Acrylic-polymer modified GRC

Abstract Acrylic-based polymer dispersions have a considerable and largely beneficial effect on the engineering properties of glass fibre-reinforced cement (GRC) composites. At 12 volume % polymer solid addition, improvements in bending, tensile and impact strengths over the control of up to 7%, 18% and 18% respectively have been recorded after 28 days. However, the degree of retention of these improved properties depends on the environment of use. When the composites were kept under water continuously for six years, the very good initial pseudo-ductility of the material disappeared nearly completely and the material failed in a brittle manner. Nevertheless, the stress at the limit of proportionality remained high in some cases and this may be important in design. After six years of natural weathering at Garston the modified composites were still pseudo-ductile and their LOP stress was much higher than that of the control. In this respect GRC which contained pulverized fuel ash behaved in a manner similar to that of ordinary GRC.