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So, it is of much importance for a civil site engineer to know about the
properties of admixtures for better selection and application in concrete works.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
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Some of the important purposes for which admixtures are used are:
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
a) Accelerating admixtures
b) Retarding admixtures
c) Water-reducing admixtures
d) Air-entraining admixtures
a) Air-entraining admixtures
b) Accelerating admixtures
e) Miscellaneous admixtures
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
The common Air-Entraining agents are natural wood resins, neutralized vinsol
resins, polyethelene oxide polymers and sulphonated compounds.
In other words, anionic surface active agents produce bubbles that are
negatively charged, cationic charged cause bubbles to be positively charged,
surface active agents of all classes can cause air entrainment in concrete, but
their efficiency and characteristics of air-void system vary widely.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
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Mode of Action
The principal role on mechanism of water reductions and set retardation of
admixtures are usually composed of long-chain organic molecules and that are
hydrophobic (not wetting) at one end and hydrophilic (readily wet) at the other.
Such molecules tend to become concentrated and form a film at the interface
between two immiscible phases such as cement and water, and alter the physio-
chemical forces acting at this interface.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
(iii) protection sheath of water dipoles around each particle i.e. mobility of fresh
mix becomes greater, partly because of reduction in inter-particle forces and
partly because of water freed from the restraining influence of the highly
flocculated system which is now available to lubricate the mixture. Hence less
water is required to achieve given consistency.
c) While maintaining the same w/c ratio and workability concrete can be made to
a given strength as in the reference concrete at lower cement content.
Effect on durability
The straight addition of admixtures of this type does not came any increase in
permeability and indeed where the admixture is used to reduce the w/c, then
permeability is considerably reduced.
Effect on shrinkage
Admixture of this type when used as workability aids on water reducers do not
adversely effect the shrinkage.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
Effect on creep
Materials of this type of admixture have no deleterious effect on the creep of
concrete.
Detrimental effect
a) While using water reducing agent. Care must be taken in controlling the air
content in the mix. Most water-reducing agent entrain air due to their surfactant
properties.
b) When harsh mixes are experienced such as those produced with aggregates
(crushed). Then considerable improvement in the plastic properties of concrete
can be obtained.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
d) Soluble zinc
Mode of action
It is thought that retarding admixtures are absorbed on to the C3A phase in
cement forming a film around the cement grains and presenting or reducing the
reaction with water. After a while thus film breaks down and normal hydration
proceeds. This a simple mixture and there is a reason to believe that retards
also interact with C3S since retardation can be extended to a period of many
days.
Why Retarding Concrete Admixtures are used?
To delay in the setting time of concrete without adversely effecting the
subsequent strength development.
c) Durability increases.
Detrimental effect
a) When lignosulphonate based material used, then the air content might be 0.2
to 0.3% higher unless materials of the tributyle phosphate type are added.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
iii) iii) Modified ligno-sulphonates and other sulphonic esters, acids etc.,
Chemical type
a) formaldehyde derivatives such as melamine formaldehyde and napthalene
sulphonate formaldehyde.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
b) They can be used as high dosages became they do not markedly change the
surface tension of water.
c) It does not significantly affect the setting of concrete except that when used
the cements having a very low C3A content.
d) They do not influence shrinkage, creep modulus of elasticity or resistance to
freeing to thawing.
Disadvantage
The only real disadvantage of superplasticizer is their relatively high cost.
b) Industrial by products
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
b) Calcium silicon
c) Ferrochromium Silicon
d) Silicomanganese
a) SF originates from the condensed SiO vapors and generally has a high
content of silica of 35 to 98%
b) SF is an amorphous material
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
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Bache stated that in a super plasticized, low w/c ratio concrete, small SF spheres
can displace water entrapped between the flocculated cement grains, thus
increasing the amount of free water in the paste which enhances fluidity.
Several researchers have studied the pozzolanic properties of SF. The resulting
reactions between SF and Ca(OH)2 increases the volume of CSH and reduces the
total volume of capillary pores in the cement paste. The pozzolanic reactions of
SF with Ca(OH)2 reduces the amount of Portlandite in the hydrate cement paste.
Mehta explained that the absence of large Portlandite crystals in a SF mixture
can be due to the fact that each SF particles can act as a ―nucleation site‖ for
precipitation of Ca(OH)2. As a result, numerous small crystals of Ca(OH)2 can
form rather than a few large ones.
This absence of large and week crystals of Portlandite enhance the mechanical
properties of concrete.
The beneficial action of SF has also been attributed to the reduction of the
porosity of the transition zone between the cement paste and aggregate which
increases the strength and impermeability of the concrete. In or conventional
concrete, the transition zone can have large and oriented Portlandite crystals
which form weak zones in the concrete.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT
Advanced Concrete Technology – Course material
____________________________________________________________________________________
For use in large construction projects, the quantity of the admixture to be used
shall be obtained from tests reports for concrete mixed with admixtures at
various percentage admixtures use. These tests are conducted to understand the
behaviour of admixtures on the desired quality and strength of concrete at
different quantity of admixtures used. Thus, the optimum quantity of admixtures
can be selected for specific application based on results.
After selecting the admixtures product, one should carefully choose the supplier
with quality product, timely service and at competitive price. The admixture
supplier should be with good history and should possess the staff with efficient
and professional experience to guide on effective application/use of admixture in
right way.
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Prepared by : Dr.K. RAMADEVI, Associate Professor / Department of Civil Engg, KCT