Flexural behavior of polyester polymer concrete

The effect of temperature, strain rate, resin content, void content and methods of preparation (vibration and compaction) on the overall flexural behavior of a polyester resin based polymer concrete is studied under three-point bending. The strength and modulus of polyester polymer concrete are relatively independent of strain rate but decrease at varying rates with increase in temperature. Compaction of polymer concrete during preparation reduces the void content and enhances both the flexural strength and modulus. Modifications to composite stiffness models have been proposed to include excess polymer and excess sand phases for systems other than the optimal system. Using a combination of parallel and series models, it is possible to predict the flexural modular ratio and flexural modulus of polymer concrete. Modified tensile strength models are effective in predicting the flexural strength ratio and flexural strength of polymer concrete.