Castillo, G. (2007). Comparison between the dynamical properties of polymer concrete and grey cast iron for machine tool applications, Materials and Design, 1461–1466. Czarnecki, L., Garbacz, A., & Krystosiak, M. (2006). On the ultrasonic assessment of adhesion between polymer coating and concrete substrate, Cement & Concrete Composites, 360–369. Diab, A. M., Elyamany, H. E., & Ali, A. H. (2014). The participation ratios of cement matrix and latex network in latex cement co-matrix strength, Alexandria Engineering Journal. Feldman, R. F. & Beaudoln, J. J. (1984). Mechanical properties of polymer impregnated cement systems and the effect of moisture on their dimensional stability, CEMENT and CONCRETE RESEARCH, 785-792. Fowler, D. W. (1999). Polymers in concrete: a vision for the 21st century, Cement & Concrete Composites, 449-452. Fowler, D. W. (2007). State of the Art in Concrete Polymer Materials in the U.S, presented at the Balvac. Golestaneh, M., Amini, G., Najafpour, G. D., & Beygi, M. A. (2010). Evaluating the Mechanical Strength of Epoxy Polymer Concrete with Silica Powder as Filler, World Applied Sciences Journal, 216-220. Gorninskia, J. P., Molin, D. C. D., & Kazmierczak, C. S. (2004). The study of the modulus of elasticity of polymer concrete compounds and comparative assessment of polymer concrete and portland cement concrete, Cement and Concrete Research, 2091–2095. Heidari-Rarani, M., Aliha, M. R. M., Shokrieh, M. M. & Ayatollahi, M. R. (2014). Mechanical durability of an optimized polymer concrete under various thermal cyclic loadings – An experimental study, Construction and Building Materials, 308–315. Jung, K.-C., Roh, I. T., & Chang, S. H. (2014). Evaluating the mechanical properties of polymer concretes for the rapid repair of runways, Composites, 352–360.

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