Evaluation of mechanical/dynamic properties of polyetherimide recycled polymer concrete for reducing rail slab noise

In this work, polymer concrete with recycled polyetherimide (PEI) was used to reduce the rail slab noise. Among recycled plastic, PEI is a low-density material which can enhance the damping capability of the polymer concrete. PEI recycled polymer concrete (PRPC) was fabricated with respect to the ratio of the epoxy resin, aggregate and PEI. In order to evaluate the mechanical/dynamic properties of the PRPC, experimental tests were performed. The flexural strength of the PRPC was obtained using a 3-point bending test. Also, the frequency dependent variation of the dynamic stiffness and loss factor of the PRPC were measured by a impact vibration test. The surface between the epoxy resin and PEI was characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. Ultimately, PRPC with 25 wt% epoxy resin and 2 wt% PEI showed 0.0193 highest damping value and 32.15 MPa flexural strength which was 3.2% less than the flexural strength of the polymer concrete without PEI.