Admixtures

• Admixture are those ingredients of cement mortar or concrete

other than cement, water, and aggregates that are added to the
mixture immediately before or during mixing.
• It improves the workability.
• It retards the setting time of the mortar and concrete.
• It increases the bond strength between reinforcement and
concrete.
• It improves the water-proofing properties.
• It reduces the bleeding and the segregation.
• It reduces the cost of concrete construction.
Types of Admixture
Air Entrainer
• Contains small quantity of air bubble.
• Improves workability, durability and insulating qualities.
• Decreases the strength by about 20% but can be compensated
with a lower w/c ratio.
• Suitable for all concrete exposed to freezing.
• The common compounds used for this purpose are fatty acids,
oils, metal powders resins, etc.
Types of Admixture
Retarders
• Delays or retards the initial setting time.
• Used for construction in hot climates.
• Useful for long haul distances.
• It may reduce early strength.
• Usually does not reduce final setting time much.
• Common compound used for this purpose is gypsum.
Types of Admixture
Plasticizers/Water Reducers
• Also called water reducing admixture.
• Reduces water cement ratio without affecting strength.
• Useful when concrete has to be placed very quickly.
• Common compounds used is salt of hydroxylated acids.
Types of Admixture
Accelerators
• Accelerates the setting and hardening time of cement.
• Used for construction in a cold climate.
• Reduces curing time.
• Common compound use is calcium chloride.
Types of Admixture
Specialty Admixtures
• Workability Agents
• Damp-proofing Agents
• Corrosion Inhibitors
• Permeability Reducing Agents
• Concrete Pumping aids
• Bonding Agents
• Fungicidal, germicidal, and insecticidal admixture
Air Entrained Concrete
Standard Test on Cement
Standard Test of Cement

• 1. Fineness Test
• 2. Consistency Test
• 3. Setting Time Test
• a. Initial Setting Time Test
• b. Final Setting Time Test
• 4. Soundness Test
• 5. Compressive Strength Test
• 6. Tensile Strength Test
1. Fineness Test

• Fineness of cement is responsible for the rate of hydration and rate of evolution of heat
and hence on the rate of gain of strength.
• Finer the grains, more is the surface area and faster the development of strength.

More contact points for

chemical reaction
1. Fineness Test
Procedure
• 100 g of cement is weighed accurately and it is placed on a
standard 90-micron IS sieve.
• Air-set lumps in the cement sample are broken with fingers.
• The sample is continuously sieved giving circular and vertical
motion for a period of 15 minutes.
• The residue left on the sieve is weighed.
• As per IS code, the percentage residue should not exceed
10%.
2. Consistency Test
• The test is conducted to determine the percentage of water
requirement for preparing cement paste of standard
consistency for other tests (e.g., setting time, soundness &
compressive test, etc.)
• This test is performed with the help of Vicat’s apparatus.
Vicat’s Apparatus
2. Consistency Test
Procedure
• 300 g of cement is weighed.
• The amount of water ( 30% by wt. of cement) using glass
graduate is measured.
• The obtained cement is mixed with the obtained water together
in the mixing bowl.
• The mould of the Vicat apparatus is filled with the cement
paste, the surface of the paste is smoothed off level with the
top of the mould as quickly as possible.
2. Consistency Test
Procedure
• The mould is placed in the Vicat apparatus and the 10 mm
diameter plunger is used, lower it till it touches the paste, and
then it is left to fall freely.
• The depth is taken from the Vicat ruler, if the depth is between
5 to 7 mm then the standard paste with normal consistency is
obtained, otherwise, other trials are done with fresh cement.
3. Setting Time Test
A. Initial Setting Time Test
• Initial setting time is the time from mixing dry cement with water
till the beginning of interlocking of the gel.
• Knowing the initial setting time is important in estimating free
time for transporting, placing, compaction, and shaping cement
paste.
3. Setting Time Test
Procedure
• The cement paste is prepared with water 0.85 times the water
for normal consistency and filled in Vicat mould. The stopwatch
should start at this step.
• A round or square needle with a cross-sectional area of 1 mm 2
is attached to the moving rod.
• The needle is gently released and allowed to penetrate the
cement paste.
• Then the Vicat ruler scale is read.
3. Setting Time Test
Procedure
• A trial is done each 15 minutes until the depth of penetration is
5 mm from the bottom of the mould.
• The elapsed time from mixing the water with dry cement till this
moment is called initial setting time. This time for OPC should
not be less than 30 minutes.
3. Setting Time Test
B. Final Setting Time Test
• Final setting time is the time from mixing dry cement with water
till the end of the interlocking of the gel.
Procedure
• The needle is replaced by a 1 mm2 needle fitted with a 5 mm
diameter collar.
• The needle is released at the surface of the cement paste.
• The sample is penetrated again and again till it fails to make
any impression on the surface.
3. Setting Time Test
Procedure
• The time-lapse from the mixing of cement to the needle fails to
penetrate the specimen but only makes a slight impression is
called final setting time.
• For OPC it is about 10-12 hours.
4. Soundness Test
• This test is performed to detect the presence of uncombined
lime and magnesia in cement.
• It is tested with the Le-chatelier’s apparatus.
Le-chatelier’s Apparatus
Le-chatelier’s Apparatus
4. Soundness Test
Procedure
• The cement paste is prepared, and the percentage of water is
taken as calculated in consistency test times 0.78.
• The cylinder is placed on a glass plate and filled with cement
paste. It is covered at the top with another glass plate. A small
weight is placed on top.
• The whole assembly is immersed in water at 24 to 35° C for 24
hours. After 24 hours, the assembly is taken out of the water
and the distance between the points o f indicators is measured.
4. Soundness Test
Procedure
• The mould is immersed in the water again and brought to
boiling point in 15 to 30 minutes. After boiling for 1 hour, the
mould is removed.
• After cooling, the distance between the indicators is again
measured.
• The difference in the distance represents the expansion of the
cement and according to IS specification, it should not exceed
10 mm for any type of Portland cement.
4. Soundness Test
Procedure
• Unsound cement may create cracks, distortion, and
disintegration of concrete. If expansion exceeds this value then
cement is rejected.
5. Compressive Strength Test
• This test carried out to determine the suitability of cement for
developing required compressive strength of concrete and
mortar.
• Universal Testing Machine is used for this test.
• The test is performed on 1:3 cement mortar cubes made by
gauging 185 g of cement 555 g of standard sand and 74 g of
water.
• As per IS specifications average compressive strength for three
cubes should not be less than 11.5 N/mm 2 and 17.5 N/mm2
after 2 and 7 days respectively.
Universal Testing Machine
5. Compressive Strength Test
Procedure
• A sample a sand and Portland cement is measured by
weighing on a digital scale (generally 1:3 cement-sand ratio).
• A sample of water is measured in a graduated cylindrical
beaker, which is equivalent to the specified water/cement ratio
of 0.48:1 ( the ratio may vary from 0.45 to 0.60).
• The two dry samples (Portland cement and sand) are mixed in
the mixing bowl for approx. 5 minutes.
5. Compressive Strength Test
Procedure
• Slowly water is added to the mixing bowl and mixed until the
desired consistency is achieved.
• The mixed content is removed from the bowl and it is placed in
even portions in three cubes (mostly 7 cm side) in the moulding
tray, which has already been wiped on the inside with the oil.
• All the cubes are tamped to ensure uniform filling of the
moulds. The top is smoothed with a trowel.
• The specimens are removed from the mould after 24 hours.
5. Compressive Strength Test
Procedure
• The specimens are cured for 7, 14 and 28 days in water.
• The cubes are removed from the water, the area of the loading
face of the cubes is determined, and then placed in between
plates of the Universal Testing Machine.
• A load is applied to the specimen faces that are in contact with
the machine.
• A load is applied until failure, and the load is noted.
• Compressive strength is computed.
6. Tensile Strength Test
• This test is conducted using a cement-mortar briquette in a
tensile testing machine.
Briquette Mould
6. Tensile Strength Test
Procedure
• A 1:3 cement sand mortar with a water content of 8 % of the
weight of the solids is mixed and moulded into a briquette of the
shape as shown in figure.
• The briquettes are moulded in a standard manner, cured for 24
hours and carefully removed from the mould.
• The briquettes are tested in a testing machine at the rate of
loading 1.2-2.4 N/mm2/min.
• The tensile strength of good cement should not be less than 2
N/mm2 and 2.5 N/mm2 after 3 days and 7 days respectively.