Strength Evaluation and Energy-Dissipation Behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Concrete Available to Purchase

There is a growing demand in finding a replacement for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) because of inherent weakness in mechanical properties and durability of the OPC. In this study, polymer concrete (PC) is investigated as a potential replacement for OPC-based concrete. PC contains a mixture of epoxy resin and aggregates for which the epoxy resin serves as the cementing agent. Processes of forming PC and FRPC (fiber-reinforced polymer concrete) have been developed and are presented in detail. Behavior of PC and FRPC under compressive, tensile, and impact loadings are determined through experiments. The studies are conducted in three phases with objectives of optimizing the bulk density and strength of the medium. Our experimental results indicate that the PC and FRPC specimens exhibit significantly higher compressive and tensile strength and impact toughness as compared to OPC. However, FRPC specimens have higher tensile strength and toughness relative to PC specimens, but the two sets are comparable in compressive strength. Furthermore, PC, as well as FRPC, have a faster curing rate as compared to OPC (less than 5 days for full curing).