German University in Cairo

CIS 401: Material Properties and Testing II

CIS 401:
Material Properties and
Testing II

Admixtures in concrete
▪ Often, instead of using a special cement, it is possible to change some
of the properties of the most commonly used cements by incorporating
a suitable additive or an admixture.
▪ A great number of additives products are available; their desirable
effects are described of the manufacturers.
▪ Precautions should be considered but some other effects may be
unknown.
▪ Some admixtures are charged into the mix as solutions.

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 Cont.

Types of Admixtures
Admixtures are classified by the following chemical and
functional physical characteristics:
1) Air entrainers
2) Water reducers
3) Retarders
4) Hydration controller admixtures
5) Accelerators
6) Specialty admixtures

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 Mostly, Why ?????

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) identifies four major reasons for using
admixtures (Kosmatka et al., 2008)

1) to reduce the cost of concrete used

2) to achieve certain properties in concrete more effectively than by other
means
3) to ensure quality of concrete during the stages of mixing, transporting,
placing, and curing in adverse weather conditions
4) to overcome certain emergencies during concrete operations

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 Cont.

Air Entrainers
✓ Air entrainers produce tiny air bubbles in the hardened
concrete to provide space for water to expand upon
freezing
✓ As moisture within the concrete pore structure freezes,
different mechanisms contribute to the development of
internal stresses in the concrete.
✓ Internal stresses reduce the durability of hardened
concrete, especially when cycles of freeze and thaw are
repeated many times.

Cont.

All concrete contains entrapped air voids, which have

diameters of 1 mm or larger and which represent
approximately 0.2% to 3% of the concrete volume.

Entrained air voids have diameters that range from 0.01 mm

to 1 mm, with the majority being less than 0.1 mm. The
entrained air voids are not connected and have a total volume
between 1% and 7.5% of the volume of concrete.
For severe frost
condition, 14 billion
bubbles per cubic
meter may be required

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 Cont.

Air entrained is added to provide

➢ improving durability
➢ improving concrete’s resistance to several destructive
factors, including freeze–thaw cycles, deicers and salts,
sulfates
➢ Increasing the workability of fresh concrete.
➢ Decreasing alkali–silica reactivity
Precautions should be considered:
➢ Decreasing the strength of concrete.
[to reduce this effect, the w/c ratio should be lowered or by other mean increases the cement factor]

Cont.

Water Reducers

✓ Water reducing admixtures have been developed to gain

workability and, at the same time, maintain quality
✓ Increase the mobility of the cement particles in the plastic
mix, allowing workability to be achieved at lower water
contents
✓ Water reducers are produced with different levels of
effectiveness:
conventional, mid-range, and high-range.

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 Cont.
Slumps of concretes with the
same water-cement ratio:
(a) no water reducer,
(b) conventional water reducer,
(c) mid-range water reducer,
(d) High range water reducer
(Superplasticizer).
As shown, the slump of the concrete increases, indicating an increase in workability.

Cont.

Examples

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 Cont.
Water reducing admixtures is added to provide (Hewlett,
1978):
✓ increases workability. (without altering the other quantities
in the mix)
✓ indirectly to gain strength.
The strength of the mix can be increased by using the
water reducer by lowering the quantity of water and
keeping the cement content constant.
✓ The cost of the mix, which is primarily determined by the
amount of cement, can be reduced.
By using the water reducer decreases the amount of
water. Thus, the amount of cement is then reduced to keep
the w/c ratio equal to the original mix. This, the quality of
the mix will not be affected as the compressive strength,
when determined, is kept constant, although decreasing
the amount of cement.

Superplasticizers

High-range water reducers, can either greatly increase the flow of the
fresh concrete or reduce the amount of water required for a given
consistency.
EXAMPLE:
Adding a superplasticizer to a concrete with a 75-mm slump can increase
the slump to 230 mm, or the original slump can be maintained by
reducing the water content 12% to 30%.
Reducing the amount of mixing water reduces the w/c ratio, which in turn, increases the
strength of hardened concrete. In fact, the use of superplasticizers has resulted in a major
breakthrough in the concrete industry. Now, high-strength concrete in the order of 70–80
MPa compressive strength or more can be produced when superplasticizers are used.

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 When ?????
Superplasticizers can be used in the following cases:
1) a low w/c ratio is beneficial
(e.g., high-strength concrete, early strength gain, and reduced porosity)

2) placing thin sections

3) placing concrete around tightly spaced reinforcing steel
4) placing cement underwater
5) placing concrete by pumping
6) consolidating the concrete is difficult

Retarders
Some construction conditions require that the time between mixing and placing or
finishing the concrete be increased. In such cases, retarders can be used to delay
the initial set of concrete.

Retarders are used for several reasons, such as the following:

1) offsetting the effect of hot weather Exposed aggregate

2) allowing for unusual placement or long haul distances
3) providing time for special finishes (e.g., exposed aggregate)

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Retarders can influence other parameters in concrete in different ways

1) reduce the strength of concrete at early ages (e.g., one to three days).

2) entrain air and improve workability.

3) increase the time required for the initial set, at the same time, reduce the

time between the initial and final set.

From the above mentioned influences, the influence of retarders vary with the

materials used in the mix and with job conditions. Thus, the use and effect of

retarders must be evaluated experimentally during the mix design process.

Hydration-Control Admixtures
✓ These admixtures have the ability to stop and reactivate the
hydration process of concrete.
✓ They consist of two parts: a stabilizer and an activator.
✓ Adding the stabilizer completely stops the hydration of the
cementing materials for up to 72 hours, while adding the activator
to the stabilized concrete will hydration and setting.
✓ These admixtures are very useful in extending the use of ready-
mixed concrete when the work at the jobsite is stopped for various
reasons. They are also useful when concrete is being hauled for a
long time.

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 Accelerators
✓ Accelerators are used to develop early strength of concrete at a faster rate than
that normal.
✓ The ultimate strength, however, of high early strength concrete is about the
same as that of normal concrete.
✓ Accelerators, specifically during cold temperature, are used to
➢ reduce curing time
➢ increase rate of strength gain
✓ Precautions should be considered as
➢ reduce the amount of time before finishing operations begin
✓ The risk of freezing is reduced by rapid gaining of strength due to the addition
of accelerators.

Example for Accelerators admixtures

Calcium chloride, is the most widely used accelerator (ASTM D98). The function
of calcium chloride are as following:
1) Both initial and final set times are reduced with calcium chloride.
Example:
✓ The initial set time of 3 hours for a typical concrete can be reduced to 1.5
hours by adding an amount of calcium chloride equal to 1% of the cement
weight; 2% reduces the initial set time to 1 hour.
✓ Typical final set times are 6 hours, 3 hours, and 2 hours for 0%, 1%, and
2% calcium chloride.

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Effect of CaCl2 on strength development at different curing temperatures.

As shown, the strength development is different when using plain portland cement
concrete (PCC) only and portland cement concrete with 2% calcium chloride.

The PCA noted a list of precaution towards using calcium chloride under the
following conditions:
1) If the concrete is pre-stressed
2) If the concrete contains embedded aluminum such as conduits, especially
if the aluminum is in contact with steel
3) concrete is subjected to alkali–aggregate reaction
4) concrete is in contact with water (sea water) or soils containing sulfates
5) concrete is cast during hot weather
6) Mass concrete

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In addition, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) limits the use of water-soluble
chloride ion content on the basis of cement weight, (1986):

Several alternatives to the use of calcium chloride are available. These include the
following:
1) using high early strength (Type III) cement
2) increasing cement content
3) curing at higher temperatures
4) using non–calcium chloride accelerators such as calcium nitrate, etc.

Specialty Admixtures

In addition to the admixtures previously mentioned, several admixtures are available to improve
concrete quality in particular ways. The civil engineer should be aware of these admixtures, but will
need to study their application in detail, as well as their cost, before using them. Examples of specialty
admixtures include
1) workability agents
2) corrosion inhibitors
3) damp-proofing agents
4) permeability-reducing agents
5) fungicidal, germicidal, and insecticidal admixtures
6) pumping aids
7) bonding agents
8) grouting agents
9) gas-forming agents
10) coloring agents
11) shrinkage reducing

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 Commercial available Chemical Admixtures

1) Type A: Water-reducing (WR)

2) Type B: Set retarding (SR)
3) Type C: Set accelerating (SA)
4) Type D: WR + SR
5) Type E: WR + SA
6) Type F: High-range water-reducing (HRWR)
7) Type G: HRWR + SR

Fly ash, Slag, Silica fume, and Natural

Pozzolans
Mineral Admixtures

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 Supplementary Cementitious Admixtures
(Mineral Admixtures)
➢ Several by products of other industries have been used in concrete as
supplementary cementitious admixtures.
These additives or admixtures can be used:
➢ to improve some properties of concrete (addition).
➢ to reduce the problem of discarding them (partial replacement)
➢ Four well known supplementary cementitious materials are as following:
1) fly ash
2) ground granulated blast furnace slag
3) silica fume
Cement Natural
4) natural pozzolans. Pozzolan Deposits

SEM of fly ash particles

at 1000x

Fly Ash

➢ Fly ash is the most commonly used pozzolan in civil engineering structures. Fly ash is a
by-product of the combustion of pulverized coal used in electric power generating
plants. During combustion, the coal’s mineral impurities (such as clay fledspar, quartz,
and shale) fuse though the combustion chamber with exhaust gases. It is collected
through the filter bags or by electrostatic precipitators
➢ Spherical glassy Particle diameters range from less than 1 µm to more than 0.1 mm (100
µm ), with an average of 0.015 mm to 0.020 mm, and are 70% to 90% smaller than 0.045
mm.
➢ The surface area is typically 300 to 500 m2/kg, although some fly ashes can have surface
areas as low as 200 m2/kg and as high as 700 m2/kg. Bulk density reach (without
compaction) ranges from 540 to 860 kg/m3 (with compaction) 1120 to 1500 kg/m3

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➢ Fly ash is primarily a silica glass composed of silica alumina iron oxide and
lime (CaO). Minor constituents are magnesium, sulfur, sodium, potassium and
carbon. The specific gravity ranges between 1.9 and 2.8. The color is generally
gray or tan.
➢ Fly ash is classified to several classes according to ASTM C618. Class F and
Class C fly ashes are commonly used as pozzolanic admixtures for general
purpose concrete. Type F materials (15 – 25% replacement by mass) generally
(low calcium; less than 10% Cao) with carbon ranges between 5 and 10%. Type
C materials (15 – 40% replacement by mass) generally (high calcium; high
than 10 – 30 % Cao) with carbon contents less than 2%. [Harden very quickly
in less than 45 minutes when exposed to water].

The fly ash provides the following:

➢ increases the workability of the fresh concrete due their spherical shape.
➢ increasing strength development and reduced porosity through extending the
hydration process
Example:
➢ If we have concrete containing more than 20% fly ash by weight of cement, this
means such a concrete will have a much smaller pore size distribution than
Portland cement concrete without fly ash.
➢ The lower heat of hydration reduces the early strength of the concrete.
➢ The extended reaction permits a continuous gaining of strength beyond what
can be accomplished with plain Portland cement.

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 SEM of slag particles at 2100x

Slag cement

➢ Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBF slag) is made from iron blast furnace slag. It is a
non-metallic hydraulic cementious material consisting basically of silicates and aluminosilicates of
calcium, which is developed in a molten condition simultaneously with iron in a blast furnace.
[chilled with water]
➢ The material is then ground to less than 45 microns. The specific gravity of slag cement is in the
range of 2.85 to 2.95.
➢ Ground granulated blast furnace slag commonly constitutes between 30% and 45% of the
cementing material in the mix. Some slag concretes have a slag component of 70% or more of the
cementitious material. [Rough angular shaped need water or activator such NaOH or CaOH].
ASTM C 989 (AASHTO M 302) Classifies slag by its increasing reactivity Grade 80, 100 or 120.
*American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
➢ ASTM C 1073 covers rapid determination of hydraulic activity.
➢ The surface area is typically 400 to 600 m2/kg, Bulk density ranges from 1050 to 1375 kg/m3.
Chilled with air or cooled with air does not have the hydraulic properties of water cooled slag

SEM of silica fume particles at 20000x

Silica Fume

➢ Silica fume is a by product of the reduction of high purity quartz with coal in electric
furnaces in the manufacture of silicon or ferrosilicon alloys. It rises as an oxidized vapor
from the 2000 °C furnaces. It cool condenses and collected in huge cloth bag. Then
processed to remove the impuirites.
➢ One of the most beneficial uses for silica fume is as a mineral admixture in concrete.
Because of its chemical and physical properties, it is a very reactive pozzolan.
➢ Silica fume consists primarily of silicon dioxide (85%) amorphous form
➢ The individual particles are extremely small, approximately 1/100th the size of an
average cement particle. (0.1 μm)
➢ The surface area is typically 20000 m2/kg [Tobacoo smoke’s about 10000 m2/kg]
➢ Relative density (specific gravity) ranges from 2.20 to 2.50.

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➢ Bulk density ranges from 130 to 430 kg/m3
➢ ASTM C 1240 applies.
Silica fume provides the following:
➢ high strength and durable concrete.
➢ It can be added in either forms wet or dry when specified during concrete
production.
➢ reduce concrete corrosion induced by deicing or marine salts.
➢ highly resistant to penetration by chloride ions specifically by reducing a low
water content
Precautions:
➢ Placing, finishing, and curing silica fume concrete require special attention on
the part of the concrete contractor.

metakaolin SEM of Pozzolans

shale particles at 5000x
Clay

Natural Pozzolans

➢ A pozzolan is a siliceous and aluminous material which, in itself, possesses little or no

cementitious value but will, in finely divided form and in the presence of moisture, react
chemically with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperatures to form compounds
possessing cementitious properties (ASTM C595). (Calcined Clay, shale and metakaolin)
➢ calcium hydroxide is one of the products generated by the hydration of C3S and C2S. In
fact, up to 15% of the weight of Portland cement is hydrated lime.
➢ Adding a pozzolan to portland cement generates an opportunity to convert this free lime
to a cementitious material.
➢ To control temperature rise in mass concrete (dams) and improve the resistance to the
sulfate attack.

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Effect of mineral admixtures on fresh and hardened state concrete

Chemical composition of several mineral admixtures

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Water requirements for fly ash under different dosage

Setting time for fly ash

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 Bleeding effect for fly ash

Compressive strength at different aging for fly ash

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 Compressive strength at different aging for fly ash under curing

Abrasion resistance for different compressive strength using fly ash under curing

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Freezing and thawing resistance for different mineral admixture

Calcined shale
Fly ash

Portland cement
Slag

Alkali silica reactivity for different pozzolans

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Alkali silica reactivity for different pozzolans

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x ray diffraction analysis

petrographic analysis

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Videos

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 Quiz
To increase the workability, what should we add from the chemical
additives?

Quiz
To gain early ompressive strength, what should we add from the
chemical additives?

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