Effects of Curing Temperature and MMA Content on the Working Life of MMA-Modified Vinyl Ester Polymer Concrete

The main purpose of this study is to identify the effects of curing temperature and methyl methacrylate (MMA) content on the working life of vinyl ester polymer concreteusing MMA as a monomer, N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine (DMP) and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) as initiators and cobalt naphthenate as a promoter. The results have shown that the working life of vinyl ester polymer concrete was shortened with an increased curing temperature and a decreased MMA content. Also, it was found that the curing temperature had a greater influence on the working life of vinyl ester polymer concrete than MMA content. The working life of vinyl ester polymer concrete was found to be about 70 and 10 min longer than the setting time of vinyl ester polymeric binder at curing temperatures of -10 and 20°C respectively. The MMA content had a much smaller effect on the curing temperature. Lastly, a linear regression equation was drawn by analyzing the correlation between setting time of the binder and working life of polymer concrete, which could be used for the prediction of the working life of vinyl ester polymer concrete based on the setting time of the vinyl ester binder.