Comparative analysis of polyurethane and epoxy based surface coatings on the durability of concrete

Abstract

Durability of concrete is an imperative parameter to consider while constructing a concrete structure. It is essentially the ability of concrete to resist weathering action, chemical attack and abrasion while maintaining its desired engineering properties. This is an important parameter to consider because during the last half of this century there has been a considerable increase in the amount of pollutants in the atmosphere due to rapid industrialization in developing countries like India and Sri Lanka. Therefore to increase the durability of concrete considerably at an affordable cost, hydrophobic materials are used as a surface coating to impede the permeability of undesirable effluents like water. Since surface coating itself is not immune to weathering action and chemical attack, it is proposed to study its effect on the durability of surface coated concrete subjected to artificially created conditions similar to environmental conditions. Tests on concrete and mortar samples evaluate the response of concrete under conditions like Initial Surface Absorption Test and Acid attack test. The parameters involved compares the Durability of concrete with polymer coating with variation in thickness of the coating as well as makes the comparison within the Durability characteristics of various polymers. The results obtained can be used in selection of materials depending upon the environmental conditions.