Effects of Elastic Modulus on Behavior of Polymer Coated Fiber Modified Short Concrete Beams

Abstract

Polymers have been one of the mostly and effectively used materials all over the world recently. They have been gaining popularity for various purposes in the concrete industry last couple of decades as well. They have the ability to increase the strength and durability of the concrete products. Moreover, polymers in concrete industry can also be considered as a sustainable product since they achieve the requirements of the consumers without adversely affecting the environment, health and the economy. Fiber-modified short beams are structural members commonly used in construction industry. To enhance their physical properties, various methods have been developed; however, most of them have been considered costly and time consuming. In this study, it was concluded that one major physical property, strength, of fiber-modified concrete short beams could be improved by using polymer as a coating material. Hence, the capacity and probably the service life of those beams could be improved. Furthermore, proper polymer coating may reduce the maintenance costs. In this study, polymer coating is applied for fiber modified short concrete beams. The change in modulus of elasticity was investigated as the identifying parameter between various coated short beams since it is an important parameter in the design and analysis processes of the beams. The elastic moduli for various regions of the world were derived from compressive strength results. The maximum deflection values were computed for each region and each polymer coating as well. Finally, the most effective polymer type and coating were discovered according to the maximum deflections obtained for simply supported beam approach.