Degradation Law of Mechanical Properties and Long-Term Compressive Strength Prediction Model of Unsaturated Polyester Resin Concrete in Aqueous Environments.
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| Title: | Degradation Law of Mechanical Properties and Long-Term Compressive Strength Prediction Model of Unsaturated Polyester Resin Concrete in Aqueous Environments. |
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| Authors: | Li, Wenchao1,2 (AUTHOR) liwch@tsu.edu.cn, Wen, Fusheng1,2 (AUTHOR), Han, Bin1,2,3 (AUTHOR), Cao, Wenming1,3 (AUTHOR), Liu, Kai1,2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Polymers (20734360). Sep2026, Vol. 18 Issue 17, p2112. 14p. |
| Subjects: | Compressive strength, Deterioration of materials, Fick's laws of diffusion, Arrhenius equation, Durability, Effect of temperature on concrete, Sorption, Unsaturated polyesters |
| Abstract: | Unsaturated polyester resin concrete (UPC) exhibits high strength and corrosion resistance, and it has been widely used in hydraulic engineering structures. However, the diffusion of water molecules inevitably induces matrix plasticization and debonding at the aggregate–resin interface, which leads to progressive degradation of mechanical performance under long-term aqueous service conditions. To elucidate the water-induced mechanical deterioration mechanism of UPC and to develop a temperature-adaptive model for long-term compressive strength prediction, we prepared UPC specimens using graded quartz sand aggregate, an unsaturated polyester binder, V388 curing agent, and KH570 coupling agent at a fixed mass mixing ratio, followed by 7 days of natural curing after demolding. Accelerated water aging tests were conducted at three temperature levels (25 °C, 40 °C, 60 °C) and four immersion durations (15 d, 30 d, 45 d, 60 d), including water absorption, compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural tests. Based on Fick's second diffusion law and the Arrhenius equation, we quantitatively analyzed moisture diffusion behavior and the evolution of mechanical degradation. The results indicate that the water absorption of UPC strictly follows Fickian diffusion, and that elevated temperature increases both the water absorption rate and the saturated water absorption capacity. The saturated water absorption ratios reached 0.15%, 0.16%, and 0.22% at 25 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C, respectively, corresponding to apparent diffusion coefficients of 1.13 × 10−6, 1.67 × 10−6, and 4.52 × 10−6 mm/s. Long-term water aging progressively degrades the mechanical properties of UPC; after 60 d of immersion at 60 °C, the retention rates of compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strength decreased to 88%, 85%, and 78%, respectively. We developed a physically coupled compressive strength prediction model based on moisture erosion depth and the associated reduction in effective bearing area. The ratio of model predictions to experimental data ranged from 0.93 to 0.98, indicating favorable conservative accuracy for engineering applications. When further combined with the Arrhenius relationship, the model enables extrapolation of the long-term mechanical properties of UPC under arbitrary service temperatures. This work provides theoretical support and a quantitative calculation framework for assessing the durability and predicting the service life of UPC hydraulic structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 197043987 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Degradation Law of Mechanical Properties and Long-Term Compressive Strength Prediction Model of Unsaturated Polyester Resin Concrete in Aqueous Environments. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Wenchao%22">Li, Wenchao</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> liwch@tsu.edu.cn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wen%2C+Fusheng%22">Wen, Fusheng</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Han%2C+Bin%22">Han, Bin</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cao%2C+Wenming%22">Cao, Wenming</searchLink><relatesTo>1,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Liu%2C+Kai%22">Liu, Kai</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Polymers+%2820734360%29%22">Polymers (20734360)</searchLink>. Sep2026, Vol. 18 Issue 17, p2112. 14p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Compressive+strength%22">Compressive strength</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Deterioration+of+materials%22">Deterioration of materials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fick's+laws+of+diffusion%22">Fick's laws of diffusion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arrhenius+equation%22">Arrhenius equation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Durability%22">Durability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Effect+of+temperature+on+concrete%22">Effect of temperature on concrete</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sorption%22">Sorption</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Unsaturated+polyesters%22">Unsaturated polyesters</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Unsaturated polyester resin concrete (UPC) exhibits high strength and corrosion resistance, and it has been widely used in hydraulic engineering structures. However, the diffusion of water molecules inevitably induces matrix plasticization and debonding at the aggregate–resin interface, which leads to progressive degradation of mechanical performance under long-term aqueous service conditions. To elucidate the water-induced mechanical deterioration mechanism of UPC and to develop a temperature-adaptive model for long-term compressive strength prediction, we prepared UPC specimens using graded quartz sand aggregate, an unsaturated polyester binder, V388 curing agent, and KH570 coupling agent at a fixed mass mixing ratio, followed by 7 days of natural curing after demolding. Accelerated water aging tests were conducted at three temperature levels (25 °C, 40 °C, 60 °C) and four immersion durations (15 d, 30 d, 45 d, 60 d), including water absorption, compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural tests. Based on Fick's second diffusion law and the Arrhenius equation, we quantitatively analyzed moisture diffusion behavior and the evolution of mechanical degradation. The results indicate that the water absorption of UPC strictly follows Fickian diffusion, and that elevated temperature increases both the water absorption rate and the saturated water absorption capacity. The saturated water absorption ratios reached 0.15%, 0.16%, and 0.22% at 25 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C, respectively, corresponding to apparent diffusion coefficients of 1.13 × 10−6, 1.67 × 10−6, and 4.52 × 10−6 mm/s. Long-term water aging progressively degrades the mechanical properties of UPC; after 60 d of immersion at 60 °C, the retention rates of compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strength decreased to 88%, 85%, and 78%, respectively. We developed a physically coupled compressive strength prediction model based on moisture erosion depth and the associated reduction in effective bearing area. The ratio of model predictions to experimental data ranged from 0.93 to 0.98, indicating favorable conservative accuracy for engineering applications. When further combined with the Arrhenius relationship, the model enables extrapolation of the long-term mechanical properties of UPC under arbitrary service temperatures. This work provides theoretical support and a quantitative calculation framework for assessing the durability and predicting the service life of UPC hydraulic structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Polymers (20734360) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=197043987 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3390/polym18172112 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 StartPage: 2112 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Compressive strength Type: general – SubjectFull: Deterioration of materials Type: general – SubjectFull: Fick's laws of diffusion Type: general – SubjectFull: Arrhenius equation Type: general – SubjectFull: Durability Type: general – SubjectFull: Effect of temperature on concrete Type: general – SubjectFull: Sorption Type: general – SubjectFull: Unsaturated polyesters Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Degradation Law of Mechanical Properties and Long-Term Compressive Strength Prediction Model of Unsaturated Polyester Resin Concrete in Aqueous Environments. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Li, Wenchao – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Wen, Fusheng – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Han, Bin – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Cao, Wenming – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Liu, Kai IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 09 Text: Sep2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 20734360 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 18 – Type: issue Value: 17 Titles: – TitleFull: Polymers (20734360) Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
