Studies of Polymer Cement Mortar for use as Permanent Forms

The purpose of this paper is to develop pre-casting permanent forms which are effective in improving the durability and appearance of concrete structures, conserving wood and modernizing cast-in-place concrete work. The influences of various materials used and accelerated curing methods on the properties of polymer cement mortar (PCM) applied to the forms were investigated. In these experiments, polymer dispersions composed of styrene-acryl (SA), polyacrylic ester (PAE), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) were used. Mixtures contained aggregate - crushed silica and ferro-nickel slag sand; cement - normal portland, high-early strength portland and white portland cement; and color pigment - red, green, yellow and black. Steam curing and oven-dry curing were carried out. The fluidity, compressive strength, flexural strength, resistance to abrasion, chloride ion penetration, carbonation and sulfate resistance, and surface color of PCM were examined. From these investigations, the following conclusions were obtained: The use of SA type polymer, ferro-nickel slag sand, high-early strength portland cement and color pigments were effective in getting PCM with high fluidity, mechanical strength, durability and tinting strength. Additionally, steam curing and oven-dry curing are practical for the early-age strength development of PCM.