Through What Factors does Polymer Concrete have Mechanical Resistance?

Polymer as an option to achieve this goal (improvement of concrete properties) has been considered for several decades. Polymer materials are used in both ways to improve the properties of concrete. Solid and hardened polymer materials in the form of fibers (such as polypropylene) or FRP rebars reinforce concrete. The process of polymerization and hardening is carried out in manufacturing factories, and materials with specific characteristics are provided to the user. Boron, carbon, glass, and polyamide are the most important materials from which fibers are made. Carbon FRP (CFRP) and glass (GFRP) rebars are made of fibers with a matrix of polymeric materials (such as epoxy). In addition to the use of fibers (polymer composites) in civil engineering in other fields such as aerospace engineering (making shuttles), transportation (making cars and airplanes), sports goods (making rackets and ski sticks), machinery and tools (turbine blades, gears), etc. are used. Non-solid polymer materials can be used to improve the quality of concrete. These materials harden during concrete processing and improve the resistance properties of concrete by forming networks intertwined with the cement network. Polymer injection concrete (PIC) and polymer cement concrete (PCC) are among these. The type of polymer and its mixing percentage are very effective on the final strength of concrete. Active research and development of concrete-polymer composites in Germany, America, England, Japan, and Russia began approximately 80 years ago and now they are widely used in various applications. For example, the volume of polymer used only in polymer-cement mortar (PCC) in Japan at the end of the 20th century has reached more than 100,000 tons per year.