The Influence of Resin Volume Fraction on Selected Properties of Polymer Concrete

Polymer concrete is a promising material with applications in construction and architecture; however, guidelines for its design and optimization are not well-established in the literature. This study aimed to evaluate how resin volume fraction and aggregate size distribution affect key properties of polyester polymer concrete, including flexural strength, compressive strength, water absorption, and material cost. Three types of quartz aggregates with different particle size distributions were used, as follows: small (below 0.5 mm, quartz dust), medium (0.2-2.0 mm, quartz sand), and large (2.0-10.0 mm, quartz gravel). The resin volume content varied from 5% to 30%. Differences in apparent density, open porosity, water absorption, flexural strength, compressive strength, and material cost were analyzed as functions of resin volume content and aggregate size. The results showed that apparent density and mechanical properties are positively correlated with resin content for small and medium aggregates; however, in the case of large aggregates, flexural strength decreased when the resin volume content exceeded 20%. A significant reduction in material porosity and water absorption (to ~0.4% and ~0.2%, respectively) was observed at high resin volume fractions.