Hal Amick

The paper presents selected results from a broad study undertaken to explore means by which one might increase damping in concrete, which is relatively low—except for when the concrete is rather young—and essentially independent of temperature and frequency. The most easily implemented approach involves the addition of latex admixtures to the concrete, resulting in a product generically known as polymer-modified concrete (PMC). The resulting concrete takes on some of the characteristics of the polymer involved: damping and elastic moduli become temperature and frequency dependent, and damping performance is a function of the polymer’s glass transition temperature.

 

Presented at 75th Shock and Vibration Symposium, Virginia Beach, VA, October 17-22, 2004