Mechanical behavior of polyester polymer concrete under low strain rate loading conditions

Polymer concrete (PC) has superior mechanical properties in comparison with cement concrete. In this research, the mechanical behavior of polyester polymer concrete (PPC) and its polyester resin were studied at different loading rates. Special specimens for testing the PPC and the polyester resin under low strain rate loading conditions were fabricated. Experiments were performed under different strain rates, from 0.00033 to 0.15 s−1, and results for the PPC and the polyester resin were compared. Furthermore, the influence of strain rate on the mechanical response of the neat polyester and the PPC was investigated. The results show a maximum 40% increase in tensile strength of the neat polyester, while the elastic modulus does not change significantly. The compressive strength of the PPC increases by 25%. These results show that the mechanical behavior of the polyester resin and its PC is extremely sensitive to the strain rate.