Impact behaviour of concrete specimens coated with polyurea
Luís Mercedes, Ernest Bernat-Masó, Lluı́s Gil
Abstract
Recently, the demand for the development of polymers with versatile properties for use in different engineering fields has increased, and one well-known material is polyurea. Owing to its elongation, sealing, and strength capabilities, researchers have studied the potential of polyurea as an effective coating material to mitigate the effects of high-impact forces. Considering these, this paper presents an extensive experimental characterisation of different types of polyurea through tensile and impact tests. Concrete specimens were coated with polyurea and subjected to impact tests. The obtained results provide comprehensive insights into the capabilities of polyurea in terms of stiffness, deformability, and strength to impact loads. The specimens coated with the stiffer and stronger polyurea demonstrated superior impact energy absorption, requiring 9 times (130 J) the impact energy of uncoated specimens (14.44 J) to reach failure. Furthermore, these polyurea-coated specimens exhibited rebound energy values 3–8 times higher than specimens coated on both sides with other polyurea, when subjected to the same impact load. These findings highlight the potential of polyurea to reflect impact energy as rebound energy while maintaining the integrity of concrete under certain energy levels. Notably, all the polyurea coating never showed signs of failure, even though the concrete reach the rupture. This ability helps prevent the detachment of concrete when it reaches critical damage or collapse.