ADMIXTURES AND SPECIAL CONCRETE

ADMIXTURES

 Material other than cement, water and aggregates, that is

used as ingredient of concrete and is added to the batch
immediately before or during mixing
 Used to modify properties of ordinary concrete so as to make
it suitable for any construction
 TYPES
 Plasticizers
 Superplasticizers
 Retarders and retarding plasticizers
 Accelerators and accelerating plasticizers
 Air entraining admixtures
 Pozzolanic or mineral admixtures
 Damp proofing and water proofing admixtures
 Gas forming admixtures
 Air detraining admixtures
 Alkali-aggregate expansion inhibiting admixtures
 Workability admixtures
 Grouting admixtures
 Corrosion inhibiting admixtures
 Bonding admixtures
 Fungicidal, germicidal and insecticidal admixtures
 Colouring admixtures

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 PLASTICIZERS/WATER REDUCERS
 Improve workability with out using excess water
 Improve desirable qualities
 Reduce water cement ratio for the given workability which
naturally increase strength and durability
 Employed to reduce the cement content and heat of
hydration
 0.1 to 0.4 % by wt of cement
 Eg: lignosulphonic acid in the form of either its calcium or
sodium salt

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 Action of plasticizers
– To fluidify the mix and improve the workability of concrete, mortar or
grout
– Dispersion : cement have a tendency to flocculate in wet concrete,
entraps certain amount of water used in the mix, hence water is not
freely available to fluidify the mix
Plasticizers get absorbed on cement particles, create particle to
particle repulsive forces called zeta potential
Result is cement particle are deflocculated and dispersed, trapped
water gets released
– Retarding effect

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 SUPER PLASTICIZERS/HIGH RANGE WATER
REDUCERS
 Improved version of plasticizers
 Permit the reduction of water to extent upto 30% with out
reducing workability
 Used for production of flowing, self levelling, self compacting,
high strength and high performance concrete
 More powerful dispersing agent
 High range water reducers
– At the same w/c ratio, more workable concrete than plane one
– For same workability, it permit the use of low w/c ratio
 Produce homogenous, cohesive concrete without any
tendency for segregation and bleeding

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 Commonly used superplasticizers are
– Sulphonated malanie-formaldehyde condensates (SMF)
– Sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde (SNF)
– Modified lignosulphonates (MLS)
– Other types

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 Application
– Thin section placements
– Areas of closely spaced and congested reinforcing steel
– Used in pumped concrete to reduce pump pressure, thereby
increasing lift and distance capacity
– For reducing handling costs

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 RETARDERS

 Slows down the chemical process of hydration so that

concrete remains plastic and workable for long time
 To overcome the accelerating effect of temperature on setting
properties of concrete
 Used in grouting oil wells
 Useful in ready mix concrete practices
 Used to obtain exposed aggregate look in concrete
 Eg: calcium sulphate, cellulose products, acid or salt of acid,
sugar, lignosulphonic acids and their salts

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 RETARDING PLASTICIZERS
 Retarders mixed with plasticizers or super plasticizers
 Used in RMC industry for the purposes of retaining slump loss
 during high temperature
 long transportation
 to avoid or cold joints
 Slip form construction
 regulation of heat of hydration

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 ACCELERATORS

 To increase the rate of early strength development in concrete

– 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
– Repair work of waterfront structures
 Eg: soluble carbonates, calcium chloride, silicates,
fluorosilicates, triethenolamine

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 ACCELERATING PLASTICIZERS

 Plasticizers/super plasticizers added with accelerators

 For faster development of strength

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 AIR ENTRAINING ADMIXTURES

 Modify the properties of plastic concrete regarding

workability, segregation, bleeding and finishing quality of
concrete
 Modify the properties of hardened concrete regarding its
resistance to frost action and permeability
 Air voids present in concrete
– entrained air(intentionally incorporated minute spherical
bubbles of size 5 to 80 microns which act as a flexible ball
bearings and modify the properties)
- entrapped air (due to insufficient
compaction)

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 AIR ENTRAINING AGENTS
– Natural wood resins
– Animal and vegetable fats and oils
– Alkali salts or sulphated or sulphonated organic compounds
– Water soluble soaps of resin acids, animal and vegetable fatty acids
– Sodium salts of petroleum sulphonic acids, hydrogen peroxide and
aluminium powder
 EFFECT OF AIR ENTRINMENT
– Increased resistance to freezing and thawing
– Improvement in workability
– Reduction in strength
– Reduce the tendencies of segregation
– Reduce the bleeding and laitance
– Decrease permeability
– Increase the resistance to chemical attack
– Permit reduction in sand content

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 – Improve placeability and early finishing
– Reduces the cement content, cost and heat of hydration
– Reduces the unit weight
– Permits reduction in water content
– Reduces alkali aggregate reaction
– Reduces the modulus of elasticity

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 POZZOLANIC / MINERAL ADMIXTURES
 L ower the heat of hydration and thermal shrinkage
 Increase the water tightness
 Reduce the alkali aggregate reaction
 Improve resistance to attack by sulphate soils and sea water
 Improve extensibility
 Lower costs
 Eg: natural pozzolans: clay and shales, diatomaceous earth,
volcanic tuffs and pumicities
artificial pozzolans: fly ash, blast furnace slag, silica fume, rice
husk ash, surkhi

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 DAMP PROOFING AND WATER PROOFING
ADMIXTURES
 Improve workability
 Reduction of water for a given workability
 To make dense concrete which is basically impervious
 Eg: silicates of soda, aluminium and zinc sulphates, aluminium
and calcium chlorides, chalk, fullers earth, talc

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 GAS FORMING ADMIXTURES

 Result in slight expansion in plastic concrete and mortar which

reduces or eliminate the settlement and improve the
effectiveness of grout, in filling joints
 Eg: aluminium powder
 It reacts with hydroxide produced in the hydration of cement
to produce minute bubbles of hydrogen gas throughout the
matrix

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 AIR DETRAINING ADMIXTURES

 To dissipate excess of air or other gas in the concrete

 Eg: tributyl phosphate, water insoluble alcohols

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ALKALI AGGREGATE EXPANSION INHIBITORS

 Reduce alkali aggregate reaction

 eg: aluminium powder, lithium salts

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 WORKABILITY ADMIXTURES
 FINELY DIVIDED MATERIALS
 PLASTICIZERS AND SUPER PLASTICIZERS
 AIR ENTRAINING AGENTS
GROUTING ADMIXTURES
 ACCELERATORS
 RETARDERS
 GAS FORMING AGENTS
 WORKABILITY AGENTS
 PLASTICIZERS

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 CORROSION INHIBITING ADMIXTURES

 To decrease the rate of corrosion

 Eg: lignosulphonates, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrite
BONDING ADMIXTURES
 Applied to old concrete surface just prior to patching with
mortar or concrete
 To increase bond strength b/w new and old concrete
 2 type 1) re emulsifier
2) non re emulsifier

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 FUNGICIDAL, GERMICIDAL AND
INSECTICIDAL ADMIXTURES

 Eg: polyhalogenated phenols, dieldren emulsion, copper

compounds

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 SPECIAL CONCRETE
 Light weight concrete
 Aerated concrete
 No fines concrete
 High density concrete
 Sulphur infiltrated concrete
 Fibre reinforced concrete
 Pre packed concrete
 Vacuum concrete
 Vacuum dewatered concrete
 Gunite or shotcrete
 Roller compacted concrete
 Self compacting concrete
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 LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE
 D ensity : 300 to 1850 kg/m3 (normal concrete: 2200 to 2600
kg/m3
 Achieved by the inclusion of air in concrete
– replacing usual mineral aggregate by cellular porous or light
weight aggregate
– Introducing gas or air bubbles in mortar
– By omitting sand fraction from the aggregate
 Reduction of dead load
 Increases the progress of building
 Lowers haulage and handling costs
 Low thermal conductivity
 Sound absorption

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 Applicable for weak soil and tall structures
 In framed structures, where beam and column have to carry
load of floors and walls
 In extreme climatic conditions and also in buildings where air
condition is to be provided, light weight concrete will results
in thermal comfort and lower power consumption
 Outlet for industrial weight such as clinker, fly ash, slag etc

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 Based on purpose
– Structural light weight concrete
– Non load bearing concrete
– Insulating concrete
 Limitation
– Porous
– More corrosion

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 Light weight aggregates
– Natural light weight aggregate
• Pumice
• Diatomite
• Scoria
• Volcanic cinders
• Saw dust
• Rice husk
– Artificial light weight aggregate
• Artificial cinders
• Foamed slag
• Bloated clay
• Sintered fly ash
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AERATED CONCRETE/GAS/FOAM/CELLULAR CONCRETE
 Made by introducing air or gas into a slurry composed of
Portland cement or lime and finely crushed siliceous filler
 It can be made by :
– By the formation of gas by chemical reaction within the mass during
liquid or plastic state
– By mixing performed stable foam with the slurry
– By using finely powdered metal (usually aluminium powder) with slurry
and made to react with calcium hydroxide liberated during hydration
process, to give out large quantity of hydrogen gas.
– Powdered zinc, hydrogen peroxide and bleaching powder have also
been used

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 Low density (300 to 800)
 Thermal insulation property
 Lower density grades are used for insulation purpose
 Medium density grades are used for manufacture of building
blocks or load bearing walls
 High density grades are used in the manufacture of
prefabricated structural members

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 NO FINES CONCRETE

 Fine aggregate fraction has been omitted (coarse agg,

cement, water)
 Single sized coarse aggregate of size passing through 20 mm
and retained on 10 mm is used
 Large voids, light weight
 Does not give much side thrust to formwork, hence early
removal of formwork is possible
 Easy compaction
 Poor bond strength and compressive strength (1.4MPa to 14
Mpa)
 Low drying shrinkage

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 Application
– Load bearing cast in situ external walls for single storied
and multi storied building
– Used for temporary structures because of low initial cost
– It can be reused as aggregate
– Attractive construction material
– Used in external walls for heat insulation
– Good base for plastering because of rough texture
– Low capillary action on account of large voids, hence free
from dampness
– Most popular in places where there is scarcity of sand

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 HIGH DENSITY CONCRETE

 Density: 3360 to 3840 kg/m3 (50% higher than conventional

concrete)
 Used in construction of radiation shields
 High cement content, heavy aggregates
 Increased creep and shrinkage, segregation

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 SULPHUR INFILTRATED CONCRETE

 Impregnating concrete with sulphur

 Water impermeable, resistance to corrosion
 Resistance to freezing and thawing
 Employed in precast industry
– Pre cast roofing elements
– Fencing post
– Sewer pipes
– Railway sleepers
 FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE
 Plain concrete – low tensile strength, limited ductility, limited
resistance to cracking
 Addition of small, closely spaced and uniformly dispersed fibres
to concrete act as crack arrester and improve its properties
 Composite material consisting of mixtures of cement, mortar,
or concrete and discontinuous, discrete, uniformly dispersed
suitable fibres. Continuous meshes, woven fabrics and long
wires or rods are not considered to be discrete
 Steel fibres, polypropylene, nylons, asbestos, coir, glass and
carbon
 Characteristic of fibre: aspect ratio (length/diameter, 30 to
150)
 Steel fibres: flexural, impact and fatigue strength
– overlay of roads, airfield pavements, bridge decks
 Polypropylene and nylon fibres: high impact and tensile
strength
 Application
– Overlays of airfield
– Road pavement
– Industrial floorings
– Bridge decks
– Canal lining
– Explosive resistant structures
– Refractory linings
– Fabrication of precast products like pipes, boat, beams, stair case
steps, wall panels, roof panels, man hole covers etc
 Current development in FRC
– High fibre volume micro fibre system
– Slurry infiltrated fibre concrete
– Compact reinforced composites
 POLYMER CONCRETE
 Porosity : due to air voids and water voids, result in reduced strength
 Impregnation of monomer and subsequent polymerisation is adopted
to reduce the porosity and to increase strength
 Types
– Polymer impregnated concrete (PIC)
– Polymer cement concrete (PCC)
– Polymer concrete (PC)
– Partially impregnated and surface coated polymer concrete
 Polymer Impregnated concrete
 Widely used
 Precast conventional concrete, cured and dried in oven, or by
dielectric heating from which the air in the open cell is
removed by vacuum. Then a low viscosity monomer is
diffused through the open cell and polymerised by using
radiation, application of heat or by chemical initiation
 Mainly used monomers
– Methylmethacrylate (MMA)
– Styrene
– Acrylonitrile
– t- butyl styrene
– Other thermoplastic monomer
 Amount of monomer that can be loaded into concrete is
limited by amount of water and air in the total void space
 Polymer cement concrete
 Made by mixing cement, aggregates, water and monomer;
such plastic mixture is cast in moulds, cured, dried and
polymerised
 Monomers are
– Polyster-styrene
– Epoxy-styrene
– Furans
– Vinylidene chloride
 Polymer concrete
 Aggregate bound with a polymer binder instead of portland
cement
 Main technique is to minimise void volume in aggregate mass
so as to reduce the quantity of polymer needed for binding
the aggregate
 Graded aggregates are prepacked and vibrated in mould.
 Monomer is then diffused up through the aggregates and
polymerisation is initiated by radiation or chemical means
 Silane coupling agent is added to improve the bond strength
 Minimum voids
 Hydrophobic
 Resistant to chemical attack
 High strength 140 Mpa within short curing period
 Viscoelastic, fails at a stress level greater than 50% ultimate
strength
 Hence, it is considered for structures with a high ratio of live
load to dead load and for composite structures
Partially impregnated and surface coated
concrete
 Produced by initially soaking the dried specimens in
liquid monomer like methyl methacrylate, then
sealing them by keeping them under hot water at 70
degree Celsius to prevent or minimise loss of
evaporation
 Polymerisation can be done by thermal catalytic
method
 Improve the durability of concrete bridge decks
 APPLICATIONS

 Prefabricated structural elemets

 Prestressed concrete
 Marine works
 Desalination plant
 Nuclear power plants
 Sewage works – pipe and disposalworks
 Ferrocement products
 For water proofing structures
 Industrial application