Admixtures

those ingredients in concrete other than portland cement, water,

and aggregates that are added to the mixture immediately before or
during mixing.
mixture of chemicals added at the mixing stage to concrete to alter or
improve the properties of fresh or hardened concrete.
added to control setting and early hardening, workability, or to provide
additional cementing properties.

The major reasons for using admixtures are:

1. To reduce the cost of concrete construction.
2. To achieve certain properties in concrete more effectively than by other
means.

Properties commonly modified:

heat of hydration
accelerate or retard setting time
workability
water reduction
dispersion
air-entrainment
impermeability
durability factors

3. To maintain the quality of concrete during the stages of mixing,

transporting, placing, and curing in adverse weather conditions.
4. To overcome certain emergencies during concreting operations.

Atencio, Casandra Ysabel G.

WHEN TO USE ADMIXTURES:

When properties cannot be made by varying the composition of basic

material

To produce desired effects more economically

Unlikely to make a poor concrete better

Not a substitute for good concrete practice

Required dose must be carefully determined and administered

Types of Admixtures
I.

Chemical admixtures
-

are generally liquid and dispensed by volume

dosage rate normally varies from 8 liters to less than 1 liter
per cubic meter of concrete
Examples are Accelerators, Retarders, Water-reducing agents,
Super plasticizers, Air entraining agents etc.

a. Water-reducing admixture / Plasticizers

These admixtures are used for following purposes:

Atencio, Casandra Ysabel G.

1. To achieve a higher strength by decreasing the water cement ratio at

the same workability as an admixture free mix.
2. To achieve the same workability by decreasing the cement content so
as to reduce the heat of hydration in mass concrete.
3. To increase the workability so as to ease placing in accessible locations
4. Water reduction more than 5% but less than 12%
5. The commonly used admixtures are Ligno-sulphonates and
hydrocarbolic acid salts.
6. Plasticizers are usually based on lignosulphonate, which is a natural
polymer, derived from wood processing in the paper industry.
Properties:

increases the dispersion of cement particles and a reduction in

viscosity

Improve workability with same water

Reduce water required for equal slump

Do not affect shrinkage

Mechanism

Dispersion of cement

Corresponding mixes

Atencio, Casandra Ysabel G.

Actions involved:
1. Dispersion:
Surface active agents alter the physic chemical forces at the interface. They
are adsorbed on the cement particles, giving them a negative charge which
leads to repulsion between the particles. Electrostatic forces are developed
causing disintegration and the free water become available for workability.
2. Lubrication:
As these agents are organic by nature, thus they lubricate the mix reducing
the friction and increasing the workability.
3. Retardation:
A thin layer is formed over the cement particles protecting them from
hydration and increasing the setting time. Most normal plasticizers give
some retardation, 3090 minutes.

b. Super Plasticizers
The main benefits of super plasticizers can be
summarized as follows:
Increased fluidity:

Flowing

Self-leveling

Self-compacting concrete

Penetration and compaction round dense reinforcement

Reduced W/C ratio:

Very high early strength, >200% at 24 hours or earlier

Very high later age strengths, >100 MPa or 15000 psi.

Atencio, Casandra Ysabel G.

Reduced shrinkage, especially if combined with reduced cement

content.

Improved durability by removing water to reduce permeability and

diffusion.

The commonly used Super Plasticizers are as follows:

Sulphonated melamine formaldehyde condensates (SMF)

Give 1625%+ water reduction. SMF gives little or no retardation, which

makes them very effective at low temperatures or where early strength is
most critical. However, at higher temperatures, they lose workability
relatively quickly. SMF generally give a good finish and are colorless, giving
no staining in white concrete. They are therefore often used where
appearance is important.

Sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde condensates (SNF)

Typically give 1625%+ water reduction. They tend to increase the

entrapment of larger, unstable air bubbles. This can improve cohesion but
may lead to more surface defects. Retardation is more than with SMF but will
still not normally exceed 90 minutes. SNF is a very cost-effective.

Polycarboxylate ether superplasticizers (PCE)

Typically give 2035%+ water reduction. They are relatively expensive per
liter but are very powerful so a lower dose (or more dilute solution) is
normally used.
In general the dosage levels are usually higher than with conventional water
reducers, and the possible undesirable side effects are reduced because they
do not markedly lower the surface tension of the water.

c. Accelerators
d. Set Retarders
Properties
Longer setting times
Slower strength gains
Prevents the formation of
cold joints
5

Main uses
large concrete pours
sliding formwork
hot weather concreting
Atencio, Casandra Ysabel G.

Assist with long transit times

Overdosing can cause problems

Excessive retardation

Excessive bleeding

e. Air Entrained Admixtures

II.
-

Mineral Admixtures
typically solid that are measured by weight
used to modify the properties of cement or as a partial replacement of
cement to reduce the cost

a. Cementitious
These have cementing properties themselves.

b. Pozzolanic

Atencio, Casandra Ysabel G.

c. Ground
Furnace
d. Fly Ash
e. Silica Fume
f. Rice Husk

Granulated Blast
Slag (GGBFS)
Ash

Atencio, Casandra Ysabel G.