Mechanical and fracture properties of high strength polymer concrete under various loading conditions and corrosive environments

ethods to enhance the mechanical and fracture properties of polyester polymer concrete (PC) are investigated by using coupling agents, steel or glass fibers, and various types of aggregates. Silane coupling agent improved the adhesion of polymer to sand and resulted in an increase of 66% in compression and 40% in flexural strength. The flexural strength improved further with the addition of glass fibers but remained unchanged with the addition of steel fibers. The flexural strain at peak stress for glass-fiber-reinforced PC was improved by 300%. The performance of improved PC was evaluated through its resistance to aggressive chemical environments, fatigue strength, and fracture toughness. A simple model based on the theory of diffusion was developed to predict the degradation rate for PC in water. The diffusion coefficient for PC in water was equal to...