Effects of Different Curing Regimes on Engineering Properties of Polymer-Modified Mortar

Abstract

Despite the fact that polymer-modified mortar can be widely used as a material for major construction projects, the extensive use of this promising material may be hampered because of not enough published data on its durability performance. This paper, based on a laboratory program, compares the engineering properties, over different aging, of three commercial polymer-modified mortars [styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polyacrylic ester (PAE), and vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE)] and unmodified conventional mortar mixes exposed to different curing conditions. The results show that the SBR mixes appeared to possess better engineering properties than the PAE and VAE mixes, and a well-designed polymer-modified mortar mix can retain its engineering properties over a long period of time.