Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Materials Today: Proceedings

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Different aspects of polyester polymer concrete for sustainable

construction
C. Kiruthika ⇑, S. Lavanya Prabha, M. Neelamegam
SRM Easwari Engineering College, Department of Civil Engineering, 600089, Ramapuram, Chennai, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Polymeric material plays a vital role in construction industry for the past 50 years and there are lot of
Received 11 September 2020 researches on going in different countries to use the polymers in construction for various applications.
Received in revised form 17 September Polymer concrete is a type of sustainable concrete which is totally free from cement and water as binder
2020
thereby possessing various advantages towards green concrete than conventional Portland Cement
Accepted 28 September 2020
Concrete. In this paper, authors developed a mix for polymer concrete using Isophthalic resin of more
Available online xxxx
than 60 MPa compressive strength for manufacturing inspection covers and frames. Developed
Polymer concrete possessing various advantages like higher mechanical properties, high durability prop-
Keywords:
Isophthalic Polyester Polymer concrete
erties, rapid hardening and very good acid resistant properties can be used in various applications in
Higher mechanical properties architecture, construction, chemical, petroleum industries, etc. The different aspects of developed
High durability properties Isophthalic Polyester Polymer Concrete (IPPC), its applications towards sustainable construction in vari-
Rapid hardening ous industries are discussed in this paper.
Acid resistance Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sustainable concrete Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
ence on Advanced Materials Behavior and Characterization.

1. Introduction Initially, polymer concrete was developed about more than

Various researches are going on in the field of construction
heading towards the modern sustainable materials for replace-
ment of cement as binder in traditional concrete in order to reduce
the carbon-di- oxide emissions and to develop the green concrete.
Based on the usage and functionality of polymeric materials, it is
broadly classified into three different group’s viz. polymer concrete
(PC), polymer impregnated concrete (PIC) and polymer cement
concrete (PCC). Polymer concrete is one of the sustainable concrete
in which the innovative material like polymer resin which acts as
binder is used to replace the conventional cement in concrete com-
pletely [12,14].
These polymeric resins are available in liquid form as monomer
or pre-polymer. The liquid monomer is converted into a polymeric
resin in the presence of initiators and catalyst. The addition of per-
centage of initiators and catalyst depends upon the type of poly-
meric resin used and the temperature [5,8]. Unlike the
conventional concrete, polymer concrete possess various advan-
tages like high strength and durability properties.
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: dckiruthika@yahoo.co.in (C. Kiruthika).
50 years ago and Japan was likely producing various polymer
based products in construction industry [1,14]. At first, the poly-
mers were used for repair works, emergency jobs in mining or
bridges. In recent years, lots of researches were going on in poly-
meric resin in the usage of concrete as well as polymer mortar.
Depending upon the amount of usage of resin and its type, percent-
age of initiators and catalyst, mix proportions of polymer mortar
and polymer concrete varies in ratio.
Polymer mortar consists of polymeric resin, fine aggregate and
fillers. Polymer concrete in turn consists of polymeric resin, fine
aggregate, coarse aggregate and fillers. For better bonding proper-
ties and to get higher mechanical and durability properties, each
material has to be studied with various such proportions. Main
objective of thisresearch was to develop the mix possessing higher
mechanical and durability properties and to study the different
aspects of developed polyester polymer concrete towards sustain-
able construction in different industries [6,7].
Various polymeric resin types such as methyl methacrylate
(MMA), epoxy resins, furan resins, polyurethane resins, urea
formaldehyde and unsaturated polyester resin types are avail-
able.MMA has limited applications because of its higher inflamma-
ble property and non-agreeable odour though it possess good

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.09.766
2214-7853/Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Advanced Materials Behavior and Characterization.

Please cite this article as: C. Kiruthika, S. Lavanya Prabha and M. Neelamegam, Different aspects of polyester polymer concrete for sustainable construction,
Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.09.766
C. Kiruthika, S. Lavanya Prabha and M. Neelamegam
workability and low temperature curability [2]. Albeit epoxy resins
possess higher mechanical and durability properties than unsatu-
rated polyester concrete, it is less economical than unsaturated
polyester concrete. Furan resins are mostly used in European coun-
tries and hence based on the various factors like cost, easy avail-
ability, higher mechanical and durability properties, unsaturated
polyester resin type viz Isophthalic resin type was chosen for the
study of different aspects of polymer concrete.
2. Material aspects
Polymer concrete mainly consists of various ingredients like
polymeric resin as binder, fillers, aggregate mix. Dicorboxylic acids
and dihydroxy alcohols on poly condensation process forms polye-
sters. Polymeric resin can be made by the polymerisation process
of monomer (polyester resin) into a polymer by the addition of
accelerator and peroxide catalyst as hardener which leads to chain
reaction. Then this polymer is added to the mix containing fine
aggregate, coarse aggregate and fillers. Initiators initiate the
crosslinking between polyester and styrene molecules and convert
the liquid resin into rigid solid. 2% Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide
(MEKP) as catalyst, 1% Cobalt octoate as accelerator by weight of
resin were used for this study.
3. Safety aspects
The involvement of various chemicals as hardeners and resins
require special attention in safety aspects. Usage of hand gloves
and ear muffs are necessary while doing the polymerisation pro-
cess. Initiators of about 0.5% to 2% are used by weight of resin,
depending upon the required ambient temperature and setting
time. Thorough mixing of resin with initiators are suggested for
optimum result and they should never be stored together or mixed
as they would cause instant explosion when they are before curing.
Once hardened, it’s free from explosion. Hence, tightly closed con-
tainers preferably in atmosphere below 30 °C in moisture free
areas and kept away from direct sunlight, heat radiation and fire
were used.
4. Experimental methods
4.1. Mechanical properties aspects
Various mechanical properties of polyester polymer concrete
depends upon the number of factors like percentage of resin con-
tent, catalyst, accelerator, type of filler, percentage of fillers used,
size of aggregates , coupling agent, temperature, type and percent-
age of fibres used in the development of polyester polymer
concrete.
Usually resin content of 10% to 14% by weight of total material
was suggested by most of the researches and it showed the com-
pressive strength of range 60 to 80 MPa and flexural strength of
about 6 to 8 MPa [3] and filler content of maximum of 15% was
used to fill the voids in the concrete [4]. For the developed mix,
14% Isophthalic resin, 15% type F fly ash as per the ASTM C 618
Table 1
Properties of Resin used.
Property Value
Appearance Straw yellowish
clear liquid
Viscosity at 25 °C, cps Brookfield Viscometer LV DV 400
+ Pro Spindle 63, rpm 60
Specific gravity at 25 °C gm/ml 1.11
2
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
standards [10] as filler, aggregate mixture ratio of 71% having pack-
ing density of about 0.5 were taken for study for developing good
quality concrete. Properties of resin used were given in Table 1.
Aggregates should completely be oven dried and free from
moisture content since the presence of moisture reduces the
strength of the concrete. Polypropylene fibres of 0.5% by total
weight of the concrete were added to improve the mechanical
properties of developed polymer concrete.Specimens are cast as
per standards [11,12] and are shown in Fig. 1. Various properties
of Portland cement concrete, general polymer concrete properties
from literature (OPCL), developed mix tested with the addition of
polypropylene fibre and the results obtained was shown in Table 2
[5]. Comparative results of with and without fibres of mechanical
poperties of developed polymer concrete are shown in Fig. 2
4.2. Durability aspects
DPC showed higher durability properties even it was subjected
to aggressive environments. Normal concrete disintegrates when it
was subjected to even 5% concentration of acidic medium like
nitric acids and sulphuric acids [6]. But the developed polymer
concrete showed higher durability properties when subjected to
higher concentration of different acidic and alkaline mediums
there by reducing the maintenance cost of protective coatings nor-
mally used in such aggressive environmental conditions[13]. DPC
subjected to 5% concentration in diluted nitric acids, sulphuric
acids and Hydrochloric acids showed less than 1% weight loss
and 7% loss in compressive strength when they are subjected to
a maximum of 60 days in acidic medium. Durability properties of
such DPC subjected to different acids for about 30 days and 60 days
are shown in Table 3. Also, polymer concrete showed almost nil
water absorption whereas Portland cement concrete showed 4 to
10% permeability thereby maintaining the quality of concrete
and increases the service life of construction.
5. Aesthetic aspects
DPC with higher mechanical and durability properties, can be
used for various textures and colours depending upon the require-
ments. It can be highly recommended for various interior and exte-
rior products to enhance the aesthetic appearance of buildings.
Also DPC can be used in cosmetic repairs on the deteriorated con-
crete surface to improve their service life along with aesthetic
appearances. DPC can be recommended for artificial marble like
products in kitchen and bath fields using different top finishes.
6. Application aspects
FRDPC are widely and commonly used polymer concrete which
consists of not only higher mechanical and durability properties
but also possess high aesthetic appearance and rapid curing. Due
to these advantages, it has wide range of applications in various
industries such as construction, architectural, petroleum and
chemical industries. Now a days, ultra high performance fibre rein-
forced cement concrete ranging from 20 MPa to 200 MPa can be
achieved using various sustainable materials [9]. The similar kind
of high strength fibre reinforced polymer concrete can be produced
without cement as binder too using the polymer concrete. Acid
resistance properties of DPC are used to make acid resisting tiles,
storage tanks in chemical industries, for pipes carrying heavy
chemicals, the construction and rehabilitation of manholes due
to their ability to withstand toxic and corrosive sewer gases and
bacteria commonly found in sewer systems, swimming pools,
sewer structure applications, new construction or repairing of old
concrete.
C. Kiruthika, S. Lavanya Prabha and M. Neelamegam Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

1(a) Compression specimen 1(b) Flexure specimen 1(c) Split tensile specimen
Fig. 1. Specimens with and without fibres.

Table 2
Properties of PCC, OPCL, DPC.

MechanicalProperty Portland Cement Concrete Obtained Polymer Concrete Developed Polymer Concrete(DPC) Fibre Reinforced Developed
from literature(PCC) from literature(OPCL) Polymer Concrete (FRDPC)(%)
Compressive strength (MPa) 10–60 40–150 66.0 + 1.00
Flexural strength (MPa) 1.5–7 4–50 12.0 +12.50
Tensile strength (MPa) 0.6–3.0 4–20 11.6 +18.96

‘+’ sign denotes increase or gain percentage.

80 66 67 by the polymeric resin binder, thereby giving way for sustainable

Strength (MPa)

DPC FRDPC concrete. Also, the word ‘‘sustainable” itself means meeting the
60
needs of present generation without compromising the ability of
40 future generation to fulfil their needs. In other words, 3R denotes
20 12 13.5 11.6 13.8 the waste hierarchy viz., ‘‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”. Recycling
0 involves the processing of used materials into new products in
Compressive strength Flexural strength Tensile strength (MPa) order to prevent the waste of potentially useful materials, reduce
(MPa) (MPa) the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce the energy usage,
and reduce pollution by consuming waste materials. Various prop-
mechanical properes with and without fibre erties of polymer concrete leading to sustainable concrete environ-
ment are listed as follows.
Fig. 2. Comparative results of mechanical properties of polymer concrete with and
without fibres.
1. DPCwith high bonding strength can be used for easy for renewal
process in polymer concrete with the other constructive mate-
rials such as stones, ceramics, bricks and cement concrete.
7. Sustainable aspects
2. Higher durability properties even exposed to aggressive envi-
ronments showed that normal service life of more than 20 years
Development of polyester polymer concrete involving unsatu-
there by reducing the maintenance cost comparatively to the
rated polyester resin as binder completely replaces cement and
traditional concrete.
water in conventional concrete. In traditional concrete, concrete
3. Waste resources such as fly ash was used in polymer concrete
containing cement leads to higher carbon-di-oxide emission which
thereby reusing the waste materials into effective materials in
has high impacts on environment. Since it was completely replaced
concrete also leading to the sustainable environment.

Table 3
Durability properties of such DPC subjected to different acids.

DPC Immersion 30 days 60 days

medium
Weight variation of DPC Compressive strength variation of DPC Weight variation of DPC Compressive strength variation of DPC
(%) (%) (%) (%)
5% dil. Nitric acid 0.20 3.6 0.80 7.0
5% dil. Sulphuric acid +0.03 2.8 +0.12 5.4
5% dil. Hydrochloric 0.14 3.1 0.27 6.3
acid

‘+’ sign denotes increase or gain percentage.

‘-’ sign denotes decrease or loss percentage.

3
C. Kiruthika, S. Lavanya Prabha and M. Neelamegam
4. Room temperature curing of polymer concrete was completely
free from water and hence the natural resources can be pre-
served for future generation.
5. Rapid hardening property of polymer concrete showed that the
maximum strength can be attained in 7 days [7] there by reduc-
ing the time of curing period like in traditional concrete and it
can also be used in emergency jobs like mining and repair of
bridges without disturbing the routine life.
6. Construction of new buildings involves lots of energy consump-
tion in the manufacturing, materials and work execution. Since
Polymer concrete can also be used as repair material in existing
concrete where the strength of polymer concrete is approxi-
mately four times greater than the conventional concrete
reduces the energy consumption.
8. Cost aspects
Albeit the initial cost of polyester polymer concrete is little high
than conventional cement concrete, polyester polymer concrete
was four times cheaper than the conventional cement concrete
while considering the benefit to cost ratio. Also it highly reduces
the maintenance cost of convention concrete for the protective
coatings especially in aggressive environments.
9. Conclusion
Polyester polymer concrete showed various advantages like
higher mechanical and durability properties, high bond strength,
and rapid hardening. In order to obtain the sustainable polyester
polymer concrete all the ingredients have to be optimised with
proper mix ratios, types under various temperature regimes and
this type of polymer concrete was highly recommended for devel-
oping various polymer based products to attain the sustainable
concrete. Other waste materials such as rock dust, waste glass
powder as filler, copper slag as fine aggregates can also be tried
in future to get the sustainable polymer concrete with different
combinations. The developed polyester polymer concrete can be
varied with different resin types and various other fibres to impro-
vise the developed mix. Also, coupling agents can be recommended
in future work to increase the bond strength and the mechanical
properties of developed polymer concrete.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
C. Kiruthika: Methodology, Data curation, Validation, Investi-
gation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. S. Lava-
nya Prabha: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing - review &
editing. M. Neelamegam: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Supervision.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Acknowledgement
The authors wish to express their gratitude and sincere appre-
ciation to Department of Civil Engineering, SRM Easwari Engineer-
ing Collegefor extending their support in Advanced Structural
Engineering laboratory for developing this research work and test-
ing using CTM which was provided by Government of India under
the Scheme ‘‘Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure (FIST)” of
the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and also for the on-
going research related to the development of various precast resin
concrete products using this developed mix.
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Further Reading
[1] Andrzej Garbacz, Joanna.J, sokolowska Concrete-like polymer composites with
fly ashes- comparative study, Construction and building material Volume 38,
January 2013, Pages 689-699
[2] Yeon, K. S., Choi, Y. S., Current Researches and Uses of Concrete-Polymer
Composites in Korea, 6 th Asia Simposium on Polymers in Concrete, 2009.
[3] Bhutta, M. A., and Ohama, Y., Status of The Recent Research on and
Development of ConcretePolymer Composites in Japan, CBM-CI International
Workshop, Karachi