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Original citation:
Lim SK, Ling TC, Hussin MW. (2011) Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag as potential filler
in polyester grout: compressive strength development. ACI Materials Journals; 108 (2):
120-127.
http://www.concrete.org/PUBS/JOURNALS/OLJDetails.asp?Home=MJ&ID=51682305
GGBFS AS POTENTIAL FILLER IN POLYESTER GROUT: COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
DEVELOPMENT
Siong Kang Lima*
, Tung-Chai Lingb, Mohd Warid Hussin
c
aUniversiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR),
bThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
cUniversiti Teknologi Malaysia.
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the possibility of using ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) asa partial replacement of filler in polymer grout. In this study, river sand was replaced by
GGBFS at the level of 0% (control), 10%, 20% and 30% by weight. The effects of five curing
conditions on the compressive strength at the age of 7, 28, 90, 180 and 365 days were studied.
Three specimens were used at each specific age and curing condition. Samples microstructure
after 1 year cured under natural weather and sea water were studied using SEM. A comparison
was also made on the development of compressive strength between polyester grout with and
without GGBFS. From the results, it was observed that GGBFS used as filler to the polyester
grout matrix resulted in a better long term compressive strength than that of the control resin.
The positive effects of GGBFS on the compressive strength of polyester grout against the
hostile environment of Malaysia make this material a feasible additive besides its
environmental and economic advantages.
Key words: Polyester; GGBFS; compressive strength; curing condition
INTRODUCTION
Polymer or resin concrete serves as a unique concrete composite, particularly in the area of
repair due to its easy application, quick setting characteristic, high mechanical strength,
chemical resistance, wear resistance, controlled shrinkage and availability in differences
viscosities1, 2
. Polymeric composite materials are relatively one of the youngest building
materials and becoming more popular in the construction industry in developed countries.
Since 1960s the use of various polymer compositions in the construction industry has grownfrom very small beginnings to significant tonnages due to its bond strength that is considerably
greater than the cohesive strength of concrete3, 4
. The composites using polymer along with
cement and aggregated are called polymer modified mortars (PMM), while the composites
made with polymer and aggregates are called polymer mortars (PM) or polymer concrete
(PC)1.
Polymer mortars and resin grouts are produced by using dry aggregates, thermosetting
resin (binder) and curing agents that undergo polymerization (hardening). Thermoset resins
possess a networked (cross-linked) structure, with the restrictive structure preventing melting
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behavior, but decompose irreversibly at high temperatures. Heating may form such a structure
or via a chemical reaction. Due to the excellent thermal stability and rigidity5, various
thermoset resins have been used to prepare polymer concretes and mortars including epoxies,
polyesters, phenol-formaldehyde (or phenolic) and furfural-acetone types. Such materials exist
in various forms such as: liquid resins, redispersable powders, water-soluble photopolymers or
copolymers and latexes6. Since the polyester resins are cost effective, easy to handle and
portable as compared to the epoxy resin, this resulted in polyester resins being the most usedpolymer in PC compositions
7, 8. However, the choice of polymer and the composition of
polymer modified concrete are dictated based on their application and mechanical properties
requirements9.
FILLER TYPES AFFECTING PERFORMANC OF POLYESTER
Fillers are the most important additives in a polymer formulation and serve to reduce the cost
without drastically affecting the properties of the compound. Indeed, in many cases, the
performance may enhance. Powder fillers normally are added to improve gap-filling property
and abrasion resistance. It reduces shrinkage and increases viscosity and heat distortion
temperature (HDT)10
.
Laboratory tests were investigated by researchers around the world to look at thepossibility of using different type of fillers in polyester composites. Fly ash, rice husk ash, fine
tailings, silica powder, and ground calcium carbonate are the alternative materials for partial
replacement of filler in polyester composites. These materials are becoming more and more
common as alternative materials filler due to the environmental, economic, or technical
benefits. However, the kind of alternative material that is used often depends on the availability
and on field of application.
Among these materials, fly ash is the most common filler being studied11- 15
. Varughese
and Chaturvedi11
found that there was a good capability between sand and fly ash in polyester
concrete system when fly ash is used as a fine aggregate in polyester concrete. The existence offly ash also improves the mechanical properties and resistance to water absorption. However,
properties decline at the higher level of fly ash as the mix becomes unworkable. A great
improvement of chemical resistance to acid was detected by Gorninski et al.12, due to the
positive contribution of the fly ash in the polyester-sand interface. They showed that fly ash
displayed good mechanical properties for orthophtalic and disophtalic polyester.
According to Soh et al.13
, the maximum limit of fly ash or ground calcium carbonate
(GCC) filler should be controlled at 60% or less to make the most of the excellent strength of
unsaturated polyester resin mortar. Comparing both fillers, fly ash exhibited a little higher
strength than that of using GCC. Mun et al.14
investigated basic mechanical properties of
polyester mortars containing GCC and fine tailing (FT) from an abandoned mine as a filler.They stated that flexural and compressive strength of polyester mortars containing GCC
demonstrated a decreasing tendency along with an increase in the mixing filler-(filler + binder)
ratio. In contrast, the polyester mortars with FT filler showed an increase in strength with an
increase in the filler-(filler + binder) ratio from 30% to 40%.In addition, studies about the possibilities of using quarry waste and rice husk as partial
replacement of filler in unsaturated polyester composites are made15- 16
. The practices that are
state above stayed on a limited level, because of the clear reduction in strength properties as the
percentage of fillers increased. However, for a given amount of filler and regardless of filler
type, polyester resin composites with smaller filler size exhibited higher strength and impact
properties than those with larger filler size15, 16
. This may be due to the irregularly shaped fillerthat is unable to distribute the stress efficiently especially as the percentage of filler increased.
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In the past decade, many research and developments were made on the topic of utilizing
ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) in the production of mortar and concrete17- 26
.
The results showed that GGBFS is a potential hydraulic binder for Portland cement
replacement. The physical properties of GGBFS increases the workability, reduces bleeding of
fresh cement concrete. Inclusion of GGBFS in concrete matrix also found to be effective in
reducing heat hydration, improves late strength, reduces permeability and alkali-silica
reactivity (ASR) expansion and resistance for sulfate attack26, 27, 28
.During the hardening of polymer grout, the settlement of filler particles primarily
depends on the density, particle size, and the viscosity of the formulated product. Settlement
can be reduced or eliminated by proper formulation. Fine particles fillers with relatively low
specific gravity in high viscosity products will reduce settlement, especially if the product is at
all thixotropic29
. GGBFS is generally glassy granular material that is formed when molten blast
furnace slag is rapidly chilled by contact of water (granulated), dried and ground to a fine
powder30
. The specific gravity of the slag is approximately 2.83 with its bulk density varying in
the range of 1200-1300kg/m3. Due to the specific weight of sand which is relatively higher
than most of the alternative fillers, this caused a settlement during the hardening andnon-uniformity in the final product of the polymer resin grout. This led to the idea to apply
GGBFS as micro-filler by replacing sand partially.
This study is aimed to study the potential use of GGBFS as partial replacement of fillerin polyester grout. A series of tests was conducted to examine the compressive strength. The
strength development up to age of one year of polymer grout containing 10 to 30% GGBFS as
filler replacement were investigated in terms of five curing conditions, namely air, water,
natural weather (ambient environment) wet-dry cycles and tidal zone (seawater). The scanning
electronic microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the effects of selected curing conditions on
the one year resin grout samples with and without GGBFS.
MATERIALS
Polyester Resin
An unsaturated polyester resin brand named P9728P isophtalic unsaturated polyester (IUPR) is
used as principal binder during this study. Table 1 shows the typical properties of IUPR used.
Unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) has two main components such as polyester and a reactive
diluent. For most commercial resins, the diluent is styrene monomer, but it is possible to use
other vinyl monomers such as methyl styrene and alkyl methacrylate monomers. These
diluents serve two vital roles for the system. They reduce the viscosity, so the resins can beprocessed, and they cross-link with the double bonds in the polyester, without the evolution of
any by-products31, 32
. Polyesters are joined by ester linkages between carboxylic acid and
alcohol groups; the macromolecule formed may be linear or cross-linked. From the
bi-functional monomers terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, linear polyester is obtained.
Esterification occurs between the alcohol and acid group on both ends of both monomers,forming long chain macromolecules. When trifunctional acids or alcohol are used as
monomers, cross-linked thermosetting polyesters are obtained33
. During this study IUPR is
dissolved in styrene locally available in the market. Eq. 1 depicts the chemical structure (linear
polymer chain) of IUPR used.
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Table 1Typical properties of ISO-Unsaturated polyester resin P9728P
Appearance Pinkish Brown
Non-Volatile, % 52 - 56
Viscosity @ 250C or 770F, centipoises (Cp) - Brookfield, #3/60 450 650 (Low viscosity)
Elongation (%) 3.7
Heat Distortion Temperature (HDT), 0C or (0F) 60 (140)
Thixotropic Index @ 250C or 770F - #3, 6 and 60 round per minute (rpm) 1.5 2.8
Gel time @ 250C or 770F, minute - 1% MEKP 24 - 30
Acid Value, mgKOH/g - Solid Resin 25
Specific Gravity 1.1
Volumetric Shrinkage, % 9
Note:0C = (
0F-32) 5/9
1 centipoise (Cp) = 1 10-3 Pascal.second (Pa.s)
O O
CH = CH C O CH2 CH2 - O -C - - C O CH2 CH2 O-H (1)
O = C O
OH
Curing agent
According to BS 6319: Part 134
, hardener or curing agent is defined as a material, whichchemically combines with a synthetic resin to produce hardened product. Methyl ethyl ketone
peroxide (MEKP) is widely used as a curing agent of unsaturated polymer resin to mold
products. MEKP is normally produced in the phlegmatizer (dimethyl phthalate, DMP) with
acid as a catalyst. In addition, the product with a concentration up to 10% active oxygen is
neutralized, and then is brought to the desired concentration by further dilution with phthalate.
According to Xinrui Li and partners35
, MEKP is ordinarily a mixture of several isomers, all
isomers contain the bivalent -O-O- linkage, and the molecules and their anions are powerful
nucleophiles. For this study, MEKP in dimethyl phthalate was used to cure the UPR. MEKP is
a clear and colorless liquid. It is organic peroxide. The chemical structure of MEKP is shown in
Eq. 2:
CH3 CH3 CH3 CH3HOO C O -O C - OOH ; HOO C O -O C - OOH (2)CH2CH3 CH2CH3 CH2CH3 CH2CH3
The curing or cross-linking of unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) is achieved at room
temperature by adding a catalyst (or initiator) plus an accelerator (or promoter) and at elevated
O
Ester
Linkage
(Functional
group)
Iso- Phathalic
AnhydrideMaleaic
Anhydrid
Propylene
Glycol
n
Ketone functionalgroupEthyl
Methyl
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temperatures just by adding a catalyst and heating. Eq. 3 shows the cross linked process of
polyester by peroxide curing agent.
O O
[O-CH2-CH2-O-C-HC=CH-C] + H2C=HC-
O O
O-CH2-CH2-O-C-HC-CH-C]
HC-CH2 (3)
O O
O-CH2-CH2-O-C-HC-CH-C
CH2-CH
Filler
Oven-dried fine river sand complied with the specifications of ASTM C 77836
was used as a
primary filler in preparing polyester resin. The ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS)
which functions as a powder filler (macro-filler) was used as a partial replacement of primary
filler. GGBFS used in this study is a by-product of the steel industry; Slag cement (Southern)Sdn. Bhd (YTL), Johor Malaysia. Table 2 shows the chemical compositions and physical
properties of GGBFS.
Preparation of Polyester Grout Compositions
The design of the polyester grout composition in this study was based on the capability to
pump, sufficient strength and working life (pot life >30 minutes)37
. The formulations of mixes
are given in Table 3. GGBFS was added from 10 to 30% of total filler weight with an increment
of 10%. The flowability of the polyester grouts tends to decrease with an increase in GGBFS
filler content. The might be due to the inclusion of GGBFS filler increase in solubility and
water absorption of polyester matrix, resulting in high shear rate. When the shear rate increases,
the viscosity of the polyester grout mixes increased. The viscosity of polyester grout is
suggested to be around 2000 centipoises or equivalent to 2 Pascal second (low viscosity) orbelow tested with Brookfield viscometer using spindle 3, 60rpm to ease the pumping or
injection works37
. Therefore, during this study, flowability or rheology of all the polyester
grout compositions was maintained by adjusting the viscosity within the limitations ranging
between 1550 and 2050 centipoises at spindle 3, 60rpm, 300C (86
0F).
Linear polyester Peroxide curing agent
n
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Table 2Chemical compositions and physical properties of GGBFS
TEST PROCEDURES
The gel time of the polyester grout mixture was mainly controlled by the hardener and
accelerator. The viscosity and gel time of polyester grouts were measured in accordance to
ASTM D 247138
. Commonly the accelerator like cobalt is used to reduce the gel time of
polyester mixture. However, cobalt accelerator was not selected because the final polyester
grout product produced in this study was aimed to apply in structural repairing which required
a longer and sufficient working time for pumping. Thus, the percentage of hardener used wasdetermined based on the sufficient working time ranging between 30 and 37 minutes and
without compromising the strength. Table 3 shows the details of compositions polyester grouts
designed.
Methods
The compressive strength test was performed in accordance to ASTM C 579-0139
. Three cubes
of standard size measuring 50mm x 50mm x 50mm (1.9685in x 1.9685in x 1.9685in) were
tested and the result was the mean of individual results. In total, 300 cube specimens were
casted and tested at 7 days, 28 days, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year of ages. Five different
exposure conditions were adopted to assess the compressive strength development andresistance to aggressive environments exposure such as tropical climate and tidal zone
(chloride in seawater and sulfate in muddy soil). The specimens were demoulded after 24 hours
of casting, and immediately exposed to the respective condition until their testing age. The
details of the exposure conditions are as follows:
i) Air curing in the laboratory. Average room temperature of 270C (80.6
0F) to 30
0C
(860F) with 65% average humidity.
Chemical constituents of
GGBFS(%)
Silicon dioxide/silica (SiO2) 34.0
Aluminium oxide/ alumina
(Al2O3)
14.0
Ferric oxide (Fe2O3) 0.94
Calcium oxide (CaO) 43.1
Magnesium oxide (MgO) 5.39
Sulphur oxide (SO3) 0.15
Sodium oxide (Na2O) 0.23
Potassium oxide (K2O) 0.34
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) 0.66
Loss on ignition (LOI) 0.13
Sulphide sulphur, S2-
0.26
Chloride, Cl-
0.01
Physical properties (%)
Specific gravity 2.83
Total surface area (g/cm2) 4200
Fineness (% passing 45 m) 100
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ii) Natural weathering outside the laboratory. Temperature ranged from 260C (78.8
0F)
to 360C (96.8
0F) with relative humidity 65% to 90%.
iii) Continuous water curing at 260C (78.8
0F).
iv) Wet-dry cycles. The specimens were put into water tank for 1 week (wet cycle) and
then drawn out from water to be exposed in open air condition for another 1 week (dry
cycle), which would give one complete cycle for testing purpose.
v) Tidal zone. Flow-ebb of sea water
Table 3Composition for polyester grouts designed and tested
Mix Ingredients
Grout composition
IP-CTR IP-10 IP-20 IP-30
Binder : Filler Ratio 1:1.5 1:1.5 1:1.5 1:1.5
GGBFS Content (%)1 0 10 20 30
MEKP (%)1 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Viscosity (cP)at 300C
Spindle #3/60rpm
(1550-1650)Consistent Flow
(1600-1700)Consistent Flow
(1750-1900)Consistent Flow
(1900-2050)Consistent Flow
Pot Life (minute) 33-37 31-34 30-33 30-33
1Percentage of GGBFS and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide ( MEKP) is based on the weight of binder
cP : centipoise ; rpm : round per minute1000 centipoise (cP) = 1 Pascal second (Pa.s)
Low viscosity < 2000cP : Consistent flow
2000cP < Medium viscosity < 10000cP : Gelatinous form
High viscosity > 10000cP
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Figs. 1-5 show the results of compressive strength of polyester grouts with and without
GGBFS under various curing conditions and cured ages. High compressive strength exhibited
by all the mixes of grouts is evident from the figures. This is probably related to the good
degradation of the resin-filler interface. The compressive strength at 28 days varies from 106
MPa (15374psi) to 124.88 MPa (18112.31psi). This achieved the strength requirement
anticipated for polymer concrete and grouts i.e., 75MPa (10877.83psi). It is important to note
that the lowest value of compressive strength about 93MPa (13488.51psi) was obtained in case
of IP-30 at the age of 7 days, exposed to wet-dry cycles. This deduces the high strength gain bythe polyester grouts at the early ages also. At the early strength of polyester grouts with 10 to
30% GGBFS are lower than the control grout strength up to 28 days. It can be seen that the
strength of polyester grout with GGBFS beyond 90 days was found to be higher than the
control grouts except for the samples cured under tidal zone. This can be explained that
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100.2
2
103.3
3
102.08
103.8
8
105.02
99.2
8
102.13
97.0
4
99.6
4
100
98.6
9
102.4
8
97.2
8
99.4
4
99.3
2
97.7
6102.7
5
93.9
93.0
2
93.6
8
80
90
100
110
120
130
Air Natu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposure Cond it ion
Com
pressiveStren
gth
(MPa)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 1aCompressive strength of grouts at 7 days of age (in unit MPa)
1
4,5
35.6
8
14,9
86.7
5
14,8
05.4
5
15,0
66.5
2
15,2
31.8
6
14,3
99.3
4
14,8
12.7
0
14,0
74.4
6
14,4
51.5
6
14,5
03.7
7
14
,313.7
7
14,8
63.4
6
14,1
09.2
7
14,4
22.5
5
14,4
05.1
4
14
,178.8
9
14,9
02.6
2
13,6
19.0
4
13,4
91.4
1
13,5
87.1
3
10000
11000
12000
13000
1400015000
16000
17000
18000
19000
20000
Air N atu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposure Condit ion
Com
pressiveStrength
(psi)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 1bCompressive strength of grouts at 7 days of age (in unit psi)
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124.8
8
118.1
3
117.3
9
1
11.8
5 122.0
5
120.6
2
121.1
8
119.2
117.3
121.2
1
116.4
2
115
117.1
9
117.3
4
120.2
9
118.9
6
119.7
2
118.3
2
119.7
2
106
80
90
100
110
120
130
Air Natu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposu re Cond it ion
Com
pressiveStren
gth
(MPa)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 2aCompressive strength of grouts at 28 days of age (in unit MPa)
18,1
12.3
1
17,1
33.3
0
17,0
25.9
8
16,2
22.4
7
17,7
01.8
5
17,4
94.4
5
17,5
75.6
7
17,2
88.4
9
17,0
12.9
2
17,5
80.0
2
16,8
85.2
9
16,6
79.3
4
16,9
96.9
7
17,0
18.7
2
17,4
46.5
8
17,2
53.6
8
17,3
63.9
1
17,1
60.8
6
17,3
63.9
1
15,3
74.0
0
10000
11000
12000
13000
1400015000
16000
17000
18000
19000
20000
Air N atu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposure Condit ion
Com
pressiveStr
ength
(psi)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 2bCompressive strength of grouts at 28 days of age (in unit psi)
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128.1
9
129.8
4
127.3
7
126.8
8
121.1
9130.1
6
129.8
7
124.0
7
1
14 1
17.81
25.3
6
127.5
6
123.9
1
115.2 1
21.1
7
123.1
2
119.4
3
125.1
6
118.9
6
115.6
2
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
Air Natu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposu re Cond it ion
Com
pressiveStren
gth
(MPa)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 3aCompressive strength of grouts at 3 months of age (in unit MPa)
18,5
92.3
8
18,8
31.6
9
18,4
73.4
5
18,4
02.3
8
17,5
77.1
2
18,8
78.1
1
18,8
36.0
5
17,9
94.8
3
16,5
34.3
0
17,0
85.4
4
18,1
81.9
3
18,5
01.0
1
17,9
71.6
2
16,7
08.3
4
17,5
74.2
2
17,8
57.0
4
17,3
21.8
5
18,1
52.9
2
17,2
53.6
8
16,7
69.2
6
10000
11000
12000
13000
1400015000
16000
17000
18000
19000
20000
Air N atu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposure Condit ion
Com
pressiveStrength
(psi)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 3bCompressive strength of grouts at 3 months of age (in unit psi)
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118.4
5124.7
4
114.0
2
115.8
119.6
2
119.7
6 130.6
4
117.1
6
116.5
2
118.3
6129.9
7
131.7
5
131.3
6
131.4
120.8
1134.4
4
131.6
8
132.4
5
114.2
132.5
2
80
90
100
110
120
130
Air Natu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposure Condit ion
Com
pressiveStren
gth
(MPa)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 4aCompressive strength of grouts at 6 months of age (in unit MPa)
17,1
79.7
2
18,0
92.0
0
16,5
37.2
0
16,7
95.3
7
17,3
49.4
1
17,3
69.7
1
18,9
47.7
3
16,9
92.6
2
16,8
99.7
9
17,1
66.6
6
18,8
50.5
5
19,1
08.7
2
19,0
52.1
5
19,0
57.9
5
17,5
22.0
0
19,4
98.8
7
19,0
98.5
6
19,2
10.2
4
16,5
63.3
1
19,2
20.4
0
10000
11000
12000
13000
1400015000
16000
17000
18000
19000
20000
Air N atu ral
Weather
W a ter W e t-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposure Cond it ion
Com
pressiveStrength
(psi)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 4bCompressive strength of grouts at 6 months of age (in unit psi)
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113.8
7 124.8
10
9.0
7
10
9.3
3
112.2
116
125.7
1
10.6
7
1
10.6
7
1
11.2
129.4
131.3
116.2
7
122.4
120.6
7134.6
7
133.0
7
123.7
3
124.6
7
115.5
4
80
90
100
110
120
130
A ir Natu ral
Weather
W ater W et-D ry
Cycle
Tidal Zone
Exposure Cond ition
Com
pressiveStren
gth
(MPa)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 5aCompressive strength of grouts at 1 year of age (in unit MPa)
16,5
15.4
4
18,1
00.7
0
15,8
19.2
6
15,8
56.9
7
16,2
73.2
3
16,8
24.3
7
18,2
31.2
4
16,0
51.3
2
16,0
51.3
2
16,1
28.1
9
18,7
67.8
8
19,0
43.4
5
16,8
63.5
3
17,7
52.6
1
17,5
01.7
0
19,5
32.2
3
19,3
00.1
7
17,9
45.5
1
18,0
81.8
5
16,7
57.6
6
10000
11000
12000
13000
1400015000
16000
17000
18000
19000
20000
Air N atural
Weather
W ater W et-D ry
Cycle
Tidal
Zone
Exposure Condit ion
Com
pressiveSt
rength
(psi)
IPG-B3CTR
IPG-B3S10
IPG-B3S20
IPG-B3S30
Fig. 5bCompressive strength of grouts at 1 year of age (in unit psi)
GGBFS reduced the reaction heat by resin and its initiator during cross-linking process and
thus decelerated or deferred the polymerization at the early ages. Another possible reason for
this observation concluded by Shariq et at24
, may be due to the slow rate hydration at early ages
for incorporating GGBFS.
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Table 4 presents the percentage difference of compressive strength at various ages as
compared to 28-day compressive strength when being subjected to different curing conditions.
It is worth noting that the strength gain was independent of exposure condition at the age of 7
days and almost all the polyester grouts achieved 80% of 28-day compressive strength,
respectively. This may conclude that the application of GGBFS as filler in polyester grouts
may behave differently as compared to the water based cement concretes or mortars in terms of
early age strength gain. Shariq et at24
found that 7-day compressive strength of cement mortarsincorporating GGBFS at 20%, 40% and 60% only gained about 60% of 28-day strength.
At the ages of 7 and 28 days, the polyester grouts with GGBFS exhibited comparatively
smaller strength gain than that of the control grout. However, this effect was diminished with
time. This could be attributed to the slow process of polymerization of resin matrix to bind the
filler due to the presence of GGBFS. The compressive strength of grouts containing GGBFS as
filler consistently increased up to the age of 1 year and was more pronounced as the percentage
of filler increased. This may be due to the increased surface area as the sand is replaced by
smaller particle size of GGBFS filler. The increase in surface area may result in better
formation of physical and chemical bond between polymer micro-molecules and micro fillers16
.This infers the suitability of GGBFS as filler in polyester grouts in terms of consistency and
long term gain in compressive strength. On the other hand, the control grouts showed a
decrement in the strength beyond 3 months of age where the compressive strength was smallerthan that of the 28 days. In fact, the 28-day compressive strength is commonly considered as
the design strength and supposed to be optimum and presumed to be increased later on but the
control grout could not accomplish this phenomenon. Nevertheless, the polyester grouts at
30% replacement level of GGBFS reached excellent compressive strength and are similar to
those reported in literature. Mum et al.14
examined the properties of polyester mortars using
fine tailing (FT) and ground calcium carbonate (GCC) as a filler. From the view point of
percentage, the compressive strength of polyester mortars reaches maximum at a replacementof 30%, regardless of the type of filler. A study by Soh et al.
13was found that fly ash contents
about 50% is most suitable for attaining maximum increase in strength of unsaturated polyester
resin mortar.
In terms of curing condition, the polyester grouts exposed to the air and natural weather
environments show identical and higher strength than those of the grouts exposed to other
environments particular in water conditions, and this effect is more significant with time. This
phenomenon, however, are contradicts for GGBFS applied in cement concrete. Atis and
Bilim20
and Cakir and Akoz22
stated that water cured of GGBFS concrete indicated marked
positive effect on compressive strength as compared to those dry cured condition. This
explained why the water curing is important for hydration of cement as perceived. Since
Malaysias environment is tropical and cyclic in nature with rain and scorching sunshine
alternatively, it is believed that the cross-linking network forming process was accelerated
during the sunshine, causing heat, resulting in higher strength gain in ambient environment. As
Barbara5
stated, thermoset resin forms its long chain cross-linked structure (solidify) by
heating or via a chemical reaction. On the contrary, the polyester grouts exposed to water and
tidal zone showed lower compressive strength and could be attributed to the loweredtemperature which slowed down the polymerization process, thereby decelerated the
compressive strength development. The ingress of liquids into samples after long-term
immersion also degraded the interfacial bonding between resin matrix and filler, thus
deteriorated the strength. Nevertheless, the grout IP-30 with 30% GGBFS exhibited higher
long-term compressive strength than the other grouts even when it is immersed in seawater due
to GGBFS which possess a good inert mass ability as well as pozzlanic characteristic in
preventing the ingress of liquids. Therefore, it can be concluded that incorporating GGBFS
provides a positive effect on the strength and durability of the polyester resin grouts. Also there
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was neither weight loss, nor apparent deterioration observed in polyester grout samples
exposed to all exposure environments including flow-ebb of seawater.
Table 4Strength development of grouts expressed as percentage of 28-day compressive
strength subjected to different exposing conditions
Age GroutStrength development as percentage of 28 days strength
Air Natural weather Water Wet-dry cycles Tidal Zone
7 days
IPG-CTR 80 87 87 93 86
IPG-10 82 84 81 85 83
IPG-20 85 89 83 85 83
IPG-30 82 86 79 78 88
28 days
IPG-CTR 100 100 100 100 100
IPG-10 100 100 100 100 100
IPG-20 100 100 100 100 100
IPG-30 100 100 100 100 100
3 months
IPG-CTR 103 110 109 113 99
IPG-10 108 107 104 97 97
IPG-20 108 111 106 98 101
IPG-30 103 100 106 99 109
6 months
IPG-CTR 95 106 97 104 98
IPG-10 99 108 98 99 98
IPG-20 112 115 112 112 100
IPG-30 111 112 111 111 108
1 year
IPG-CTR 91 106 93 98 92
IPG-10 96 104 93 94 92
IPG-20 111 114 99 104 100
IPG-30 113 111 105 104 109
Figs. 6-9 show the microstructure images of the control and polyester grout with 30%
GGBFS. From the observation of the factures surfaces, grouts with 30% GGBFS are denser
and uniform, and less porous than the control grouts. Fig. 6 and 8 show the control grouts are
almost caused by the failure of sand particles for both natural weather (ambient environment)
and sea water (immersed in sea facing flow-ebb) exposure conditions, respectively. In Fig. 7
and 9, it can be seen that 30% of very fine GGBFS efficiently fill the micro-pores and are
covered within the grout mass. Furthermore, GGBFS also possess cementitious propertieswhich might enhance the adherence between the particles and the other constituents of thegrout. It is evident that with more cohesive and high strength in final product, durable against
the hostile environments and the flow-ebb of the seawater is developed. Therefore, it is
suggested that polyester grouts with 30% GGBFS replacement of sand as powder/micro-filler
has better resistance to aggressive and hostile environments and is durable in tropical countries.
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Fig. 6Microstructure image of IP-CTR (control) after 1 year exposed to natural weather
(1000X magnification)
Fig. 7Microstructure image of IP-30 (30% GGBFS) after 1 year exposed to natural
weather (1000X magnification)
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Fig.8Microstructure image of IP-CTR (control) after 1 year exposed to sea water
(immersed) (1000X magnification)
Fig. 9Microstructure image of IP-30 (30% GGBFS) after 1 year exposed to sea water
(immersed) (1000X magnification)
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CONCLUSIONS
Grouting is required to fill the joints, fissures, cracks and voids leakage by curtain grouting
irrespective of any construction of the structures. The site engineers suffer a lot of problematic
situation depending upon water spring, shear zones and water table falls etc below the rock
foundation, so for foundation treatments the polyester resins and GGBS are very useful and
other materials parallel like rice husk ash/ sawdust/spongy materials along with sodium silicateas accelerators with grout mix of cement and water are also useful to plug the
leakage/consolidate the cavities/spring zone situations.
The results of this study reveal that the replacement of GGBFS up to 30% by filler mass
as powder/micro-filler in polyester grouts performs better than the polyester grouts without
GGBFS. Although the early strength of GGBFS polyester grouts was less than the control
grouts, however, beyond 28 days their compressive strength kept improving and was higher
than that of the control grouts. The natural weather of Malaysia with rain and scorching
sunshine alternatively shows a positive effect on the long-term compressive strength gain of
GGBFS polyester grouts. The polyester grouts with GGBFS were dense, uniform and lessporous structure which not only exhibit high compressive strength but also efficiently sustain
the aggressive environment in sea water and the flow-ebb of seawater. Thus, on the basis of the
results and the discussions made herein, it can be concluded that GGBFS is a potential materialto be used as powder/micro-filler in the polyester grouts for concrete. The overall performance
of the polyester grouts with GGBFS was alike the epoxy resins and can serve as a cost effective
material for concrete repair work.
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