Effect of Polymer Additives on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Self-Leveling Rubberised Concrete

Abstract

The materials based on concrete with an addition of rubber are well-known. The interaction between concrete components and rubber particles is in the majority cases insufficient. For this reason, different substances are introduced into concrete-rubber systems. The aim of this paper is to establish the influence of five different polymer additives, i.e., 1. an aqueous dispersion of a styrene-acrylic ester copolymer (silanised) (ASS), 2. water dispersion of styrene-acrylic copolymer (AS), 3. anionic copolymer of acrylic acid ester and styrene in the form of powder (AS.RDP), 4. water polymer dispersion produced from the vinyl acetate and ethylene monomers (EVA), 5. copolymer powder of vinyl acetate and ethylene (EVA.RDP)) on the properties of the self-leveling rubberised concrete. Scanning electron microscopy has allowed to establish the interaction between the cement paste and rubber aggregates. Moreover, the compressive strength and flexural strength of the studied materials were evaluated. The results indicate that the mechanical properties depend extensively on the type as well as the amount of the polymer additive introduced into the system.

Polymer concrete production technology with improved characteristics based on furfural for use in hydraulic engineering construction

“…The chemical resistance of polymer concrete was determined by changes in the samples bending strength [16,19,23]. The samples were preliminarily subjected to heat treatment for 12 hours at a temperature of 80 o C 2 days after manufacture.…”

“…The strength of polymer concrete is determined by many factors [16][17][18]. The main ones include: the content of the binder and hardener amounts in polymer concrete, the hardening mode, and the mineral and petrographic characteristics of aggregates.…”

Durability Improvement of Pumice Lightweight Aggregate Concrete by Incorporating Modified Rubber Powder with Sodium Silicate

“…The formation of RP is through waste tire mechanical processing and grinding; its surface is uneven and irregular, and it attaches a large number of impurities such as zinc stearate, etc. [14,15]. After the original rubber powder is added to the concrete, the porosity of the concrete is greatly increased, and then the water from the outside gradually erodes into the inside through the cracks around the rubber powder, which leads to the deterioration of its durability.…”

Fabrication of Novel Crosslinking Carboxylic Styrene-Acrylate Latices as Binders for Exterior Flexible Facing Tiles

“…However, poor compatibility between organic and inorganic materials induces a significant decrease in the strength and modulus [21,22]. In order to solve this problem, various surface modification strategies of rubber particles have been proposed, including surface treatment with a NaOH solution [23,24], bonding with a silane coupling agent [25,26], and modification with a polymer latex [27][28][29][30]. Surface modification with a polymer latex bearing functional groups, such as carboxylate polystyrene latex [27], polycarboxylate latex [28], polyvinyl alcohol latex [29], and vinyl acetate copolymer latex [30], not only solves the problem of poor compatibility but also forms a continuous film with which to wrap mineral powders [31], effectively increasing the strength of the composite materials [27].…”