Experimental and Numerical Analyses of Strength of Epoxy-Coated Concrete under Different Load Configurations

Abstract

Rehabilitation of concrete structures by using synthetic resins such as epoxy is increasing worldwide. Understanding the structural behavior of the resultant composite structure and the interaction between the coating and concrete can be beneficial in predicting performance of the rehabilitated structure. However, knowledge of strength of the epoxy-coated concrete is very limited. This paper presents laboratory experiments designed to evaluate epoxy-coated concrete specimens under different load configurations with an emphasis on its strength characteristics. The studied load configurations included uniaxial compression for cylindrical specimens, three-point bending for beam specimens, and three-edge bearing for concrete pipe specimens. The concrete specimens used in the tests consisted of concrete specimens with and without epoxy coating. Finite-element modeling (FEM) was adopted to simulate the epoxy-coated concrete beams and pipes under three-point bending and three-edge bearing loads. The FEM models were verified by test results and simulated the behavior of epoxy-coated concrete under different load configurations.