SULPHUR IMPREGNATED CONCRETE Sulphur, sand and coarse aggregate are the ingredients of this concrete.

Molten sulphur is added to the preheated aggregates in a mixture. The hot mix is immediately transferred into the moulds to fill them completely. The products manufactured with sulphur concrete need no curing and the moulds can be stripped immediately as the sulphur solidifies rapidly under normal temperatures. One of the major advantages of these products is that they can be remoulded and concrete can be reused with minimum or no wastage. These products have very low absorption and less permeability. Strength upto 44 MPa have been reported when 30 % of sulphur, 50% of sand and 20% of coarse aggregate are mixed. These are therefore versatile for use as precast slab elements of canal and tunnel linings. Sulphur is a low-cost molten material which solidifies on cooling and satisfies the 9 criteria required of a material that could impregnate concrete. High strength concretes have been produced by impregnating low-strength concretes (aggregate: cement ratio of 8-8.5) with sulphur. Lean concretes require only 3/4 or less of the amount of portland cement used in high-strength concretes. Sulphur impregnation of lean concrete increases its compressive strength from less than 1/3 to 1-1/2 times that of high strength concrete. Maximum absorption of sulphur is achieved by carrying out the impregnation in molten sulphur under vacuum. Recent work indicates that satisfactory impregnation levels may also be achieved without the use of vacuum. The 8-fold increase in compressive strength achieved in the vacuum is reduced to 5fold without vacuum. Studies also show that while impregnation of high strength concrete increases its final strength to a value higher than that of low strength concrete, the relative increase in strength and the amount of sulphur absorbed are smaller. Sulphur impregnated concrete (SIC) may be used where high strength, resistance to water penetration, chemicals etc. are required. Available impregnating technology is applicable to precast concrete structures, while suitable technology for impregnating cast-in-place concrete needs to be developed.