Admixtures

Admixtures are those

ingredients in concrete other
than Portland cement, water,
and aggregates that are
added to the mixture
immediately before or during
mixing (Fig. 6-1). Admixtures
can be classified by function
as follows:
1. Air-entraining admixtures
2. Water-reducing admixtures
3. Plasticizers
4. Accelerating admixtures
5. Retarding admixtures
6. Hydration-control admixtures
1. Air-entraining admixtures
2. Water-reducing admixtures
3. Plasticizers
4. Accelerating admixtures
5. Retarding admixtures
6. Hydration-control admixtures
7. Corrosion inhibitors
8. Shrinkage reducers
9. Alkali-silica reactivity inhibitors
10. Colouring admixtures
11. Miscellaneous admixtures such workability,
bonding, damp proofing, permeability reducing,
grouting, gas-forming, and pumping
admixtures
 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
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
 Air-Entraining Admixtures
• used to purposely introduce and stabilize
microscopic air bubbles in concrete. Air-
entrainment will dramatically improve the
durability of concrete exposed to cycles of
freezing and thawing (Fig. 6-2). Entrained
air greatly improves concrete's resistance
to surface scaling caused by chemical
de-icers
Frost damage at joints of a
pavement
Frost induced cracking near joints
Scaled concrete
surface resulting
from lack of air
entrainment, use of
deicers, and poor
finishing and curing
practices
• The primary ingredients used in air-
entraining admixtures are salts of wood
resin (Vinsol resin), synthetic detergents,
salts of petroleum acids, etc.

See Table 6-1 p.106 in the text for more

details.
 Water-Reducing Admixtures
• used to reduce the quantity of mixing
water required to produce concrete of a
certain slump, reduce water-cementing
materials ratio, reduce cement content, or
increase slump.
• Typical water reducers reduce the water
content by approximately 5% to 10%.
 Water-Reducing Admixtures
• Materials:
– Lignosulfonates.
– Carbohydrates.
– Hydroxylated carboxylic acids.
 Water-Reducing Admixtures
• The effectiveness of water reducers on
concrete is a function of their chemical
composition, concrete temperature,
cement composition and fineness, cement
content, and the presence of other
admixtures.
 Superplasticizers (High-Range
Water Reducers)
• These admixtures are added to concrete
with a low-to-normal slump and water-
cementing materials ratio to make high-
slump flowing concrete.
• Flowing concrete is a highly fluid but
workable concrete that can be placed with
little or no vibration or compaction while
still remaining essentially free of excessive
bleeding or segregation.
 Superplasticizers (High-Range
Water Reducers)
• Applications where flowing concrete is used:
1. thin-section placements,
2. areas of closely spaced and congested reinforcing
steel,
3. pumped concrete to reduce pump pressure, thereby
increasing lift and distance capacity,
4. areas where conventional consolidation methods are
impractical or can not be used, and
5. for reducing handling costs.
Flowable concrete with high slump
Is easily placed
Even in areas of heavy reinforcing
steel congestion
• Low water to cement
ratio concrete with
low chloride
permeability--- easily
made with high-range
water reducers- is
ideal for bridge decks
• Plasticized, flowing
concrete is easily
placed in thin sections
 Superplasticizers (High-Range
Water Reducers)
• Typical superplasticizers include:
– Sulfonated melamine formaldehyde
condensates.
– Sulfonated naphthalene formaldehyde
condensate.
– Lignosulfonates.
– Polycarboxylates.
 Superplasticizers (High-Range
Water Reducers)
• bleed significantly less than control concretes
of equally high slump and higher water content.
• High-slump, low-water-content, plasticized
concrete has less drying shrinkage than a high-
slump, high-water-content conventional
concrete.
• has similar or higher drying shrinkage than
conventional low-slump, low-water-content
concrete.
• The effectiveness of the plasticizer is increased
with an increasing amount of cement and fines
in the concrete.
 Retarding Admixtures
• used to retard the rate of setting of concrete at
high temperatures of fresh concrete (30°C or
more).
• One of the most practical methods of
counteracting this effect is to reduce the
temperature of the concrete by cooling the
mixing water or the aggregates.
• Retarders do not decrease the initial
temperature of concrete.
• The bleeding rate and capacity of plastic
concrete is increased with retarders.
 Retarding Admixtures
• The typical materials used as retarders
are:
– Lignin,
– Borax,
– Sugars,
– Tartaric acid and salts.
 Retarding Admixtures
• Retarders are used to:
1. offset the accelerating effect of hot weather
on the setting of concrete,
2. delay the initial set of concrete when difficult
or unusual conditions of placement occur,
3. delay the set for special finishing processes
such as an exposed aggregate surface.
 Retarding Admixtures
• some reduction in strength at early ages (one
to three days) accompanies the use of
retarders.
• The effects of these materials on the other
properties of concrete, such as shrinkage, may
not be predictable.

Therefore, acceptance tests of retarders

should be made with actual job materials
under anticipated job conditions.
 Accelerating Admixtures
• used to accelerate strength development
of concrete at an early age.
• Typical Materials are:
– Calcium chloride: most commonly used for
plain concrete.
– Triethanolamine.
– Calcium formate.
– Calcium nitrate.
– Calcium nitrite.
Corrosion Inhibitors
 Corrosion Inhibitors
• The chlorides can cause corrosion of steel
reinforcement in concrete.
• Ferrous oxide and ferric oxide form on the
surface of reinforcing steel in concrete.
• Ferrous oxide reacts with chlorides to form
complexes that move away from the steel
to form rust. The chloride ions continue to
attack the steel until the passivating oxide
layer is destroyed.
 Corrosion Inhibitors
• Corrosion-inhibiting admixtures chemically arrest
the corrosion reaction.
• Commercially available corrosion inhibitors
include:
– calcium nitrite,
– sodium nitrite,
– dimethyl ethanolamine,
– amines,
– phosphates,
– ester amines.
Shrinkage-Reducing Admixtures
• Shrinkage cracks,
such as shown on this
bridge deck, can be
reduced with the use
of good concreting
practices and
shrinkage reducing
admixtures.
 Chemical Admixtures to reduce Alkali-
aggregate Reactivity
(ASR Inhibitors)

• Expansion of
specimens made with
lithium carbonate
admixture
Coloring admixtures (Pigments)

• Red and blue

pigments were used
to color this floor
 GROUP 2
• MARINELLA GARINGAN
• CYNTHIA PRADO
• LEA NUMBADO
• JHUN LOZADA
• JOJIMAR GARCIA
• ROLANDO URSUA
• VINCENT COSTALES