Title:
Effect of the Addition of an Acrylic Polymer on the Mechanical Properties of Mortar
Author(s):
James A. Mandel and Samir Said
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
87
Issue:
1
Appears on pages(s):
54-61
Keywords:
acrylic resins; adhesion; cracking (fracturing);microcracking; finite element method; mechanical properties; metal fibers; tests; mortars (materials); plastics, polymers and resins; tensile strength; Materials Research
DOI:
10.14359/2363
Date:
1/1/1990
Abstract:
Fiber reinforced cementitious materials, with small percentages by volume of fibers, have significantly higher tensile strength and toughness than do plain cementitious materials. The mechanical properties of these composites are dependent on the properties of its constituent materials (matrix material, fibers, and fiber-matrix interface) and the geometry of the composite (fiber volume, geometry, and spacing). The mechanical properties of the composite material can be improved by improving the mechanical properties of the matrix material. This paper reports the results of research to improve tensile strength and critical opening-mode stress-intensity factor (opening-mode fracture toughness) of mortar and the critical energy per unit area required for growth of an interface crack (coefficient of adhesion) between the mortar-matrix material and a steel fiber. Techniques to measure these properties utilize a combination of experimental results and finite element analysis of the experiment. From these studies it was concluded that: 1) A more reliable value for tensile strength can be obtained using the dogbone specimen rather than an ASTM briquette specimen. 2) The tensile strength can be estimated from the test results of an ASTM briquette specimen by dividing the experimental value by 0.75. 3) The mechanical properties of mortar and the interface between mortar and a steel fiber can be substantially increased by adding an acrylic polymer. 4) The opening-mode fracture toughness of mortar and the coefficient of adhesion between a mortar-matrix material and a steel fiber can be estimated from the experimental results and finite element analysis of tests of edge-cracked tension specimens and fiber pullout specimens.