Design of aromatic polyamides to modify cement performance under triaxial cyclic tests

With cement being inherently brittle, immense efforts towards cement integrity require the addition of polymers into cement to improve cement elasticity and to reduce mechanical fatigue and failure, without compromising cement compressive strength. In this study, highly crosslinked polymers are carefully designed to enhance cement integrity. Both flexible and rigid polyamides show enhanced cement mechanical properties (Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and mechanical fatigue) under extreme cyclic loading and unloading at 40 MPa. Results from triaxial stress–strain cyclic tests confirm that adding polyaramid to cement significantly reduces mechanical cement fatigue by 93.3%.