Influence of deep penetrating sealer on concrete surface performance

Deep penetrating sealer (DPS) is a general term for a class of waterproofing agents that can fill the internal pores of concrete by mixing an alkali metal silicate solution as the base material with catalysts and additives (Jiang et al. 2015). The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics and mechanism of the effect of different amounts of DPS sprayed on concrete. The water absorption, hydrophilicity, permeability, microhardness, abrasion erosion resistance, and pore structure of concrete were tested at different water cement ratios and sprayed DPS amounts. The test and analysis results showed that compared with the control concrete, concrete absorbed less water and exhibited less permeability after being sprayed with DPS. Moreover, its hydrophilicity, microhardness, and abrasion erosion resistance improved, while its pore volume significantly decreased. The effect was more evident when the amount of sprayed DPS was higher. This study provides a reference for practical engineering applications by demonstrating the variation in concrete surface properties after spraying different amounts of DPS.