DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A HIGH-STRENGTH POLYSTER SYNTHETIC CONCRETE

THE RESULTS OF THE SELECTION AND SUBSEQUENT TESTING OF A HIGH-STRENGTH SYNTHETIC CONCRETE ARE REPORTED. THE PROGRAM WAS INITIATED TO SELECT A MATERIAL OF MAXIMUM COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (20,000 PSI DESIRABLE) USING CONVENTIONAL AGGREGATE WITH SYNTHETIC BINDERS AND TO OBTAIN ITS OPTIMUM CHARACTERISTICS BY TESTING. THE SELECTION OF MATERIALS PROGRAM USED A NUMBER OF RESIN TYPES WITH VARYING AGGREGATES. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE WAS LIMITED TO ABOUT 15,000 PSI USING CONVENTIONAL AGGREGATES. THE MOST PROMISING MATERIAL, PPG 5119 IN COMBINATION WITH TYPE III CEMENT, WAS FOUND TO BE THE ONLY CONCRETE TO EXCEED THE 20,000 PSI COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH GOAL. THE RESIN-CEMENT RATIO WAS FOUND TO BE OPTIMUM AT ABOUT 1:2 BY WEIGHT. THE PPG 5119 WITH TYPE III CEMENT WAS SUBJECTED TO A SERIES OF TESTS AND THE RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF STANDARD PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE. STANDARD 3 X 6-IN. TEST CYLINDERS WERE USED FOR UNCONFINED STATIC AND DYNAMIC COMPRESSION AND SPLIT TENSILE TESTING. TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION, DIRECT SHEAR, AND BOND WITH STEEL TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON STANDARD 2 X 4-IN. TEST CYLINDERS. VARIABLES OF AGING TEMPERATURE AND WORKABILITY WERE ALSO INVESTIGATED. HANDLING, PLACEMENT AND MIX TECHNIQUES FOR SMALL-SCALE APPLICATIONS WERE DEVELOPED AND THE COST OF MATERIALS ESTIMATED. THIS INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE HIGH-STRENGTH SYNTHETIC CONCRETES VALUE LIES IN ITS COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF 20,000 PSI AND ABOVE. THE NOMINAL MODULUS OF ELASTICITY AFTER TWO DAYS AND AT ROOM TEMPERATURE IS ABOUT 1,4 X 10 EXPONENT 6 PSI. DIRECT TENSION VALUES ARE IN EXCESS OF 2000 PSI. MAJOR DRAWBACKS OF THIS MATERIAL INCLUDE EXTREME REDUCTION OF STRENGTH WITH TEMPERATURE (6000 PSI AT 210 DEGREES F). COSTS ARE IN EXCESS OF $250 PER CUBIC YARD FOR MATERIALS ALONE, PLUS HIGH PLACEMENT COSTS DUE TO SPECIAL HANDLING REQUIREMENTS. HANDLING IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE THE MATERIAL HAS A SHORT POT LIFE AND MUST BE MIXED IN SMALL BATCHES. IT ALSO HAS A VERY HIGH EXOTHERMIC REACTION. THIS CAUSES CONSIDERABLE SHRINKAGE IN LARGE POURS AND REQUIRES POURING IN LAYERS NOT TO EXCEED 4 OR 5 INCHES. THE POTENTIAL APPLICATION OF THIS SYNTHETIC CONCRETE IS THEREFORE LIMITED TO SPECIALIZED USE WHERE THESE QUALITES WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Tech Rept M-2, 61 PP, FIGS, TABS, PHOT, REF
• Corporate Authors:

  Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

  Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 4005
  Champaign, IL  United States  61820
• Authors:
  • Bloss, D R
  • Hubbard, S J
  • Gray, B H
• Publication Date: 1970-3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregates; Binders; Compressive strength; Concrete tests; Costs; High strength concrete; Polyester resins; Synthetics; Temperature
• Subject Areas: Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00217102
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 11 1971 12:00AM