Effects of Polymer Additives on The Restrained Shrinkage of Concrete

Abstract

Nowadays, with the developments in technology, the properties of the concrete are improved. Although, its physical properties and relatively low cost make it the most widely used construction material, conventional Portland cement concrete has a number of limitations such as low flexural strength, low failure strain, susceptibility to frost damage and low resistance to chemicals. In certain situations, these problems can be solved by using materials which contain an organic polymer or resin in the place of or in conjunction with Portland cement. Especially, the restrained shrinkage of concrete forms cracks when the tensile stress which occurs due to the restraint is higher than the tensile strength of the concrete. In this study, the effect of the polymer additives on the restrained shrinkage of the concrete is studied. The restrained and drying shrinkages of the plain and polymer modified concretes are tested and the results are evaluated comparatively.