LABORATORY STUDY OF PHYSICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE MIXED WITH BAKELITE

Abstract

This research aims to study the physical and thermal properties of concrete blocks mixed with Bakelite. The main goal of this research is to use Bakelite plastic to replace the total mass of concrete blocks. The laboratory tests include compressive strength test, density test, water absorption test, and thermal conductivity test. The concrete blocks are mixture of Portland cement type one, dust stone, sand, and Bakelite plastic. The mixing ratio of concrete blocks with a binder to total mass is 1:5 by weight. The percentage of Bakelite plastic varies from 0% to 20% and the curing method of concrete blocks is air curing for 7, 14, and 28 days. The compressive strength and density tests were conducted after the completion of each curing period, while the water absorption test was conducted only for the curing period of 28 days. Two groups of concrete block samples, 50x50x50 mm³ were used in the physical properties tests, while 100x100x100 mm³ concrete block samples with the curing period of 28 days were used in the thermal conductivity test. The result shows that an increasing in the percentage of Bakelite decreases the compressive strength and density of concrete block samples. The water absorption is in proportion to the increasing of percentage of Bakelite. Finally, an increasing of Bakelite ranging from 0% to 20% roughly reduces the thermal conductivity of concrete block samples from 0.5 W/m-K to 0.3 W/m-K.