ADMIXTURES
Building Material and Construction- IV
By: Dr. Madiha Ahmad
WHAT
IS CONCRETE
CONCRETE • Concrete is a composite
material of cement paste and
aggregates, or rocks.
• The paste, composed of Portland
cement and water, coats the
surface of the fine (small) and
coarse (larger) aggregates.
• Through a chemical reaction
called hydration, the paste
hardens and gains strength to
form the rock-like mass known as
concrete.
WHAT ARE ADMIXTURES?
Admixtures are the ingredients of concrete other
than basic ingredients cement, water and
aggregates that are added to concrete, immediately
before or during mixing.
It is to modify one or more of the specific properties
of concrete in fresh and hardened state.
Added in small quantity either in powder or liquid
form.
PURPOSE!
1. To modify fresh property
• Increase the workability without increasing the water cement ratio or
decrease the water content at the same workability.
• Accelerate the time of initial setting.
• Reduce or prevent the settlement or create slight expansion.
• Modify the rate or capacity of bleeding.
2. To modify harden property
• Reduce the heat of evolution.
• Accelerate the rate of strength development at early stages.
• Increase the durability
Bleeding of Concrete
❑ The result of excess water
being forced to the surface of
the concrete.
❑ Some bleeding is normal but
excessive bleeding can be
problematic.
GENERAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
• Each class of admixture is
defined by its primary
function.
• It may have one or more
secondary functions.
• However, its use may affect,
positively or negatively,
concrete properties other
than those desired.
7
TYPES OF ADMIXTURES
1. ACCELERATING ADMIXTURES – TYPE C
An accelerating admixture is used to:
Accelerate the rate of hydration (setting)
Early-age strength gain
Calcium chloride (CaCl2) is the chemical most commonly used
in accelerating admixtures, due to availability, low cost,
predictable performance, especially for non-reinforced concrete.
2. RETARDING ADMIXTURES – TYPE B
A retarding admixture is used to:
Delay setting or hardening rate for:
• Hot-weather concreting
• Difficult placements
• Special finishing processes
High temperatures of fresh concrete (30°C [86°F])
are often the cause of an increased rate of hardening
that makes placing and finishing difficult.
One of the most practical methods of counteracting
this effect is to reduce the temperature of the
concrete by cooling of the mixing water and/or the
aggregates.
3. AIR-ENTRAINING ADMIXTURES
Air entrainment: The process by which small air bubbles are incorporated into
concrete at the mixing stage and remain dispersed in concrete at the hard state.
Accomplished using air-entraining agents
Mechanism of Air-Entraining Admixtures
• The air bubble are generated by mixing.
• All what the AEA does is stabilize them (does not generate
them.)
• Without AEA, there will be still some air in concrete called
entrapped air.
• If AEA, is present more air is entrapped and its size is
smaller.
Air entrainment will dramatically improve:
• the durability of concrete exposed to cycles of
freezing.
When water freezes, it expands about 9 percent. As the water in
moist concrete freezes it produces pressure in the pores of the
concrete. The accumulative effect of successive freeze-thaw cycles
and disruption of paste and aggregate can eventually cause expansion
and cracking, scaling, and crumbling of the concrete.
• Furthermore, the workability of fresh concrete
is improved significantly, and segregation and
bleeding are reduced or eliminated.
Segregation of concrete is the separation of cement paste and
aggregates of concrete from each other during handling and
placement.
Disadvantages of Air-Entraining Admixtures
• 1% air decreases compressive strength by
5%
• Can increase permeability
• Overdose delays setting and hardening
Types of Air-Entraining Admixtures
4. WATER-REDUCING ADMIXTURES
Water-reducing admixtures are used to:
• reduce the quantity of mixing water required to
produce concrete of a certain slump
• reduce water-cement ratio,
• reduce cement content, or
• increase slump
Typical water reducers reduce the water content by
approximately 5% to 15%.
It enhance strength and durability.
They can be accelerating or retarding (used either in
cold or hot weather, respectively).
5. PLASTICIZERS
TO MAKE CONCRETE MORE WORKABLE AND FLUID FOR POURING
Plasticizers, often called
superplasticizers, are essentially high-
range water reducers.
These admixtures are added to concrete
with a low-to-normal slump and water-
cement ratio to make high-slump flowing
concrete.
First introduced in Japan and later in
Flowing concrete is a highly fluid but
Germany
workable concrete that can be placed with
little or no vibration or compaction while
still remaining essentially free of
excessive bleeding or segregation.
Essential function of
superplasticizers is to control
workability of concrete
without adversely affecting
other properties (setting, air
entrainment, hardening, etc.)
6. HYDRATION-CONTROL ADMIXTURES
Hydration controlling admixtures became available in the late 1980s. They consist of a two-
part chemical system:
1. A stabilizer or retarder that essentially stops the hydration of cementing materials,
2. An activator that reestablishes normal hydration and setting when added to the stabilized
concrete.
The stabilizer can suspend hydration for 72 hours and the activator is added to the mixture
just before the concrete is used.
7. CORROSION INHIBITORS
Corrosion inhibitors are used in concrete for marine structures, and bridges where chloride
salts are present. The chlorides can cause corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete.
Ferrous oxide, though stable in concrete’s alkaline environment, reacts with chlorides to form
complexes that move away from the steel to form rust.
8. SHRINKAGE-REDUCING ADMIXTURES
Shrinkage-reducing admixtures, introduced in the 1980s, have potential uses in bridge decks,
critical floor slabs, and buildings where cracks and curling must be minimized for durability
or aesthetic reasons.
Drying shrinkage reductions of between 25% and 50% have been demonstrated in laboratory
tests.
These admixtures have negligible effects on slump and air loss, but can delay setting.
They are generally compatible with other admixtures.
9. COLORING ADMIXTURES
Natural and synthetic materials are used to color
concrete for aesthetic and safety reasons.
Red concrete is used around buried electrical or gas
lines as a warning to anyone near these facilities.
Yellow concrete safety curbs are used in paving
applications. Generally, the amount of pigments used
in concrete should not exceed 10% by weight of the
cement.
Pigments used in amounts less than 6% generally do
not affect concrete properties.
IT’s DONE!
