With rare exceptions, the technology for carrying out construction, restoration or repair work involves the use of concrete solutions. All these materials differ in brand, class and some other parameters, for example, moisture resistance. And all have a common similarity - cement is used as the only binding component in these mixtures. But modern industry launched the production of other similar building materials, one of which is polymer concrete.
His fundamental difference is that in the usual sand-cement mixture Special ingredients – resins – are added as a binder. They are gradually introduced during the preparation of the solution. Polymer-based concretes are suitable for finishing surfaces both inside and outside buildings, pouring floors, and stair steps.
Composition and fillers
Fillers and binders are also used to prepare these concretes. Given the special qualities of polymers, the ratio between the components can vary from 5:1 to 12:1.
Like traditional analogues, polymer concrete contains fractions different sizes, and unlike cement grades, and finely dispersed. Considering that these materials are widely used, including for use in conditions of direct contact with aggressive compounds, substances with increased resistance to chemical influences (for example, quartzite, basalt, tuff) are used as fillers.
Binding components:
- The cheapest are furan polymers. But the strength is correspondingly low.
- Better quality concretes containing polyesters (unsaturated).
- The most the best options materials containing epoxy resins are considered. They combine strength, ductility, and wear resistance. However, their price is quite high.
Manufacturing
There is no clear answer yet to the question of how to make polymer concrete. All sources talk about the experimental way of obtaining required composition. It is necessary to ensure that when the applied mixture dries, it forms an elastic, resilient coating. Much depends on the installation location and on what result needs to be achieved. Eat general recommendation that polymer additives should make up approximately 1/5 of the total mass of the solution.
Much depends on what class of concrete you need to get. Therefore, you will have to vary the percentage of resins and hardeners. It is also necessary to take into account the type of polymer binder that is decided to be used, since each has its own specific properties. Some sources indicate that the use of epoxy resins involves replacing cement with slag, ash and liquid glass. In all other respects (mixing) the technique is the same.
Distinctive features of polymer concrete
- High water resistance. Allows you to significantly simplify the technology of work in areas where structural elements of a structure are exposed to intense exposure to liquids. By purchasing polymer or natural concrete, you can significantly save on waterproofing and reduce total time works
- Resistance to aggressive environments, low temperatures.
- The mechanical strength indicators significantly exceed the similar characteristics of cement-based concrete: for bending - up to 10 times, for compression - up to 3 times.
- Small specific gravity, which significantly increases the range of applications.
- Its elasticity property allows it to be used in areas subject to dynamic loads. Can be applied to planes with any orientation: horizontal, vertical, inclined.
- Excellent adhesion, regardless of the base material.
- The curing time is shorter than that of cement.
- Possibility of achieving ideal evenness of the coating. Surfaces finished with polymer concrete are easy to maintain.
The main difference between polymer concrete and others concrete mixtures consists of using organic compounds in the production. Polymer concrete is a mixture of various binders and polyester resins that are combined with various substances(catalysts, hardeners and solvents). Polymer concrete is much superior to other types of concrete in its physical and mechanical characteristics. It has increased ductility, increased strength, it is not afraid of water and frost, and is resistant to abrasion. If you wish and have some knowledge of production technology, making polymer concrete with your own hands is not difficult.
Polymer concrete for mechanical and physical characteristics superior to all other types of concrete.
Where is this material used?
Due to all its positive characteristics, the applicability of this material in construction is much higher than that of others. This material is used:
- as an insulating coating for concrete;
- when laying high-strength bricks;
- as a weather-resistant painting material;
- for decorative finishing of premises facades;
- for putty and plaster;
- How glue solution For facing tiles;
- covering for heated floors.
Due to its characteristics, such as high plasticity and low porosity, stable strength, which is achieved in a short period of time, polymer concrete can be produced by vibration molding. In particular, it can be used to work with products of small forms of architecture, decorative items for furniture and load-bearing structures.
Return to contents
Transparent concrete: some features
Improvements occur every day, including in construction industry. Concrete is known more for its strength than its light transmittance. This was the case until a new product appeared on the market - transparent concrete. This material is a mixture of concrete and glass filaments, which allow ordinary cement mortar to take on increased hardness. concrete mortar, plus also quite significant transparency.
Thanks to the presence of glass fibers in concrete, silhouettes can be seen through it.
The technical name for transparent concrete is litracon. It is made in the form of blocks, not much larger than a brick, and because of its transparency it seems completely weightless. This material can rightfully take its place among decorative and construction materials. According to the manufacturers, such blocks, in addition to being used in the construction of partitions, can even be used for paving sidewalks, since glass fibers make up only 4% of the total part of the concrete solution, and the material retains many of the advantages of the concrete mixture.
Due to the presence of glass fibers in the composition, through new material it is possible to see the silhouette of a person or, for example, a tree. Blocks made from this material allow you to fill your living space with light, making it light and airy. It seems as if the walls practically do not exist. It is preferable to use such blocks in rooms that were originally built “dead”, this applies to corridors and storage rooms. If, when constructing a partition made of transparent concrete, you use LED backlight, you can achieve amazing effects.
The sizes of the blocks produced can be different, which does not at all prevent the transmission of light through them. These blocks transmit solar and electrical rays up to 20 meters. And production technology may change depending on customer requirements. Glass fibers can be distributed either along the entire perimeter of the block or concentrated in a certain part of it, and in some cases it is possible to form certain contours.
Return to contents
Printed concrete: basic properties
Printed concrete is widely used for paving sidewalks, pavements, swimming pools, on facades and in interiors.
IN last years are becoming increasingly popular decorative forms concrete. This technology is widely used for paving sidewalks, swimming pools, pavements, in the interior and on facades. Surface finishing with colored concrete is increasingly being used, which is also an innovation in the construction industry. This type of concrete is produced by imprinting a texture on the surface of the concrete, thereby imitating any surface - from stone to tile.
For production printed concrete Concrete grade M-300 is used using fiberglass as a reinforcing material. After concrete is poured into molds, its surface is imprinted with molds and, as a final stage, it is treated with varnish, which prevents moisture from penetrating into the pores of the concrete, creating the effect of repelling moisture.
Another name for printed concrete is press concrete, which fully reflects its essence: a matrix with a pattern is imprinted on the surface of the coating, thanks to which it is possible to create a complete imitation of a stone coating with minimal labor costs. Printed concrete combines the main consumer characteristics - wear resistance and decorative appearance. Besides large selection textures for the production of concrete, it is possible to paint it in different colors.
Printed concrete is superior to asphalt pavement in many of its technical characteristics. concrete tiles. It has increased resistance to aggressive environmental components, and also has an increased limit temperature regime from + 50 to -50°С. This coating is easy to clean and non-slip, which makes it indispensable when laying the coating in swimming pools. Such concrete does not lose its original color when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Stunning decorative effects can be achieved when using printed concrete.
A coating made from this material can withstand about 300 freezing and thawing cycles, which makes it the absolute leader among other materials. In addition, such concrete is not subject to destruction under the influence of acids and alkalis, which makes it an excellent material for organizing flooring in garages or auto repair shops.
The development of the chemistry of synthetic binders and polymers predetermined the emergence of a new material in the construction industry, known as polymer concrete. And although the first patents for its manufacture appeared 80 years ago, practical use the new product was received only in the 60s of the last century. As the name suggests, the developers managed to obtain a building material based on resins and polymers, capable of completely replacing modern cement and slag-cement concrete in composition and characteristics.
What is polymer concrete
Often, construction terms can confuse a non-specialist or a novice builder who likes to build with his own hands. At the household level, polymer concrete includes all types of building materials that contain cement, water and polymer resin.
In fact, the technology of building polymers divides such materials into several groups:
- Polymer concrete is a mixed composition that includes mineral ballast or filler, a polymer binder, hardener, stabilizer and adhesive, without the use of cement and water;
- Polymer cement concrete is a material obtained by adding a water-soluble polymer composition to the composition of the parent cement mortar or concrete;
- Concrete polymer materials are hardened concrete or cement stone subjected to additional processing liquid or vapor polymers, usually the liquid contains styrene with a catalyst, which polymerizes in the thickness of the mineral matrix of concrete.
For your information! Polymer concretes made from thermosetting and epoxy resins are also called plastic concretes.
The properties of polymer concrete depend on the composition of the binder, resin, filler used and the method of preparation. Such materials are successfully used not only in construction, but also in mechanical engineering, the chemical industry and even in the production of household items and furniture. The technology of using various mineral fillers to reduce the cost of producing castings from synthetic resins began to be used in the 80s of the last century, and in beginning of XXI century, almost 80-90% of plastic products are made using polymer concrete technology, which contains resin and fine ballast powder.
To obtain building grades of polymer concrete, compositions based on five main types of synthetic resins are used:
- Phenol-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde polymers;
- Epoxy matrices, including those modified with furan resins;
- Methacrylate and polyvinyl acetate polymers;
- Furfural acetone matrix, or FAM for short;
- Polyester and polyurea resin.
For your information! FAM is one of the few types of binders used for the production of so-called faizol concretes, which have unique properties dampen and dissipate vibrations an order of magnitude better than the most viscous grades of cast iron.
Furfural acetone resins contain volatile substances with very unpleasant smell which may cause suffocation and headache, which are pronounced carcinogens. Therefore, they are used only for the production of polymer concrete, conservation steel structures pipelines and communication systems. For residential premises, polymer concretes are most often used, which contain polyester resins, epoxy and methacrylate oligomers.
The resin content of polymer concrete is relatively small, from 10 to 15%. The rest is mineral filler - marble chips, ground ash, crushed dolomite, calcite, granulated vermiculite, clinker and ordinary Portland cement. Quite rarely, polymer concrete uses a resin with an organic filler based on modified wood fibers mixed with chopped basalt fiber.
Why change ordinary cement mortar to polymer concrete?
Modern grades of concrete based on cement and sand work well in huge masses, where the static load is constant and there are no shocks, vibrations or complex bending moments or torsional forces. In all other cases, it is necessary to introduce special additives into the composition, use reinforcement with expensive metal, make multilayer structures or completely replace cement concrete with metal or polymer concrete. In some variants it is technologically easier to cast a part building structure from polymer concrete than to use reinforced concrete. For example, during the construction of product pipelines.
If we compare the characteristics of polymer concrete with conventional concrete, we can name five advantages of using polymers:
- Strength against bending, torsion and alternating dynamic load is 3-4 times higher. The resin in polymer concrete causes the material to behave like metal;
- The presence of polymers in the composition ensures low water absorption and high frost resistance of polymer concrete structures;
- Certain grades of polymer concrete containing fine particles have low thermal conductivity; if necessary, they can be used without insulation even in the manufacture of floors and ceilings ground floor, basements;
- Good machinability by cutting and drilling, without the risk of pinching or cracking;
- Epoxy resins in polymer concrete make them inert to chemically active substances, organic solvents, gasoline, oil, chlorinated hydrocarbons, hot and sea water. In shipbuilding, polymer concrete is used to make cladding, floors, floors, protective panels and deck elements.
For your information! The main “value” of a polymer concrete composition is the possibility of obtaining High Quality castings, without cavities, ridges, cracks, with “programmed” mechanical and strength characteristics. The characteristics can be easily adjusted by changing the composition of the material.
For example, in the manufacture of a pipeline, polymer concrete with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol or liquid glass. Alcohol in concrete improves the wettability of cement grains, removes air from the intergranular space and helps the hydration process. After casting the pipeline, due to intensive binding of water, the inner surface concrete pipe quickly dries out and becomes cracked. To make it strong, hard and wear-resistant, concrete is treated liquid solution polystyrene in styrene. The result is a surface that is not inferior in characteristics and durability to cast iron.
Today, the cost of polymer concrete is still quite high, so there is no talk of completely replacing cement in the composition of the material, but as new resins are developed, the prospect of switching to polymer concrete is becoming more and more realistic.
Features of the use of various brands of polymer concrete
Most people will be surprised to learn how many household items are made of polymer concrete. For example, from polyester resin and filler from finely ground natural stone - gabbro, basalt, marble, calcite, artificial stones, sculptures, decorative elements and facing tiles for stone-like finishing are produced. Tabletops and window sills are cast from inexpensive polymer concrete to look like stone; the cost of a similar product made from natural marble or granite will cost 2-3 times more.
Communication elements - pipes, tanks, wells, drainage trays and even entire collectors - are made from epoxy polymer concrete. Using polymer cement casting, you can easily repair concrete bearing structures, seal the screed and restore the tightness of the container. Polymer concretes, which contain epoxy resin, have exceptionally high adhesion, so they are often used to restore holes and joints concrete panels in high-rises.
From methacrylate filled with ground glass powder and marble dust, it is possible to obtain such a high-quality imitation of natural stone that similar material is borrowed and used for work by professional restorers. Large granules of marble or calcite can be added to the composition. All products are made on the basis of polymer concrete polymer plasters, putties, tile adhesives, grout, that is, almost all materials for decorative finishing houses.
Separately, it is necessary to remember self-leveling floors. In this case, instead of glass filler, crushed into dust is used. quartz sand. Most expensive brands, which contain a modified forced-cure methacrylate, after hardening they give ideal smooth surface, superior in strength cement screed.
How to make the simplest polymer concrete at home
In order to prepare polymer concrete with your own hands, you will need two components, resin and filler. For the simplest version of polymer concrete, you can use epoxy adhesive or resin, hardener and filler. It is best to use cement, washed and dried, as part of the material. river sand or granite dust, which you can get in any monument-making workshop.
The resin is diluted with acetone or an alcohol-acetone mixture. Various brands epoxy resin require their own brand of solvent, so to prepare polymer concrete it is necessary to select a thinner. A hardener is added to the resin, stirred and a thinner is added to the composition. After 10 minutes in adhesive mass You can add filler in small portions. After another 3-10 minutes of mixing, the polymer concrete will be ready for use.
Conclusion
In a similar way, you can prepare polymer concrete based on PVA, acrylic resin and sand, oil paint and cement filler. Finally, you can add a mixture for self-leveling floors, which will allow you to use the material for casting parts for finishing ceilings and walls, columns, stucco moldings, and pilasters. In any case, such a composition will cost less, and the quality of the products will be no worse than that of purchased options.
Innovative technologies delight us more and more every day. New developments have also affected the construction industry. In particular, the creation of new building materials, among which polymer concrete is in great demand. It is a mixture whose composition consists of various polymer substances, and not from the cement or silicate that has long been familiar to us. This material has a lot of positive properties, thanks to which it is superior to conventional building mixtures.
Polymer concrete: characteristics
Due to the huge number of its positive properties, the cement-polymer mixture justifiably deserves respect among builders. Using this material, any specialist will appreciate its strength and durability. Polymer concrete is not susceptible to moisture, does not deform, and responds well to temperature changes and bad weather. It hardens quickly and adheres perfectly to any surface. Such material has high stability stretchable, good air permeability. It is not affected by any chemical reactions.
But the most important of all the properties of polymer concrete is that it is environmentally friendly and does not pollute environment and does not harm human health in any way. The polymer mixture is allowed to be used even in the construction of public catering establishments, various food outlets, as well as other buildings Food Industry.
Advantages and disadvantages
A huge number of positive properties elevate the cement-polymer construction mixture over ordinary concrete. Due to the rapid hardening with polymer concrete, the first work can be done within a few days, which cannot be said about conventional material. The new type of concrete is much more durable and stronger. For complete hardening, it only takes one week, and not a month, as for ordinary cement.
Among the positive properties of the polymer mixture is waste-free production. Previously, all agricultural and construction waste was simply thrown away or buried in the ground, thereby polluting our nature. Now the recycled material is used to make polymer concrete. The use of such technology not only solves the problem of waste disposal, but also protects the environment from pollution.
This building material Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages. Among negative properties it is possible to highlight the inclusion in the composition artificial materials. Second negative point lies in the high cost of some additives necessary for the preparation of polymer concrete. Due to this, the price of the finished product increases.
Application
Due to the presence of many positive properties, polymer concrete has a fairly wide range of applications. It is used in landscape design, laying out paths and terraces. A similar mixture is used to decorate walls, both external and external. outside, decorate, stairs, fences, plinths. Such material can easily be handmade. It makes different shapes, figures, decorative elements. Its beauty is that it is easy to paint after drying.
The use of such a building mixture is suitable for pouring floors. Polymer concrete floors will provide excellent protection against moisture. Polymer concrete floors will keep your home warm.
Kinds
Considering specifications and composition, new generation concrete is divided into:
- Polymer-cement. This type concrete has excellent strength. A similar material is used in the construction of airfields, finishing slabs and bricks.
- Plastic concrete. It exhibits excellent resistance to acid-base reactions and temperature imbalance.
- Concrete polymer. This mortar differs from others in that the ready-made, frozen block is impregnated with monomers.
These substances, filling holes and defects in the material, provide it with durability and resistance to sub-zero temperatures.
Also depending on the type construction work Experts divide polymer concrete into filled and frame molecular. The first type allows for the presence of such organic materials, like quartz sand, gravel. These materials perform the function of filling voids in concrete. In the second option, the concrete is left with unfilled voids. And the connection between concrete particles is carried out by polymer substances.
Price RUR/kg depending on quantity. Including VAT and packaging.
Packing: plastic canisters 5kg, 10kg, 30kg.
Guarantee period storage in manufacturer's containers - 12 months.
Store and transport at temperatures from +5° to +25°C.
label
Packing
Buy a polymer additive for concrete
Polymer-based concrete additive Elastobeton-B manufactured to be heavy-duty polymer cement concrete.
Strength: on dolomite crushed stone – M600-M800; on granite crushed stone– M800-M1000 and more.
Commissioning within 5-6 days.
Polymer additives in concrete Elastic concrete-B is supplied in liquid form.
They are introduced during the production of concrete at the rate of 20 kg of additive per 100 kg of cement.
Thickness of the polymer-cement floor Elastobeton-B:
for moderate loads - 20mm, for heavy loads - 30mm, minimum thickness- 15mm.
Unlike magnesium concrete, polymer cement concrete is completely resistant to water.
Polymer cement concrete
Other names: cement-polymer concrete, cement polymer concrete.
As mentioned above, polymer-cement floors based on the concrete additive Elastobeton-B are 20-50% cheaper than magnesium floors. But this is a direct calculation - that is, they took polymer-cement concrete and calculated the price of the components; similarly for magnesium concrete.
But besides this, there are a number of factors that affect the final price of polymer cement concrete and magnesium concrete. The main of these factors are listed below.
1. Transportation.
Transportation of concrete components greatly affects its final cost.
If transport costs are only 1 rub/kg, then delivery main components magnesium concrete, which constitute approximately 23% of the total mass, will increase the price of 1 m³ of concrete by 500 rubles! With a delivery price of 5 rubles/kg, that’s already 2500 rubles/m³!
If you transport all the components of magnesium floors, then at a delivery price of 1 ruble/kg, the cost will increase by 2200 rubles/m³.
With a delivery price of 5 rubles/kg, magnesium floors will become more expensive by 11,000 rubles/m³!
The concrete additive Elastobeton-B is approximately 3.5% of the concrete mass, the remaining components are purchased locally. Accordingly, transportation of a polymer additive for concrete, even over long distances, has virtually no effect on the price of polymer-cement concrete.
The savings are obvious.
2. Storage.
The components of magnesia concrete (in particular burnt magnesia - magnesium oxide) are very sensitive to storage and transportation conditions. Penetration of moisture into components significantly reduces the final strength of magnesium concrete. As a result, you will receive magnesium floors with brand strength M200-M300, instead of M400-M600.
There are no such problems with polymer-cement concrete, since you buy all the components, including additives, locally and can always control their quality.
3. Cost of fillers.
The cost of concrete with the additive “Elastoconcrete-B” depends on the sand fineness modulus (SFM), bulk density sand and bulk density of crushed stone. The higher the MCR and the higher the density of sand and crushed stone, the less cement and concrete additives in relation to sand and crushed stone. Accordingly, the cheaper polymer-cement concrete.
Savings can be up to 2000 rubles. per 1m³ of polymer cement concrete.
4. Equipment corrosion.
Magnesia concrete includes the bischofite component, which causes increased corrosion of both steel and aluminum surfaces of equipment. Equipment (concrete mixers, vibrating screeds, helicopters, etc.) must be constantly washed. But even with careful care, the service life of the equipment is reduced several times, which as a result affects the price of magnesium floors!
Polymer additive for concrete Elastobeton-B does not have a corrosive effect on metal surfaces.
The savings are obvious.
Polymer additive for concrete - properties, advantages
Elakor "Elastobeton-B"- complex modifying polymer additive for concrete (Portland cement concrete).
Cement grade M500D0 is recommended for use. If you want to use other cements, we recommend that you first check them for compatibility with the Additive (see Technology for using the Additive). The fact is that some fillers that are introduced during the production of cement can “conflict” with the additive.
To make colored polymer-cement floors, you can add the pigment yourself directly when mixing concrete or order an Additive from us desired color.
Colored polymer-cement floors can be made on gray cement, but if a “pure” color is required, then it is necessary to use white cement.
Properties of polymer-cement floors with the concrete additive “Elastobeton-B”.
- Operation indoors and outdoors outdoors.
- Thickness from 15 to 50mm. Recommended thickness is 20-30mm depending on the load.
- The strength of the coating is: on dolomite filler – M600-M800. on granite filler – M800-M1000 and more.
- Extremely high wear resistance (less than 0.2 g/cm²).
- High impact strength (10-20 kg m depending on thickness).
- Bending strength – no less than 12 MPa.
- Completely dust-free (after polishing).
- The coating is vapor permeable.
- Antistatic coating: specific volume electrical resistance– no more than 10 7 Ohms;
specific surface electrical resistance – no more than 10 9 Ohm∙m (test voltage 100V). - Chemical resistance to water, fuels and lubricants, salt solutions, detergents etc.
- The coating is non-flammable (flammability group - NG).
- Magnificent appearance, the ability to combine several colors, various fillers, etc.
- Easy to clean, can be used with any detergent.
Polymer cement floors - advantages.
- Allows you to avoid performing leveling screeds with subsequent application of protective polymer impregnations and coatings or dry reinforcing compounds (toppings). This results in a coating with higher decorative and strength qualities and a significantly lower cost.
- Combines the advantages of latex cement concrete and polyvinyl acetate cement concrete - water resistance and oil resistance.
- Fully complies with SNiP 2.03.13-88 “Floors”.
- Strength as the topping and higher, but not only in top layer 2-2.5 mm, and throughout the entire thickness.
- Unlike magnesium concrete, magnesia floors are completely resistant to water.
- When abrasion (wear) occurs, the polymer-cement floor does not change appearance, does not lose strength and chemical resistance.
- It is polished during use.
- Does not require reinforcement.
- Short technological cycle of work (6-8 days).
- Start of operation - the next day after completion of work.
- Polymer cement concrete is cheaper than any other finishing coatings similar thickness.
Polymer cement floors are used in buildings.