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
 High strength concrete
 Corrosion protection
 Set acceleration
 Strength enhancement
 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 faisal

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 faisal

 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)
faosal
 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)
 Plasticizers can help the difficult conditions for
obtaining higher workability without using excess of
water
 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.
 CONCLUTIONS
Admixtures Functions Typical compounds Applications Disadvantages

Accelerators i. more rapid Calcium chloride, - normal rate of strength i. possible cracking due to
gain of sodium nitrite development at low temperature heat evolution
strength Sodium sulphate, - shorter stripping times ii. possibility of corrosion of
ii. more rapid sodium - plugging of pressure leaks embedded reinforcement
setting aluminate, sprayed concrete
sodium silicate,
sodium
carbonate,
potassium,
hydroxide

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

Accelerators water- Increase Mixtures of sugars or Water reducers with faster strength Risk of corrosion
reducing workability hydroxycarboxyli development
with faster c acids and
gain of lignosulphonate
strength
Admixtures Functions Typical Applications Disadvantages
compounds

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

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

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

Air entraining Entrainments of Wood resins, fats, Increase durability to frost without Careful control of air content
air into concrete lignosulphonate increasing cement content and mixing time necessary