Influence of interface modification and phase separation on damping properties of epoxy concrete

A preliminary study has been conducted to investigate the influences of interface modification and rubber phase separation on damping behaviour of epoxy concrete (EPC). The main parameters studied here are loss factor (η), i.e. damping, and dynamical modulus of elasticity (Ed). It is found that the tenacity of EPC can be improved by controlling rubber phase separation, and that the mechanical vibration can be absorbed while keeping a high enough Ed value by forming an elastic interlayer using a coupling agent and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber with end carboxyl group. The values of η and Ed obtained in this paper are in the range of 0.0436-0.0534 and 20.97-26.72 GPa, respectively. The interface microstructure of EPC has been characterized by means of XPS and FT-IR here. The results suggest that a weak Lewis acid-base reaction has taken place and chemically bonded joints have formed in the interlayer of EPC, and the rubber phase separation has been characterized by the technique of microimage analysis.