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The Evaluation of High Molecular

Weight Methacrylate (HMWM) as a


Treatment Option for Shrinkage
Cracks in Airfield Pavement
Austin Hayes, Capt, Air Force Institute of Technology
Alfred E. Thal, Jr., PhD, Air Force Institute of Technology
David Fowler, PhD, University Of Texas at Austin
Don Klosterman, PhD, University of Dayton
Steven Schuldt, Maj, PhD, Air Force Institute of Technology
Jason Hernandez, Capt, Air Force Institute of Technology

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and Exposition
Overview
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Methodology
• Results and Analysis
• Conclusions/Recommendations

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Introduction - Background
• Shrinkage cracks in concrete pavements are difficult
to repair … when shrinkage cracks become too
numerous, slab has to be replaced
• High molecular weight methacrylate (HMWM) has
been used for many decades to treat cracks in bridge
decks
– Developed in early 1970s by Rohm and Hass
company for use in polymer concrete
– First used by California Department of
Transportation on bridge near Sacramento, CA
• HMWM has many benefits as a crack repair option
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Introduction – Problem Statement
• No studies involving HMWM have been done for
airfield pavement
• United Facilities Guidance and Standards
(UFGS) calls for epoxy to be used as a sealant
to treat cracks
• Due to low viscosity of HMWM, Air Force Civil
Engineer Center has begun investigating
possibility of using it to treat shrinkage cracks

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and Exposition
Introduction - Research Questions
• Can HMWM penetrate and reach the bottom of a
crack that is 24 inches (61 cm) deep?
• What is the viscosity of various HMWM products
at different temperatures?
• What other physical characteristics are
recommended for the HMWM?

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Methodology
• Laboratory tests were performed to evaluate
how well HMWM could penetrate a crack in a
concrete specimen that is 24 inches deep, then
bond to the concrete and resist water intrusion.
• First set of tests involved finding the viscosities,
then the gel times of the sealants.
• Second set of tests involved concrete specimens

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and Exposition
Methodology – Viscosity Tests
• Viscosities found using a cone and plate
rheometer
– Neat monomers
– Mixture (monomer system)
– Shear sweep (shear rate incremented by a
decade from 0.1 to 100 s-1 and constant shear
at 1 s-1
– Temperatures consisted of 35⁰C (95⁰F), 25⁰C
(77⁰F), 15⁰C (59⁰F) and 5⁰C (41⁰F) for neat
monomers and 25⁰C (77⁰F), 15⁰C (59⁰F), and
5⁰C (41⁰F) for monomer system.
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Methodology – Gel Time
• Manufacturer’s recommended mix ratios were
initially used
• Mix ratios were then changed to examine how
gel times changed
– HMWM mixtures (half initiator, double initiator,
half promoter, double promoter)
– Epoxy mixtures (half part B, half part A)

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Methodology – Concrete Specimen
Fabrication
• 32 specimens
– 16 beam specimens: 6 in x 6 in x
24 in (15 cm x 15 cm x 61cm)
– 16 slab specimens: (6 in x 24 in x
36 in (15 cm x 61 cm x 91 cm)
• Beams had a sheet of Teflon placed
in center
• Slabs had 4 handles … two on each
side
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Concrete rebar between them
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Methodology – Concrete
Specimens
• Specimens broken in half
• Beam specimens pulled
apart since they had
Teflon in center
• Slab specimens broken
using a large hydraulic
press

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and Exposition
Methodology – Sealant Testing
• Beam specimens placed on custom built
table and slab specimens placed on
wooden forms
• Cracks widths ranged from 0.1 mm – 1.0
mm.
• Cracks on sides and bottom of specimens
covered with clear DAP sealant and
stucco tape to contain sealants
• Sealants poured onto specimens and
forced into cracks
• Sealants could not be contained in
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specimensConvention
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Methodology – Sealant Testing
(con’t)

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Methodology – Cold Weather Test
• Four beam specimens outside overnight on a
table
• Temperatures reached -9C (16⁰F) overnight and
were -5.5C (22⁰F) when sealants were applied
• Sealants remained inside and were mixed inside
before being taken outside

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Methodology – Ponding Tests
• Duct tape used to make
small reservoir to
contain water over
cracks
• Water was mixed with
Keda Dye powder and
poured into reservoir
• Specimens were re-
cracked and examined
to see how well sealants
penetrated
The Concrete cracks
Convention
and Exposition
Results and Analysis – Viscosity Tests
Temperature Average Viscosity Viscosity
Sealant (C⁰) Viscosity (cps) Delta (cps) (%)
25 66
20* 519
HMWM 1 1989 3113
15 975
5 2055

25 44
20* 52
HMWM 2 49 211
15 60
5 93
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Results and Analysis – Viscosity
Tests (con’t)
Temperature Average Viscosity Viscosity
Sealant (C⁰) Viscosity (cps) Delta (cps) (%)
25 12
20* 81
HMWM 3 379 3258
15 150
5 391

25 168
Epoxy 20* 292
622 470
15 415
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790
Results and Analysis – Viscosity
Tests
• Temperatures had an effect
• Recorded viscosities were different than
viscosities provided by manufacturers
– Sealants demonstrated shear-thinning
properties

The Concrete Convention


and Exposition
Results and Analysis – Gel Time
Approximate Gel Approximate Harden
Sealant
Time (min) Time (min)
HMWM 1 20 22
HMWM 2 75 105
HMWM 3 25 27
Epoxy 150 210

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and Exposition
Results and Analysis – Gel Time
• Temperature and quantity have effect on gel
times
• HMWM 1 and HMWM 3 had snap, or rapid,
polymerizations while HMWM 2 and Epoxy had
step polymerizations
– Snap polymerizations produced intense heat
and smoke
• Epoxy slowly thickened over time while HMWM
2 remained a liquid for longer time period
• Changing mix ratios only increased gel times
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and Exposition
Results and Analysis – Beam
Penetration Tests
Crack Width Max Penetration Majority Penetration
Sealant
(mm) Depth (cm) Depth (cm)
HMWM 3 61 (24 in)* 2 (0.8 in)
HMWM 1 28 (11 in) 3 (1.2 in)
0.2
HMWM 2 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)
HMWM 2 C 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)

HMWM 3 61 (24 in) 20 (8 in)


0.4 HMWM 3 C 61 (24 in) 30 (12 in)
HMWM 1 40 (16 in) 2 (0.8 in)
The Concrete Convention
and Exposition
*24 inches is the maximum depth of the beam/slab
Results and Analysis – Beam
Penetration Tests
Crack Width Max Penetration Majority Penetration
Sealant
(mm) Depth (cm) Depth (cm)
HMWM 1 61 (24 in)* Unable to tell
0.6 HMWM 1 C 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)
Epoxy 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)
Epoxy C 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)

0.8 HMWM 1 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)

HMWM 3 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)


1.0
HMWM 1
The Concrete Convention 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)
and
*24 inches Exposition
is the maximum depth of the beam/slab
Results and Analysis - Slab
Specimen
Crack Width Max Penetration Majority Penetration
Sealant
(mm) Depth (cm) Depth (cm)
HMWM 3 31 (12 in) 20 (8 in)
HMWM 1 29 (11 in) 16 (6 in)
0.2-0.25
HMWM 2 61 (24 in)* 61 (24 in)
Epoxy 18 (7 in) 12 (5 in)

HMWM 3 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)


0.4 HMWM 1 50 (20 in) 10 (4 in)
Epoxy 58 (23 in) 26 (10 in)
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*24 inches isand
the Exposition
maximum depth of the beam/slab
Results and Analysis - Slab
Specimen
Crack Width Max Penetration Majority Penetration
Sealant
(mm) Depth (cm) Depth (cm)

0.6 Epoxy 61 (24 in)* 61 (24 in)

0.8 Epoxy 61 (24 in) 61 (24 in)

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and Exposition
*24 inches is the maximum depth of the beam/slab
Results and Analysis – Penetration
Tests
• Different surfaces of cracks did not have an
effect on sealant’s penetration
• If sealant easily penetrated to bottom of
specimen, larger crack widths were not tested
• HMWM 3 appeared to quickly evaporate …
made it difficult to tell where it terminated

The Concrete Convention


and Exposition
Results and Analysis – Cold
Weather Tests
• Colder temperatures had an effect on HMWM
1 and Epoxy but little to no effect on HMWM 3
and HMWM 2
• HMWM 1 and Epoxy became viscous more
quickly than at warmer temperatures, not
allowing sealant to penetrate crack quickly

The Concrete Convention


and Exposition
Conclusions
• HMWM is viable option for shrinkage crack repair
• Literature review: potential to flow into very fine
cracks, restore structural integrity of concrete, and
prevent water and chemical intrusion

The Concrete Convention


and Exposition
Conclusion (con’t)
• Research results
– Potential to penetrate and reach bottom of
very fine cracks that are 24 inches deep
– When the sealants bonded to the concrete,
they resisted water intrusion
• Different situations will call for different HMWMs
… properties of HMWMs can vary dramatically
based on their chemical composition

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and Exposition
Recommendations
• Viscosity
– Less than 50 cps for cracks less than 0.4 mm
– Greater than 50 cps for cracks greater than
0.4 mm
• Higher elongations are better
• Gel times
– Greater than 60 minutes for cracks less than
0.6 mm
– Shorter gel times can be considered for
cracks
The Concrete greater than 0.6 mm
Convention
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Recommendations (con’t)
• Cracks to be treated must be dry and free of dirt
and debris
• HMWM should be applied early in the morning
or late at night
• When cracks become wider, strength is more
important and elongation is less important

The Concrete Convention


and Exposition
Future Research
• Field tests on application of HMWM to shrinkage
cracks on airfield pavement
• Investigation into relationships
– Shear thinning and crack width
– Surface tension and crack penetration
• More extensive laboratory tests
– More concrete specimens and different
sealants
– Different mixture ratios for sealants
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Questions

The Concrete Convention


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