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Manufacturing and testing of polymer concrete reinforced with UD-CFRP

Article  in  Revista de Chimie -Bucharest- Original Edition- · September 2007

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REV. CHIM. (Bucureºti) ♦ 58 ♦ Nr. 9 ♦ 2007
 Manufacturing and Testing of Polymer
Concrete Reinforced with UD-CFRP

G. C. PAPANICOLAOU*, D. E. MOUZAKIS, A. G. XEPAPADAKI, D. FAKOS, E. KOUNDOURAKI

Composite Materials Group, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Patras,
Patras 26500, Greece

The aim of the present investigation is to manufacture and investigate the behaviour of both unreinforced
and UD-CFRP reinforced polymer concrete. Both types of materials are being subjected to static
mechanical testing under room temperature environmental conditions. Two types of reinforcements;
namely sand and marble at two different concentrations were used and respective results were compared.
Interesting results were concluded.
Keywords: Conventional concrete, polymer concrete, reinforced polymer concrete, three point bending

Conventional concrete and especially with its steel
reinforcement, brought revolutionary progress in the
field of structural materials, giving solutions to a lot of
structural and mechanical problems. On the other hand,
conventional concrete exhibits many disadvantages
mainly because of its low inherent resistance to
corrosion. Anyone is able to observe to some buildings:
increase of conventional concrete’ volume, loss of the
conventional concrete’s mass, loss of affinity of concrete
and steel reinforcement, and aesthetic and functional
reasons.
But as time pass is passing by and composite materials
are developing, scientists thought that it was an excellent
idea to replace conventional concrete with polymer
concrete. In addition, with polymer concrete they
wanted to achieve better attributes like: lightweight, high
strength, high performance (high mechanical properties:
compressive, bond and tensile strength), easy
construction and handling, rapid project delivery, highly
corrosion, chemical and fatigue resistance, high stiffness
modulus, high thermal properties, high electrical
properties (electrical resistance, dielectric strength and
relative permeability), thermal properties (service
temperature, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal
expansion). Nowadays, scientists thought to enforce
externally polymer concrete but in the present
investigation, polymer concrete was enforced inside,
with UD CFRP.
Polymer concrete initial use was in new bridge
construction with bridge deck system and in new bridge
construction with hybrid materials in strengthening and/
or repairing bridges. Polymer concrete is applied to
seismic column retrofit, to the renewal of civil
infrastructure and it is used as externally bonded
elements for strengthening of deteriorating and under-
strength concrete and steel components, and as structural
components in industrial systems [1-16].
The most important benefits of these applications
were:
• they lasted and last for a very long time in
comparison with conventional concrete;
• they sustained continuous loading under creep and
/or recovery conditions;
• offer an easy construction and handling;
• rapid project delivery.
* email: gpapan@mech.upatras.gr
• highly corrosion, chemical and fatigue resistance.
Polymer Concrete (PC) is a composite material
formed by combining mineral aggregates such as sand
or gravel with a monomer. Rapid-setting organic
polymers are used in PC as binders. Studies on epoxy
polymers have shown that curing method, temperature
and strain rate influences the strength and stress-strain
relationships. In addition, mineral aggregates type and
concentration affect their mechanical behaviour.
In the present investigation, sand and marble was used
as mineral reinforcement in an epoxy matrix at two
different concentrations. These materials were
afterwards reinforced with UD-CFRP thin laminates.
The mechanical behavior of the above-mentioned
materials was investigated and a dramatic increase of
their mechanical behavior is achieved.
Experimental part
Materials and procedures
In the present investigation, polymer concrete
specimens of the following types and concentrations
were manufactured:
− Unreinforced 20 wt% resin and 80 wt% sand
(UT1)
− CFRP Reinforced 20 wt% resin and 80 wt% sand
(RT1)
− Unreinforced 20 wt% resin and 80 wt%
marble(UT2)
− CFRP Reinforced 20 wt% resin and 80 wt%
marble(RT2)
− Unreinforced 30 wt% resin and 70 wt% sand
(UT3)
− CFRP Reinforced 30 wt% resin and 70 wt% sand
(RT3)
− Unreinforced 30 wt% resin and 70 wt%
marble(UT4)
− CFRP Reinforced 30 wt% resin and 70 wt%
marble(RT4)
In all cases specimen dimensions were:
− Length: 100 mm
− Width: 12 mm
− Thickness: 2 mm
Foundry sand and marble have a rather uniform
granulometry with a mean diameter of 400 µm and 200-
300 µm, respectively. Polymer concrete formulations
were prepared by mixing foundry sand or marble with

REV. CHIM. (Bucureºti) ♦ 58 ♦ Nr. 9 ♦ 2007 871

an epoxy resin. The materials used were derived from a behaviour. A crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min was applied
system based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A resin [16-20].
(DGEBA, Epikote 828, Shell Co.) as prepolymer, with Stress-strain curves for unreinforced and reinforced
an epoxy equivalent of 185–192, a molecular weight polymer concrete (UT1 and RT1), are shown in figures
between 370 and 384, and a viscosity of 15,000 mPa·s 3, 4 respectively. From these figures, one can observe
at 25°C. As curing agent, diethylenetriamine (DETA) a an increase for the Young’s Modulus on the order of 71
highly reactive amine capable of curing diglycidyl ethers % and a respective increase for the ultimate bending
at room temperature was used. All components of the strength on the order of 77 %. A more ductile behaviour
system were commercial products and were used without for the UD CFRP reinforced materials is observed.
purification. This system has low viscosity, and is
processed with a maximum mix ratio to hardener of 10:1.
The use of the specific percentage of reinforcement is
followed based on the previous studies in the laboratory.
Sand or marble were dried before addition to polymeric
resin.
Specimens were manufactured as follows:
Grains of sand or marble and resin were mixed by
hand very carefully to achieve uniform distribution in
the material. Proper amounts of the curing agent were
then added. Subsequently, the mixture was poured in a
metallic mould of suitable capacity. Firstly, a thin layer
of the previous mixture (thickness: 1mm ) was applied
in mould, then a very thin leaf of the reinforcement
(CFRP with 0.3 mm width parallel fibres) was added
and after that, the rest thin layer of mixture of sand or Fig. 3. Representative Stress-Strain curve for unreinforced
marble (thickness: 1mm ) (figs. 1, 2).This step was only Polymer concrete (UT1)
for the reinforced polymer concrete. Afterwards the
filled moulds were placed inside an oven for the curing
phase. The following curing process was applied:
temperature was raised at 5°C/h from ambient to 80°C
and maintained constant for approximately 24h.
Specimens with dimensions of 12.7x190x2 (mm) were
removed from the moulds and were subsequently cut to
the proper dimensions for the three point bending tests.
Results and discussions
Three Point Bending Tests
Three point bending semi-static tests were performed
in order to evaluate the polymer concrete flexural

Fig. 4. Representative Stress-Strain curve for UD-CFRP

reinforced Polymer concrete (RT1)

Stress-strain curves for unreinforced and reinforced

Fig. 1. UD-CFRP reinforced polymer concrete
Fig. 2. SEM micro-photograph of UD-CFRP reinforced marble-
polymer concrete (Scanning Electrons Microscopy)
polymer concrete (UT2 and RT2), are shown in figures
5, 6 respectively. From these figures, one can observe
an increase for the Young’s Modulus on the order of 9
% and a respective increase for the ultimate bending
strength on the order of 73%. A more ductile behaviour
for the UD-CFRP reinforced materials is observed.
Stress-strain curves for unreinforced and reinforced
polymer concrete (UT3 and RT3), are shown in figures
7, 8 respectively. From these figures, one can observe
an increase for the Young’s Modulus on the order of
56% and a respective increase for the ultimate bending
strength on the order of 75%. A more ductile behaviour
for the UD-CFRP reinforced materials is observed.
Stress-strain curves for unreinforced and reinforced
polymer concrete (UT4 and RT4), are shown in figures
9, 10 respectively. From these figures, one can observe
an increase for the Young’s Modulus on the order of
63% and a respective increase for the ultimate bending
strength on the order of 70%. A more ductile behaviour
for the UD-CFRP reinforced materials is observed.

872 REV. CHIM. (Bucureºti) ♦ 58 ♦ Nr. 9 ♦ 2007

 Fig. 5. Representative Stress-Strain curve for unreinforced Fig. 8. Representative Stress-Strain curve for UD-CFRP
Polymer concrete (UT2) reinforced Polymer concrete (RT3)

Fig. 6. Representative Stress-Strain curve for UD-CFRP Fig. 9. Representative Stress-Strain curve for unreinforced
reinforced Polymer concrete (RT2) Polymer concrete (UT4)

Fig. 7. Representative Stress-Strain curve for unreinforced Type Fig. 10. Representative Stress-Strain curve for UD-CFRP
3 Polymer concrete (UT3) reinforced Polymer concrete (RT4)

Table 1
REPRESENTATIVE RESULTS FROM
THREE POINT BENDING

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 Fig. 11. Modulus E(GPa) for the different types of tested
specimens
Fig. 12. Flexural Strength σmax(MPa) for the different types of
tested specimens
Table 1 summarise mechanical properties for all the
materials tested while detailed comparison for each one
of the properties separately are given in the bar-diagrams
shown in figures 10-12. From all the results presented
it becomes clear that the material with superior properties
is the UD-CFRP, (i.e. RT1).
Conclusion
In the present investigation a series of new building
materials of unreinforced and CFRP reinforced polymer-
concrete materials were manufactured and tested. By
comparing the experimental results the following
conclusions can be derived:
− Polymer concrete reinforced with marble powder
showed superior mechanical behaviour than respective
materials reinforced with sand.
− Amongst all the materials manufactured and tested,
CFRP-Polymer concrete specimens reinforced with
marble powder showed the best mechanical behaviour
both in modulus and in strength while they exhibited a
ductile behaviour.
− In all cases, the insertion of a 0.3 mm CFRP sheet
resulted in a dramatic increase in ductility.
− Generally, specimens of T1 (20%wt resin and
80%wt sand) and T2 (20%wt resin and 80%wt marble),
showed better mechanical properties when compared
with respective properties of specimens of the T3
(30%wt resin and 70%wt sand) and T4 (30%wt resin
and 70%wt marble).
874
Fig. 13. Strain at fracture for the different types of tested
specimens
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Manuscript received: 30.07.2007
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