Obtaining and Characterizing a Polyester Resin and Cement Powder Composites

The processes for obtaining and characterizing polyester resin (R) matrix and cement powder (C) load composites were studied. Four composites were defined by the cement-to-resin mass ratio: 1.0R+0.25C, 1.0R+0.50C, 1.0R+0.75C and 1.0R+1.0C. The selected manufacturing method was the wet compression molding. The composites were characterized by determining their tensile, flexural and impact strengths, density, water absorption levels, thermal and aging properties. The composite that presented the greater economic feasibility was 1.0R+1.0C. The cement was found to have a filler load function. All composites showed lower mechanical strength compared to the matrix, with proportional decrease to the increased cement powder, with 50% loss in tensile strength, 78% in flexural strength and 11.54% in impact strength for 1.0R+1.0C. In this study, a 1.5 m² table was manufactured by this composite (1.0R+1.0C). The cost for manufacturing the synthetic stone was lower than marble and granite stones, demonstrating the economic feasibility of the composites.

Keywords:
Polyester resin; cement powder; composites; synthetic stone