Organic-inorganic quick set materials for water seepage resistance

• Main Author: Fathul Imran Surani
• Other Authors: Aravind Dasari
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Material testing and characterization
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76835
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Water seepage in concrete may cause serious degradation and aesthetic problems to buildings. One of the ways to ‘partially’ mitigate this problem is to introduce surface treatments to concrete substrate. Some of these surface treatments may include hydrophobic chemicals impregnation and surface coatings. Polyurea (PU) can be utilized as a sealant for concrete surface treatment. This work reports on how the addition of magnesium hydroxide (MDH) to polyurea can have an effect on the its ability as a sealant for water absorption in concrete. The performance was also compared to the industry standard, silane/siloxane systems, as a concrete surface treatment. Different techniques were used to understand the water absorption and adhesion characteristics. These include Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), viscosity measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). It was demonstrated that the addition of MDH lowered the performance of polyurea as a whole. The addition actually lowered the workability due to the increased viscosity. It also had a negative impact on the thermal properties of polyurea. The addition, however, had almost no effect in polyurea’s performance as sealant in concrete for water absorption. Analysis of the results suggested that polyurea as a concrete sealant may actually perform better without the addition of MDH.