1. Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1049–1055
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Construction and Building Materials
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat
Use of waste polymers in concrete for repair of dam hydraulic surfaces
José Carlos Alves Galvão a,*, Kleber Franke Portella a, Alex Joukoski a, Roberto Mendes a,
Elizeu Santos Ferreira b
a
Centro Politécnico da UFPR, Caixa Postal 19067, CEP 81531-980, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
b
Rua Izidoro Biazetto, 158, CEP 81200-240, Mossunguê, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history: The durability of a concrete structure is strongly influenced by the inadequate use of materials and by the
Received 6 February 2010 physical and chemical effects of the environment of its immersion. The immediate consequence is the
Received in revised form 21 May 2010 anticipated necessity of maintenance and repairs, which must have specific characteristics, mainly
Accepted 19 June 2010
mechanical and chemical, based on the material of the base or its substratum. In this study different
Available online 23 July 2010
repair materials (RM’s) were analyzed and manufactured to be used on concrete hydraulic surfaces of
hydroelectric power plant dams that suffered different types of damage, such as erosion–abrasion and
Keywords:
chemical attacks from the reservoir water. Concrete samples were made from polymeric and elastomer
Concrete
Repair materials
materials proceeding from the recycling industry, such as agglutinated low-density polyethylene (LDPE),
Waste polymers crushed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and rubber from useless tires. The contents of each material
Recycling were 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5%. Their properties were compared with a reference concrete, without
any additions, comparing the compression strength, tensile strength under diametrical compression,
underwater erosion–abrasion resistance, microstructure and field application. The samples with 2.5%
of addition were the most effective, being LDPE the one which presented better performance.
Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction crete the possibility to deposit the residual sludge from water
treatment stations.
The addition of polymeric waste to concrete corresponds to a Different works, as of Rebeiz [22], Choi et al. [5] and JO et al.
new perspective in research activities, integrating the areas of con- [11], have analyzed the effect of addition of recycled PET to the
crete technology and environmental technology. properties of concrete. The fibers of recycled PET easily mix in
Industrial and domestic waste have a significant percentage of the concrete, giving new properties to the material [16]. Khaloo
polymeric materials in its constitution, which occupies a consider- et al. [12] have observed that the addition of tire rubber particles
able volume on landfills. Therefore its recycling is interesting to re- provided the concrete with higher ductility in compressive
search and development of technologies for minimizing the strength testing, if compared with concrete without addition.
problems caused by this waste. One of the advantages of the use of recycled plastic in concrete is
Polypropylene (PP) [14], polyethylene (PE) [27] and nylon [25], the reduction of solid waste in landfills [23].
besides other materials [24,17] are examples of polymeric addi- The concrete with addition of polymeric materials, as well as
tions to concrete, mainly in the fiber shape, providing the rein- the FRC, has had a widespread increase in its application, which
forcement of concrete structures, known as ‘‘fiber-reinforced can also be seen in Brazil. An appreciable improvement of perfor-
concrete” (FRC). mance related to the control of fissures of plastic retraction was
Depending on the appropriate final target, varied types of waste observed for mortars applied in repair, where the low modulus
can be used in concrete: Portella et al. [19] and Guerra et al. [6] of elasticity from fibers was enough to inhibit the propagation of
have studied the properties of concrete with addition of ceramic cracks. Due to this redistribution of tension, the stored elastic en-
waste; Ismail and Al-Hashmi [10] have studied concrete with recy- ergy was not dissipated through a single source of propagation,
cled plastic addition; Angulo et al. [3] have characterized recycled but, possibly, through several microscopic cracks. The length of
materials from construction and demolition as an aggregate for each one of those cracks, as well as the loss of resistance, was smal-
concrete; and, amongst others, Hoppen et al. [7] have found in con- ler than the one caused by a single crack, even for the same consid-
ered superficial area [18].
The hydraulic surfaces of concrete barrages are exposed to
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 41 33616304; fax: +55 41 3361 6137. erosive wearing [1] and to cracks caused by the pressure of
E-mail address: galvao@utfpr.edu.br (J.C.A. Galvão). crystallized salts in pores [26] and by the exposition to aggressive
0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2010.06.073

2. 1050 J.C.A. Galvão et al. / Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1049–1055
agents [9], causing pathologies and requiring frequent mainte- Table 2
nance, including the need for periodical repairs. Because of that, Results of chemical analysis of the cement CPII-Z 32.
it is necessary to use a RM that presents properties compatible Component Abbreviation % (weight) Standards limits (%)
with the ones of the base material, such as the coefficient of ther- Lime CaO 52.68 –
mal dilatation, the mechanical resistance, as well as good adher- Silica SiO2 22.54 –
ence between both. In the case of concrete hydraulic surfaces, Alumina Al2O3 6.80 –
properties as impact resistance, erosion–abrasion and durability Iron oxide Fe2O3 3.22 –
Sulfite SO3 2.77 64.0
are extremely desirable. Horszczaruk [8] has studied the erosion– Magnesia MgO 6.13 66.5
abrasion resistance of different kinds of high resistance concrete Loss on ignition L.O.I. 3.25 66.5
in hydraulic structures and observed, among other characteristics, Insoluble residue I.R. 8.88 616
that the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fibers has improved the
concrete resistance to underwater erosion–abrasion. Table 3
The present work focused on the search of a feasible solution for Results of the coarse aggregate tests.
the recovery of concrete surfaces of hydraulic structures of hydro-
Properties Values
electric power plant dams, its use and, in turn, the reduction of
environmental problems caused by the amount of polymeric waste Specific gravity (dry) 2.88 g/cm3
Specific gravity (SSS) 2.93 g/cm3
in landfills and in the environment in general.
Grain size distribution 4.75–12.5 mm
Maximum dimension 9.5 mm
Module of fineness 5.64
2. Materials and methods
Powder material content 1.3%
Organic material content 0.1%
2.1. Materials
Water absorption 2.0%
2.1.1. Cement
The cement used was the Portland cement with pozzolan (CPII-Z 32), which was
characterized by physical–chemical techniques, according to recommendations Table 4
from the standards and regulations of ABNT, which is the Brazilian standardization Properties of the fine aggregate.
committee. In Tables 1 and 2, the physical and chemical characteristics of the ce-
ment are presented, respectively. Properties Values
Specific gravity 2.61 g/cm3
Module of fineness 2.22
2.1.2. Coarse aggregate
Powder material content 0.3%
Crushed basaltic rocks were used as coarse aggregate, with a maximum dimen-
Organic material content 0.2%
sion of 9.5 mm. In Table 3, the properties of the aggregate are presented.
Water absorption 0.2%
2.1.3. Fine aggregate
Natural washed sand was used in the making of the concrete. The properties of Table 5
the fine aggregate are listed in Table 4. Properties of the recycled materials.
Property Material
2.1.4. Polymeric waste
Two polymers from the plastic recycling industry were used: LDPE and PET. The LDPE PET TIRE
agglutinated LDPE was resultant from the processing of plastic packs (bags of gar- Density (kg/m3) 860 1320 660
bage and plastic bags). In the recycling industry this material was selected, sepa- Absorption (%) 7.4 3.9 2.1
rated, washed, crushed and agglutinated by mechanical process at an
approximate temperature of 60 °C. The PET came from liquid deodorant flasks. After
the selective collection, the material went through the process of separation, having
Table 6
been previously washed and crushed.
Sieve analysis of the polymeric waste and sand.
In complement to this work, vulcanized natural rubber fibers (elastomer) were
also applied, gathered from the treads of useless tires from the recycling industry. Sieve Cumulative retained (%)
The polymeric waste was characterized in agreement to Mercosul standards,
NBR NM numbers 30/01, 52/02 and 53/02. The properties of the polymeric waste Number Size (mm) PET LDPE TIRE Sand
are presented in Table 5. The sieve analysis of the polymeric waste and sand are 1/2 inch 12.5 4 0 0 0
presented in Table 6. 3/8 inch 9.5 19 0 0 0
1/4 inch 6.3 46 0 0 0
4 4.8 62 2 0 0
2.2. Mixture proportion
8 2.4 92 24 1 3
16 1.2 96 73 14 13
To optimize the mixture of each one of the constituent materials of the con-
30 0.6 100 93 41 36
crete, mixing studies were made, verifying the workability and, later, the axial com-
50 0.3 100 99 84 72
pressive strength. The idealized composition, considering a slump stipulated at
100 0.15 100 100 98 98
(30 ± 10) mm, was of 1:1. 93:3. 07:0. 45 (c:s:g:w/c), with a cement consumption
of 389 kg/m3. This mixture was considered the reference concrete (RC), with the
elastomer and the polymeric waste being added in different contents. Contents of 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% of TIRE, PET and LDPE, in weight,
In order to keep the water/cement ratio (w/c) and the slump stable, a plasticiz- were added to the RC mixture, in partial replacement of the fine aggregate. In Ta-
ing additive was used, based on the works of Siddique et al. [23]. ble 7, the resultant compositions are presented.
The polymeric wastes have lower specific gravity than the sand (Tables 5 and 6).
This resulted in a greater volume of recycled material in admixture of concrete
Table 1 causing less workability and requiring addition of plasticizer in order to keep the
Results of physical tests in cement CPII-Z 32. stipulated slump, but the water–cement ratio was always invariable at 0.45 (Table 7).
Properties Values
Fineness 3440 cm2/g 2.3. Compressive strength and tensile strength under diametrical compression tests
Initial setting time 5 h:10 min
Final setting time 6 h:10 min The compressive strength test and tensile strength under diametrical compres-
Density 2.97 g/cm3 sion test were carried in agreement to the standards NBR 5739/07 and NBR 7222/
94, respectively. The three polymeric waste products, TIRE, PET and LDPE, were

3. J.C.A. Galvão et al. / Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1049–1055 1051
Table 7
Mixtures of concrete with addition of polymeric waste.
Material Cement Coarse Sand Polymeric Polymeric Admixture
(kg/m3) aggregate (kg/m3) waste waste (%) plasticizer
(kg/m3) (kg/m3) (% cement)
RC 389 1193 750.00 – – –
TIRE0.5 389 1193 746.25 3.75 0.50 –
TIRE1 389 1193 742.50 7.50 1.00 0.20
TIRE2.5 389 1193 731.25 18.75 2.50 0.20
TIRE5 389 1193 712.50 37.50 5.00 0.30
TIRE7.5 389 1193 693.75 56.25 7.50 0.40
PET0.5 389 1193 746.25 3.75 0.50 –
PET1 389 1193 742.50 7.50 1.00 –
PET2.5 389 1193 731.25 18.75 2.50 –
PET5 389 1193 712.50 37.50 5.00 0.20
PET7.5 389 1193 693.75 56.25 7.50 0.30
LDPE0.5 389 1193 746.25 3.75 0.50 0.20
LDPE1 389 1193 742.50 7.50 1.00 0.20
LDPE2.5 389 1193 731.25 18.75 2.50 0.20
LDPE5 389 1193 712.50 37.50 5.00 0.40
LDPE7.5 389 1193 693.75 56.25 7.50 0.50
tested in all studied contents: 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% (percentage in weight)
in substitution of the fine aggregate. Those concrete samples were compared with
the RC. The evolution of the resistance was followed by testing at the ages of 7, 14
and 28 days, with two specimens for each age.
In tensile strength under diametrical compression testing, two specimens were
analyzed, at the age of 28 days, for each studied mixture.
2.4. Underwater erosion–abrasion resistance
For the analysis of erosion–abrasion resistance using the underwater method,
ASTM C 1138/97 standard was followed. Cylindrical concrete samples with diame-
ter of 300 mm and height of 100 mm were cast. After 28 days of curing in a humid
chamber, with a relative humidity higher than 95% and controlled temperature of
(23 ± 2) °C, the underwater erosion–abrasion resistance of the concrete was evalu-
ated in contents of 2.5% and 5.0% (percentage in weight), for the three studied mate- Fig. 1. (a) View of the spillway; (b) detail of the displacement of the covering and
rials. The RC was also evaluated. carbonation layers.
2.5. Accelerated aging in SO2 chamber and SEM microstructure investigation Preliminary studies of the adhesion resistance of the RM’s to the samples ex-
tracted from the dam have indicated the need of applying a tack bridge on the
To test the durability of the developed mixture, prismatic reinforced concrete dry substratum surface. For that, a high viscosity Epoxy resin was used as structural
samples were manufactured, within the dimensions of (71 Â 100 Â 25) mm. adhesive to the resin base. The necessity of this type of tack bridge was evidenced
Those samples were aged for 180 days in a humid climatic chamber, having SO2 by studies carried out at laboratory.
at 0.67% (in volume) and internal temperature of (40 ± 3) °C (ASTM 87/07-Method A The RM was put on the substratum with a trowel, being compacted with pylon,
– Continuous Exposition) [2]. in order to improve the contact and remove the confined air bubbles.
After this period, these samples were manually broken and its surfaces analyzed The final superficial finishing was made with a metallic plate, which gave to the
by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), in Philips equipment, model XL30, finished surface a smoothened aspect.
equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Applications of RM in a total of seven distinct points were made, analyzing the
RC, as well as the recycled and elastomer materials, according to the mixtures stud-
ied in laboratory (Table 6). Those repair areas had their performance analyzed
2.6. Field application
throughout the time, in terms of its compatibility with the substratum and of the
existence of edge effect and other defects.
For the field application, the dosages with 2.5% and 5% of addition in weight
were selected, from TIRE, LDPE and PET, as well as the RC, to be applied in the spill-
way surface of Mourão Hydroelectric Power Plant dam, located in the city of Campo
Mourão, in the State of Paraná, Southern Brazil. 3. Results and discussion
The points of application of the RM’s were selected in the spillway after a com-
plete observation of the state of its conservation and of the localization of defects
displayed in the concrete blocks, as illustrated in Fig. 1. 3.1. Compressive strength
Initially, points that presented superficial defect and/or signals of previous re-
pairs were identified, with its areas being delimited. The dimension was of The curves of the resistances of the axial compression of the
(750 Â 750) mm, which became the standard area determined for the application RMs studied (LDPE, PET and TIRE) and the CR, in terms of the cur-
of RM’s. In the points where the extension of the pathology exceeded 750 mm, rect-
angular repairs were done, maintaining the repaired areas constant. Thus, a com-
ing age, are presented in the graphs of Figs. 2–4, respectively. For
parative standard of performance for each type of employed material was obtained. the three different studied materials and its respective contents
The places were cut in the lines that limited the selected areas, thus determin- it was evidenced that the results obtained in the assays of com-
ing the area of the repairs. A process of humid cut was done with the use of a saw pressive strength in terms of curing were inversely proportional
containing a special diamond disc.
to the contents of recycled fiber addition. This trend was also no-
After the cutting process, the scarification process was made with an electrome-
chanical hammer. In this procedure three pieces of equipment with different ticed by Choi et al. [5] when they studied the effects of the addition
strength and gauge were used. The heavier pieces of equipment were used for of residues from PET bottles to the properties of concrete, and by
the initial work and removal of degraded material until finding a surface without Ismail and Al-Hashmi [10], in the adhesion resistance between
defects or voids in the concrete. the surface of polymeric waste and the cement paste. Li et al.
The mixtures of concrete in field followed the same procedure used in the lab-
oratory for concrete with polymeric waste.
[13] have also verified a reduction in the compressive strength of
The cleaning of the points of application of the RM’s was executed with water the concrete with tire fibers, not relating such loss to any charac-
spurts, removing all the dust and small fragments of removed material. teristic of the material.

4. 1052 J.C.A. Galvão et al. / Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1049–1055
40 40
Compressive strength (MPa)
Compressive strength (MPa)
30 30
20 20
RC RC
LDPE 0.5% TIRE 0.5%
10 LDPE 1.0% 10 TIRE 1.0%
LDPE 2.5% TIRE 2.5%
LDPE 5.0% TIRE 5.0%
LDPE 7.5% TIRE 7.5%
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Curing ages (days) Curing ages (days)
Fig. 2. Compressive strength in terms of curing time for concrete made with Fig. 4. Compressive strength in terms of curing time for concrete made with
recycled LDPE. recycled tire.
40 an increase in compressive strength compared to the RC. This in-
crease in compressive strength was observed in PET with content
Compressive strength (MPa)
of 2.5% of addition of recycled material. For the highest contents
of addition of polymeric waste a decrease in the compressive
30
strength of concrete occurred.
For the three materials, the ideal content in the mixture was
established as of 2.5%, in weight, the PET2.5 having the best perfor-
20 mance, with (36.0 ± 0.6) MPa, followed by the other two materials,
LDPE2.5 and TIRE2.5, with very similar values between both, of
(33.9 ± 0.4) MPa and (33.7 ± 0.4) MPa, respectively, at 28 days, as
RC
PET 0.5% illustrated in Fig. 5.
10 PET 1.0% Although the reduction noticed in the compressive strength of
PET 2.5%
these mixtures of concrete, the values are of moderate to high
PET 5.0%
PET 7.5% resistance [15]. Such compositions can be used in poles and
0 cross-arms of reinforced concrete for electrical energy distribution
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 lines, therefore, can also be used in the proper area of energy. As
Curing ages (days) the inferior boundary value of this property recommended for such
structures is of 25 MPa (NBR 8451/98), only the trace TIRE7.5 must
Fig. 3. Compressive strength in terms of curing time for concrete made with be excluded.
recycled PET.
Additionally, the tests indicated: compressive strength approx-
imately equal or superior to the presented, at 7, 14 and 28 days of
40 LDPE
curing, by RC (34.3 ± 0.5) MPa, in compositions LDPE0.5, LDPE1 and PET
LDPE2.5; PET0.5, PET1, PET2.5 and PET5; and TIRE0.5 and TIRE2.5. 35
TIRE
RC
Compressive strength (MPa)
Evaluating the traces with TIRE, the need of improvement of dos-
age process and conformation was noticed, as long as the interme- 30
diate composition TIRE1 presented, at 28 days, lower compressive
strength, being also below the corresponding value of RC. 25
Bayasi and Zeng [4] showed similar effect on compressive
20
strength with the addition of polypropylene fibers, where the
control mixture (without polymeric fibers) showed a lower
15
compressive strength compared with mixtures with the addition
of polypropylene fibers in given content. The 12.7 mm-long poly- 10
propylene fibers improved the compressive strength of concrete
when used at volume fraction of 0.3%; in this case the increase 5
was 19.3% when compared with the control mixture. When used
at content of 0.5%, a decrease of 2.5% of compressive strength 0
0 0,5 1,0 2,5 5,0 7,5
was noticed in concrete, in comparison with control mixture.
Content (%)
Experimental results showed that addition of polymer materials
at lower contents caused no adverse effects on the compressive Fig. 5. Comparative graph of compressive strength, at 28 days, of concretes with
strength of concrete (Fig. 5). The LDPE0.5 and TIRE0.5 presented additions of waste and its respective contents.

5. J.C.A. Galvão et al. / Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1049–1055 1053
The environmental advantage of the use of rubber in concrete 3.3. Erosion–abrasion resistance
mixtures can be evidenced in the experiment made with TIRE2.5
mixture in test poles to be used at electrical energy distribution In Table 8, the values of mass loss, after 72 h of erosion–abra-
net in the Northeast region of Brazil [20]. Four structures were con- sion (underwater method), of CR and of concretes made with poly-
formed, immobilizing about 20 kg of material, or 5 kg/pole. Consid- meric waste in contents of 2.5% and 5.0% are presented.
ering that about 4 kg of fragmented rubber can be removed from a Regarding mass loss by underwater erosion–abrasion, it was
useless tire, or about 0.8 kg from its tread and sidewall, in this case observed that CR presented the best results, in comparison with
about one entire tire can be disposed for each pole. In the case the concrete made with addition of 2.5% of polymeric waste. How-
where only the rubber from the tread is used, the number ups to ever, for the content of 5%, the concrete made with addition of PET
six tires. In the same Northeast region of Brazil, the local company and LDPE presented better results than the concrete without any
of electrical energy has an asset of 6 million units of installed poles, addition. Horszczaruk [8] verified that the concrete strengthened
being foreseen annual substitutions of, approximately, 60,000 with polymeric fiber has higher abrasive resistance when com-
units, or, an equivalent immobilization of 300 tons of rubber per pared with concrete without fiber addition.
year or about 75,000 units of this type of tire. Following the recom- The resistance to erosion–abrasion, after 72 h, decreased in the
mendations of concrete pole standards (NBR 8451/98), the forecast following order: LDPE, PET and TIRE. Such results can be attributed
of such immobilization is of 35 years maximum. to shape, texture and elastic module of the employed materials:
the LDPE, with average grain diameter smaller than 0.4 mm, had
the best performance, with mass loss of around 7.46% for LDPE2.5
3.2. Tensile strength under diametrical compression
composition. The poorest performance was presented by the mate-
rials with the compositions TIRE2.5 and TIRE5. This can be based
When the RM’s were compared in terms of tensile strength un-
der diametrical compression, results indicated an unexpected
behavior, without any direct relationship between strength, con-
tent or type of the waste added to the concrete. Based on Siddique Table 8
Mass loss of concrete samples under erosion–abrasion
et al. [23] this behavior happens due to the absence of a fragile fail-
(underwater method).
ure, typical of conventional concrete.
In the graph of Fig. 6, results of splitting tensile strength of con- Material Mass loss (%)
cretes are presented. CR 6.57
No direct relationship was verified between tensile strength un- TIRE2.5 8.41
TIRE5 7.39
der diametrical compression and recycled material content. On
PET2.5 8.07
average, the best results were for contents of 1% and 2.5%, in PET5 5.04
weight, for the three materials, with prominence of LDPE2.5, which LDPE2.5 7.46
presented tensile strength under diametrical compression of LDPE5 3.94
3.95 MPa, at 28 days.
One of the important factors to be investigated regarding the
analysis of fiber-reinforced concrete is the relationship between
compressive strength and tensile strength. For conventional con- (a) 4
crete, tensile strength under diametrical compression is about
10% of the compressive strength.
For LDPE, PET and TIRE materials, in the analyzed contents, the
relationship between compressive strength and tensile strength
under diametrical compression was of (10.4 ± 0.8)%. In this situa-
1 2
tion, the fibers of the added materials worked as reinforcement,
preventing the propagation of cracks [18,10,23].
5 3
LDPE
PET
TIRE
4 RC
Tensile strength (MPa)
(b)
3
2
1
0
0 0,5 1,0 2,5 5,0 7,5
Content (%)
Fig. 6. Comparative graph of splitting tensile strength of concretes with addition of Fig. 7. Micrograph by SEM of TIRE5 concrete (a) and respective EDS specter of the
waste and its respective contents. analyzed region (b).

6. 1054 J.C.A. Galvão et al. / Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1049–1055
on its higher water absorption ratio, which is explained by the resultant image or replica of the place that contained one of the
higher amount of communicating pores and, consequently, smaller blades of PET (b). In this last case, the lack of adherence between
average compressive strength, with the rupture process happening, the paste and the material was probably caused by the increased
in most of the cases, in the interface ‘‘cement paste|fiber”, corrob- smoothness of the polymer texture. In the same image, other
orating with the works of Raghavan and Huynh [21]. places of removing of the related blades can be seen. Although
the tests of aging by SO2 were equally made with all the specimen,
the results indicated that these two compositions had superior per-
3.4. Microstructure after aging by SO2 formance, not having in their broken surfaces and pores crystals of
chemical phases containing sulfur, resultant from the chamber of
In Fig. 7, the micrograph obtained by SEM of the broken surface tests or from the proper composition of cement.
of one of the TIRE5 specimens is presented, after the aging process
of the specimen during 180 days in a humid chamber containing 3.5. Application in field
sulfur dioxide. Its respective specter of semi quantitative elemen-
tary chemical composition is also shown. The concretes with addition of polymeric waste and the CR did
In the inspected region it is shown the interface between the not present any technical problems at the moment of its applica-
rubber and the paste, the proper rubber (1) and, all over the exten- tion as RM on the spillway surface of Mourão powerplant dam.
sion of the region and in diverse parts of the sample, crystals of As quoted by Siddique et al., the addition of polymeric waste re-
portlandite (2), gypsum (3), and ettringite (4), indicating a progres- duced the workability of the concrete. This reduction has been cor-
sive degradation process of the structure [9]. This composition, in rected with the use of plasticizing additive, keeping slump fixed at
relationship to PET and LDPE, presented a greater tendency to for- (30 ± 10) mm for all materials applied in field.
mation of these crystals, which are capable of compromising the The tack bridge, with the use of structural adhesive based on an
durability of concrete at industrial environments, given the ten- epoxy resin of high viscosity, proved to be, in the first hours, a reli-
dency to higher concentrations of SOx gases in those areas. The able element in the increase of tack resistance between the old
specter of the region, obtained by EDS, is also shown in Fig. 7, being concrete (substratum) and the new fresh concretes (RM).
possible to point out the presence of the chemical element sulfur, In Fig. 9a, one of the six compositions applied in the spillway of
that can be part of the proper elastomer and phases of sulpho-alu- Mourão powerplant is shown the repair material based on TIRE2.5,
minates, ettringite and gypsum which are present. with 270 days of age and, in Fig. 9b, the details of its interface with
In Fig. 8, the micrographs by SEM of the broken surfaces of the the substratum. Until the present moment, defects proceeding
compositions LDPE5 (a) and PET5 (b) are presented, respectively. It from the application, edge or deleterious actions (erosion–abra-
is evident the presence of polymeric waste from the partially in- sion) caused by the environment or the water flow in the flowing
serted materials in the paste, specific from LDPE (a), and also the periods of the barrage’s reservoir have not occurred.
Fig. 8. Images by SEM of concrete with addition of polymeric waste: (a) LDPE5; (b) Fig. 9. Photos of the RM based on TIRE2.5. (a) Detail of the region containing the RM
PET5. TIRE2.5; (b) detail of its interface with the substratum.

7. J.C.A. Galvão et al. / Construction and Building Materials 25 (2011) 1049–1055 1055
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Conducting Moist SO2 Tests, 2007.
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