Experimental Evaluation of Strength and Elastic Properties of Polymer Concrete with Different Volumes of Volcanic Tuff Acting as Filler

Abstract

During the past decade, attention has been drawn to a relatively new composite material, polymer concrete (PC). The idea started as a possible replacement of portland cement in concrete by a polymerized monomer, which resulted in polymer modified concrete (PMC). PC is considered to be a relatively new high-performance material. It is essentially a cementless concrete in which ordinary portland cement has been entirely replaced by polymer resins that bind together the aggregates, forming a rocklike solid material. This paper aims at identifying the suitability of using volcanic tuff as filler in polymer concrete. Based on the experimental results, it can be said that the volcanic tuff influences the microstructure of polymer concrete, leading to a more homogeneous and compact structure. This results in improved mechanical and elastic properties, provided a threshold value is not exceeded.