Study on polyester resin concrete for applications in chemical & power plant industry

Polyester polymer resin concrete is a type of concrete that incorporates polyester polymer resins as a binder instead of traditional cement. In this study, concrete was made using three resins: vinyl ester resin, superior vinyl ester resin, and bisphenolresin. The ingredients of polyester polymer resin concrete are three types of polyester resin, 1-2% of Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) as the catalyst, Cobalt Octoate as the Accelerator and N, N-dimethylaniline as the promoter of 1% is used to make the binding resin. Along with binding resin calcium carbonate as filler and fine aggregate (normal riversand) passing through 2.36 mm sieve and retained on 600-micron sieve and course aggregate of size 6mm were used to make the concrete. 36 trail batches were carried out for preliminary investigation targeting a compressive strength of 70 MPa. The shortlisted batches were taken for detailed investigation on mechanical and durability properties. The stress strain behaviouris studied and dynamic modulus,poisons ratio is calculated with various correlative equations for mechanical properties. The durability properties of the resin concrete were assessed as per ACI 515.2R-13 [1966] for the acid and base solutions. By immersing the samples in three diluted acids and two alkaline media, such as 10% sulphuric acid, 10% nitric acid, 10% hydrochloric acid, 10% sodium sulphate, and 10% magnesium sulphate, the durability property is assessed. Variations in compressive strength, mass, and the look of the submerged samples, among other variables, have been studied and it found that the Vinyl ester resin concrete possesses a higher acid resistance property.