Polymer Concrete
Polymer concrete is conventional concrete made with ordinary Portland cement wet cured, and impregnated with a liquid/gaseous monomer (methyl methacrylate) and polymerized by gamma radiation or chemically initiated means i.e. by using thermal catalytic method (adding 3% by weight benzoyl peroxide) to the monomer as a catalyst. The impregnation is aided by drying the concrete at a higher temperature by evacuations and soaking in the monomer under pressure.
Advantages of Polymer Concrete
The polymerized products due to very low voids content and quantity of polymer have
- High compressive strength and impact strength
- High resistance to freezing and thawing
- High resistance to abrasion and chemical attack
- Reduced permeability
Applications of Polymer Concrete
Polymer concrete is useful in large number of application such as:
- Marine works
- Prefabricated structural elements
- Prestressed concrete
- Nuclear power plants
- Sewage works and desalination plants
- Waterproofing of structures and numerous industrial applications
In spite of the above numerous advantages of use the polymer concrete is very expensive and should be used only when utmost necessary. Many times polymerization of surface layer of concrete is found adequate.