Considering Using Admixtures?
A Concrete Admixture is defined as a material other than water, aggregates and hydraulic cement and additives like Pozzolana or slag and fiber reinforcement, used as an ingredient of concrete or mortar and added to the batch immediately before or during its mixing to modify one or more of the properties of concrete in the plastic or hardened state.
There are various types of concrete admixtures which are listed below;
(a) Air Entrainers:
Air entrainers are used to distribute tiny air bubbles in the concrete. Adding this admixture reduces the bleeding and segregation of fresh concrete. It also improves the resistance of concrete to severe frost action that reduce the damage during freeze-thaw cycles, thereby increasing the durability of concrete. They also help to reduce the density of concrete.
(b) Water Reducers:
Water reducer admixtures are used to reduce the quantity of mixing water required to produce concrete of a desired slump. They reduce water-cement ratio, reduce cement content and increase slump and we can obtain specific strength of concrete.
© Set Retarders:
A retarder is an admixture that slows down or to delay the chemical process of hydration so that concrete remains plastic and workable for a longer time than concrete without the retarder. These types of concrete admixtures are widely used where concreting is carried out at high temperature. As high temperature could produce a faster initial setting of concrete.
(d) Set Accelerators:
Accelerators are added to concrete to increase the rate of early strength in concrete to permit earlier removal of formwork and reduce the required period of curing. Calcium chloride is the most common accelerator; however, it could promote corrosion activity. But, best concrete practices like proper mix design, consolidation, adequate cover prevent the corrosion issues. These types of concrete admixtures are especially useful for modifying the concrete properties in cold weather.
(e) Corrosion Inhibitors:
Corrosion inhibitors are used to reduce the corrosion in steel and steel bars in concrete. We can reduce the maintenance cost of structure by using corrosion inhibitors concrete admixtures. They can reduce maintenance cost of RCC structures throughout a typical service life of 30–40 years.
(f) Waterproofing Admixtures:
Waterproofing admixture is a type of admixture which prevents the passage of water through hardened concrete. It is also called as water resisting admixture or permeability reducing admixture or damp proofing admixture.
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