Characterisation of mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy grouts for composite repair of steel pipelines

The mechanical and thermal properties of the grouts are critical to their potential application as infill materials in structural repair. In this paper, the mechanical and thermal behaviour of five epoxy based grouts were investigated to identify their prospects as a component of the composite repair for steel pipelines. The compressive strength and stiffness of the grouts are found to be 52-120 MPa and 1.7-11 GPa, respectively. The tensile, flexural and shear strengths of the grouts are found to be within the ranges of 11-32, 27-53, and 13-30 MPa, respectively. The tensile and flexural moduli range within 3-17, and 4-13 GPa, respectively. Thermal analysis of the grouts suggests that the glass transition temperature (Tg) within 60 and 90 °C which also provide the thermal applicability limits for the grouts in the composite repair of steel pipes. The development of compressive properties of three selected grouts over 28 days period was also investigated as well as the effect of the addition of coarse fillers.