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ADMIXTURES
CHEMICAL ADMIXTURES
• A chemical added to the concrete at the time of
mixing to impart desirable behavior.
What is a chemical admixture?
• Water reducers
• Set-controlling chemicals
• Air entrainers
• Specialty admixtures
-Viscosity modifiers
-Corrosion inhibitors
-Shrinkage reducing admixtures
-SBR latexes
-Others
Water Reducers
•Normal (plasticizers)
•High-range (Superplasticizers)
Plasticizers (water reducers)
USED AT-
Broad classification
Water
Reducers
2nd generation:Polysulphonates
-Sulphonatedmelamine formaldehyde (SMF)
-Sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde (SNF)
-Lignosulfonates
-Sulfonated condensate of naphthalene formaldehyde
-Sulfonated condensate of melamine formaldehyde
-Sugar refined lignosulfonates
Steric hindrance
Polymers with backbone and graft chains
- Polycarboxylate ester
- Carboxylic acrylic acid with acrylic ester
- Cross linked acrylic polymer
Types and properties of plasticizers
a) Unrefined lignosulfonates
b) Melamine formaldehyde
c) Naphthalene formaldehyde
d) Polycarboxylate esters and acrylic copolymers
Unrefined Lignosulfonates
• No slump retention
• Suitable for cold weather
• Suitable for precast concrete
• Unsuitable for ready mix concrete (long hauls)
• Unfavorable costs
• Not widely used in India
Naphthalene Formaldehyde
Downside:
Not compatible with PC admixtures
Problems in concretes with low w/c ratios
Superplasticizers based on
graft chain copolymers
Type
Cost of dry Cost of
Concentration
polymer Solution
Melamine 80 40% 32
Naphthalene 40 40% 16
•Accelerators
•Retarders
• Accelerators
- Earlier finishing of slabs
- Increase early age strength
- Early removal of forms
-Cold-weather concreting
• Retarders
- Hot-weather concreting
-‘Long-haul’ applications
- Workable for longer
time
Basic admixture chemistry
Organic
Non-Chloride
Accelerators Inorganic
Chloride
Chloride accelerators: CaCl2, NaCl
Non-chloride accelerators
Retarders
Extended
Organic Inorganic
Set
Organic retarders: Lignosulphonates,
hydroxycarboxylicacids (citric,
gluconic), carbohydrates (corn syrup,
dextrin). These are the same
chemicals as normal water reducers.
Inorganic retarders: Borates, phosphates, Zn and Cu
compounds. These are not generally used because of their
high costs and low solubility.
Applications
•Side effects:
1.Improve workability
2.Reduce segregation and bleeding
3.Reduce strength due to increased
porosity
Mode of action
Air bubbles are generated during the agitation and mixing of the
concrete. The air-entraining agents simply help to stabilize
these bubbles by altering the surface tension of water.
Applications