Effect of colloid solution concentration of epoxy resin on properties of rust-cracked reinforced concrete repaired by electrophoretic deposition

An electrophoretic deposition technique is proposed for repairing rust-cracked concrete. A water-based cationic epoxy resin was used as the main base material of a high-performance epoxy resin colloidal (HERC) solution, focusing on the resulting concentration of electrophoretic deposition and post-repair performance metrics. Water and carbonation resistance of repaired specimens improved significantly with increased HERC concentration. Compressive strength and splitting tensile strength also improved. A microscopic morphology analysis showed that water and carbonation resistance, and strength of repaired specimens improved because a dense resin film structure formed on the crack surface, and resin was deposited and consolidated in the cracks, respectively.