ADMIXTURE

CHAPTER 1
 DEFINITION
 A material, other than aggregates, cement, or
water, added in small quantities to the mix in
order to produce some desired modifications,
either to the physical or chemical properties of
the mix or of the hardened product.
 The most common admixtures affect plasticity,
air entrainment and curing time.
These admixtures are often referred
to:
 Accelerators
 Water-reducing admixtures
 Air entraining admixtures
 Retarders
 ADVANTAGES OF ADMIXTURE
 Water reduction in the mix
 Accelerate the initial setting of concrete; to speed up the rate
of strength development at early ages.
 Retard the initial setting, i.e to keep concrete workable for a
longer time for placement.
 Corrosion protection
 Enhance concrete workability
 Reduce the segregation
 Increase the strength of concrete by reducing water content
 Crack control (shrinkage reduction)
 Protect against freeze thaw cycles-improve durability
 TYPES OF ADMIXTURE
 Plasticizers
 Superplasticizers
 Retarders and retarding plasticizers
 Accelerators ad accelerating plasticizers
 Air-entraining admixtures
 Pozzolanic or mineral admixtures
 Damp-proofing and waterproofing admixtures
 Gas forming admixtures
TYPES OF ADMIXTURE (cont’d)
 Air detraining admixtures
 Alkali-aggregate expansion inhibiting
admixtures
 Workability admixtures
 Grouting admixtures
 Corrosion inhibiting admixtures
 Fungicidal, germicidal, insecticidal admixtures
 Colouring admixture.
 Accelerators
Accelerating admixtures are added to concrete
to increase the rate of early strength
development in concrete to:
 Permit earlier removal of formwork
 Reduce the required period of curing
 Advance the time that a structure can be placed in
service
 Partially compensate for the retarding effect of low
temperature during cold weather concreting.
 In the emergency repair work.
 Retarding admixture
 It is admixture that slows down the chemical process of
hydration so that concrete remains plastic and workable
for a long time than concrete without retarder
 Retarders are used to overcome the accelerating effect
of high temperature on setting properties of concrete in
hot weather concreting.
 Retarders also can overcome the difficult conditions
during transportation and placing especially for ready
mixed concrete which the concrete manufactured in
central batching plant and transported over a long
distance to the job sites.
Retarding admixture (cont’d)
 The most commonly known retarder is calcium
sulphates.
 Sugar is one of the most effective retarding agents.
 At normal temperatures addition of sugar 0.05% to
0.10% have little effect on the rate of hydration, but if
the quantity is increased to 0.2%, hydration can be
retarded to such an extent that final set may not take
place for 72 hours or more.
Plasticizers (water reducer)
 Workability of fresh or plastic concrete requires more
water than is needed for hydration.
 The excess water, beyond the hydration requirements, is
detrimental to all desirable properties of hardened
concrete.
 Plasticizers can help the difficult conditions for obtaining
higher workability without using excess of water
 It can increases the mobility of the cement particles in the
plastic mix, allowing workability to be achieved at lower
water contents.
 The advantages are considerable in the former, concrete
are stronger, and in the latter they are workable.
Plasticizers (water reducer) (cont’d)
 The basic products constituting plasticizers are as
follows:
 Anionic surfactants such as lignosulphonates and their
modifications and derivatives, salts of sulphonates
hydrocarbons
 Nonionic surfactants, such as polyglycol esters, acid of
hydroxylated carboxylic acids and their modifications and
derivatives
 Other products, such as carbohydrates etc.
 Among these, calcium, sodium and ammonium
lignosulphonates are the most used.
 Plasticizers (water reducer) (cont’d)
 Plasticizers are used in the amount of 0.1% to
0.4% by weight of cement.
 At these doses, at constant workability the
reduction in mixing water is expected to be of
the order of 5% to 15%. This naturally
increases the strength.
 Air-Entraining Admixtures
 Air-entraining admixtures are used to stabilize
microscopic air bubbles in concrete. Proper
air-entrainment, with appropriate volume and
spacing factor, will dramatically improve the
durability of concrete exposed to moisture
during cycles of freezing and thawing.
Entrained air also improves concrete’s
resistance to surface scaling caused by
chemical deicers.
 Air-Entraining Admixtures (cont’d)
 Air-entrained concrete contains
minute air bubbles that are
distributed uniformly throughout
the cement paste. Entrained air
can be produced in concrete by
use of an air-entraining cement,
by introduction of an air-
entraining admixture, or by a
combination of both methods. An
air-entraining cement is a portland
cement with an air-entraining
addition interground with the
clinker during manufacture. An
air-entraining admixture, on the
other hand is added directly to the
concrete materials either before or
during mixing.
 Conclusion
Admixtures Functions Typical Applications Disadvantages
compounds

Accelerators i. more rapid Calcium chloride, - normal rate of strength i. possible cracking due
gain of sodium nitrite development at low to heat evolution
strength Sodium sulphate, temperature ii. possibility of corrosion
ii. more rapid sodium - - shorter stripping times of embedded
setting aluminate, - plugging of pressure leaks reinforcement
iii. Increase sodium sprayed concrete
the rate of silicate, - 1.5% by mass of cement
hydration sodium normally used.
iv. Reduce carbonate, - 2% by mass of cement used
curing potassium, can reduce the setting time.
time hydroxide - The selection of the optimum
amount should be based on the
type of cement, temperature of
concrete and the ambient
temperature.

Retartders Delay setting Hydroxycarboxilic - maintain workability at high May promote bleeding
acids, sugars temperature
- reduce rate of heat evolution
- extend placing times

Accelerators Increase Mixtures of sugars Water reducers with faster strength Risk of corrosion
water- workability or development
reducing with faster hydroxycarbo
gain of xylic acids
strength and
lignosulphona
te
Admixtures Functions Typical Applications Disadvantages
compounds

Retarding water- Increase Mixture of Water reducers with slower the loss of
reducing workability sugars or workability
and delay hydroxycarboxyl
setting ic acids and
lignosulphonate

Plasticizers Increase Calcium and -higher workability with strength i.retardation at high
(water reducers) workability sodium unchanged dosages
lignosulphonate -higher strength with workability ii.tendency to segregate
unchanged iii.premature stiffening
under certain conditions
-less cement for same strength and
workability

Superplasticizers Greatly Sulphonate -water reducers, but over a wider i.tendency to segregate
increase melamine range ii.may increase rate of loss
workability Formaldehyde -facilitate production of flowing of workability
resin concrete
Sulphonated
naphthalene-
formaldehyde
resin

Air entraining Entrainments Wood resins, Increase durability to frost without Careful control of air
of air into fats, increasing cement content content and mixing time
concrete lignosulphonate necessary
References
• http://www.concrete.org/general/fE4-03.pdf
• http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/mat
erialsgrp/admixture.html
• http://nrmca.org/aboutconcrete/cips/15p.pd
f
• http://www.admixtures.org.uk/downloads/A
TS%205%20Air%20Entraining.pdf
Assignment 1

• Explain the actions, usage and