The Effect of GGBFS, Quartz Flour, Micro-Calcite, and Their Combinations on the Structure and Properties of Polymer Concrete
9 affiliations
- 1Department of Unique Buildings and Constructions Engineering, Don State Technical University, 344003 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- 2Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya 42000, Turkey
- 3Department of Technical Sciences, Western Caspian University, Baku 1001, Azerbaijan
- 4Department of Engineering Geometry and Computer Graphics, Don State Technical University, 344003 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- 5Department of Design, Don State Technical University, 344003 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- 6College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
- 7Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures, Faculty of Industrial and Civil Engineering, Don State Technical University, Gagarin, 1, 344003 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- 8State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- 9Department of Transport Systems, Faculty of Roads and Transport Systems, Don State Technical University, 344003 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Abstract
This research aims to develop new types of polymer concrete composites. The main objective of the work was to investigate the influence of various types of mineral fillers (ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), quartz flour (QF), micro-calcite (MC)) and their combinations on the properties of polymer concrete (PC) and to develop new effective PC compositions. An optimal PC composition was developed and seven series of experimental PC samples with different types of mineral fillers were manufactured: 1PC (GGBFS); 2PC (QF); 3PC (MC); 4PC (GGBFS + QF); 5PC (GGBFS + MC); 6PC (QF + MC); 7PC (GGBFS + QF + MC). The following parameters were measured: density, compressive strength, water absorption, and thermal conductivity. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the PC microstructure. To quantitatively evaluate the significance and influence of the mineral filler type on the PC properties, an analysis of variance was performed. The experimental results showed that the mineral fillers GGBFS, QF and MC and their combinations affect the properties of PC, especially its strength. The composition of 5PC turned out to be optimal: epoxy resin 15%; hardener 1.5%; plasticizer 1.5%; quartz sand 30%; crushed granite 30%; GGBFS 11%; MC 11%. Polymer concrete of composition 5PC had a density of 2263 kg/m3, a maximum compressive strength of 103.8 MPa, a minimum water absorption of 0.25% and a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.466 W/m·K. The PC of all compositions had similar morphology, with a uniform structure and a randomly distributed pore size ranging from 81.27 µm to 384.9 µm. Microcracks were predominantly concentrated at the phase boundaries and propagated through the polymer matrix, enveloping the filler grains. The study yielded effective composite materials that could potentially be used in mechanical engineering as well as in industrial and civil construction, following durability testing and the determination of the full range of required properties.
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BibTeX
@article{ozkılıc2026effect,
title = {{The Effect of GGBFS, Quartz Flour, Micro-Calcite, and Their Combinations on the Structure and Properties of Polymer Concrete}},
author = {Yasin Onuralp Özkılıç and Evgenii M. Shcherban’ and Sergey A. Stel’makh and Diana M. Shakhalieva and Andrei Chernil’nik and Natalya Shcherban’ and Li Li and Dmitry R. Mailyan and Shengwen Tang and Alexey N. Beskopylny},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18202462},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2462},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Effect of GGBFS, Quartz Flour, Micro-Calcite, and Their Combinations on the Structure and Properties of Polymer Concrete
AU - Yasin Onuralp Özkılıç
AU - Evgenii M. Shcherban’
AU - Sergey A. Stel’makh
AU - Diana M. Shakhalieva
AU - Andrei Chernil’nik
AU - Natalya Shcherban’
AU - Li Li
AU - Dmitry R. Mailyan
AU - Shengwen Tang
AU - Alexey N. Beskopylny
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18202462
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2462
AB - This research aims to develop new types of polymer concrete composites. The main objective of the work was to investigate the influence of various types of mineral fillers (ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), quartz flour (QF), micro-calcite (MC)) and their combinations on the properties of polymer concrete (PC) and to develop new effective PC compositions. An optimal PC composition was developed and seven series of experimental PC samples with different types of mineral fillers were manufactured: 1PC (GGBFS); 2PC (QF); 3PC (MC); 4PC (GGBFS + QF); 5PC (GGBFS + MC); 6PC (QF + MC); 7PC (GGBFS + QF + MC). The following parameters were measured: density, compressive strength, water absorption, and thermal conductivity. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the PC microstructure. To quantitatively evaluate the significance and influence of the mineral filler type on the PC properties, an analysis of variance was performed. The experimental results showed that the mineral fillers GGBFS, QF and MC and their combinations affect the properties of PC, especially its strength. The composition of 5PC turned out to be optimal: epoxy resin 15%; hardener 1.5%; plasticizer 1.5%; quartz sand 30%; crushed granite 30%; GGBFS 11%; MC 11%. Polymer concrete of composition 5PC had a density of 2263 kg/m3, a maximum compressive strength of 103.8 MPa, a minimum water absorption of 0.25% and a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.466 W/m·K. The PC of all compositions had similar morphology, with a uniform structure and a randomly distributed pore size ranging from 81.27 µm to 384.9 µm. Microcracks were predominantly concentrated at the phase boundaries and propagated through the polymer matrix, enveloping the filler grains. The study yielded effective composite materials that could potentially be used in mechanical engineering as well as in industrial and civil construction, following durability testing and the determination of the full range of required properties.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -