ADMIXTURES IN CONCRETE

1. Chemical
admixtures
2. Pozzolanic
admixtures
 Admixtures
A material added to plastic concrete or
mortar, other than water, aggregates,
cement, and fibre TO change one or
more properties of fresh or hardened
concrete
 When to use admixture?
When the desired modification of
properties of fresh or hardened
concrete cannot be achieved by
changes in the composition of the mix
proportion
 Example
High-strength concrete
Concrete grade 80
Cement = 450kg/m3
Water/Cement ratio =
0.35
Coarse Aggregate = 1120
kg/m3
Fine Aggregate = 980
kg/m3
WHAT WILL BE THE
PROBLEM?
Form of Admixtures

Liquid
Flake
Powder
Chemical Admixture
 CHEMICAL ADMIXTURES

Chemical added in very 1) Accelerating

small amount or admixture
quantity to the mixture 2) Retarding admixture
to develop special 3) Water-reducing/high-
properties in fresh or range water-reducing
hardened concrete admixture
4) Air-entraining
admixture
5) others
 Accelerating admixture
To accelerate the setting and early strength
development of concrete, particularly in
cold weather applications
E.g. calcium chloride (CaCl2)
Early removal of formwork
Compressive strength at 3 days at least 25%
higher than concrete without admixture
The amount of CaCl2 should be limited to 2%
by weight of cement
 Cont.
Large dosage may cause severe
corrosion and loss of strength at later
ages
CaCl2 is not recommended in hot weather
concreting and for pre-stressed concrete
and may be ineffective at temperatures
below freezing because concrete can
freeze before it reaches the initial set.
 Problems Associated with
Accelerator

Increase the heat of hydration

Found to aggravate corrosion of
reinforcing and pre-stressing steel
Increase creep and shrinkage
 Retarding Admixture
Added to concrete to delay its setting and
hardening, especially in hot weather applications
(temperature greater than 32 °C)
Hot weather increases the rate of hardening
which makes it difficult to place and finish the
plastic concrete
Recommended in large structures and difficult
situations such as large piers and foundations, to
delay the initial set as well as to keep concrete
workable throughout the entire placing period
(eliminate cold joint)
 Cont.
Sugar in any form is a
retarder (coke?)
The use of retarder
may reduce the
strength at early age
 Water-Reducing Admixture
Used to reduce the quantity of mixing
water required, which increase the
compressive strength, and to produce
concrete of desired consistency or high
slump.
Can reduce water required by 12% or
more
Its effect is due to increased dispersion of
cement particles, causing a reduction in
the viscosity of the concrete.
Pumping Concrete
High-Range Water Reducer
Also called Superplasticizer
Added in small dosage with mixing
water (typically 0.2% by weight of
cement) to increase slump
Flowing concrete – slump greater than
180 mm
Dosage rate may vary from brand to
brand for different types of cement.
Without SP

With SP
 Cont.
By using superplasticizer, it is possible
to have w/c ratio in the range of 0.3 to
0.45 which would be impossible
otherwise.
Addition of superplasticizer increases
cost by 5% BUT savings in labour can
be as high as 33%
Effect of Superplasticizer

Increase in workability
Increase in compressive strength
Eliminates segregation
Allow good dispersion of cement
particles in water
Superplasticizer – how it works?
Concrete with Superplasticizer
Has smooth surface Less shrinkage
Much less likely to Low permeability
chip and spall
Has fewer plastic
Less time to place
shrinkage cracks and finish the
Higher compressive concrete
strength An accelerating
because of rapid gain curing period
in strength
Early removal of
formwork
 Air-Entraining Admixture
Added to entrain air in concrete
Air entrainment is a process by which a
large number of microscopic air bubbles
are dispersed throughout the concrete
Diameter of air bubbles in the range of
20 to 200 µm
Air Bubbles
 Advantages
It causes the disruption of the continuity
of capillary pores result in reduction in
permeability and reduces internal
stresses caused by expansion of the pore
water on freezing.
Foaming agents are added in small
amount (typically about 0.05% by weight
of cement) during mixing and can be used
to entrain 3 to 10% air.
 Cont.
The use of air-entraining admixture can:
– Improve workability
– Reduce bleeding
– Reduce segregation
However:
– Lower compressive strength
 Chemical Admixture
Description Applications
Water-reducing To get dense concrete, to improve
Admixture workability

Retarding admixture To delay setting and hardening, hot

weather concreting, large
structures

Accelerating admixture To accelerate setting and early

strength development, cold
weather concreting

Air-entraining admixture To improve durability and

workability
POZZOLANIC / MINERAL
ADMIXTURES
 Mineral Admixtures
Are natural pozzolanic materials or
industrial by-products that are used in
concrete to replace part of cement
It is known as supplementary
cementing material
Are generally added in relatively large
quantities in comparison with chemical
admixtures
Contains reactive silica (SiO2)
 Pozzolans
Are siliceous or siliceous and aluminous
materials which in themselves possess little
or no cementitious property
BUT in finely divided form and in the
presence of moisture, these materials can
react with calcium hydroxide of concrete at
ordinary temperatures to form compounds
of cementitious properties.
This reaction is called POZZOLANIC
REACTION
 Reactions
Hydration process:
Cement + H2O → C-S-H gel + Ca(OH)2

Pozzolanic reaction:
SiO2 + Ca(OH)2 → C-S-H gel
Effect of Pozolanic Admixture
 Example of Pozzolans

Ground Granulated Blastfurnace Slag

Pulverised Fuel Ash
Silica Fume
Rice Husk Ash
Palm Oil Fuel Ash
 Method of Replacement
Replacing part of the cement
content (by weight of cement)
Can be added durning mixing
process or grind together with
cement (pozzolan cement)
Effect of pozzolanic admixtures

Lower early strength

Lower heat of hydration
Higher ultimate strength
Less permeable
Reduce cost
Increase workability (some)
 Slag
Is a non-metallic product, consisting
essentially of silicates and aluminates of
calcium bases
Not only pozzolanic but also cementitious
It is develop in a molten condition
simultaneously with iron in a blastfurnace
Is the glassy granular material formed
when molten blastfurnace slag is rapidly
chilled as by immersion in water
Amount replacement : up to 80%
Slag
 Fly Ash (PFA)
Is a by-product of burning powdered coal in
electric generating power plant
Generally finer than Portland cement and
consists mainly of small spheres of glass
involving silica, alumina, and ferric oxide
Amount of replacement : 20 to 70%
Two types:
– Class F Fly Ash – low calcium fly ash. Has no
cementitious properties but can react with calcium
hydroxide
– Class C Fly Ash – high-calcium fly ash. Has
cementitious properties in addition to pozzolanic
properties
Fly Ash
Microstructure of Fly Ash
 Silica Fume (SF)
Is a by-product of the electric arc furnaces
in the silicon metal and ferrosilicon alloy
industries
Consist of non-crystalline silica (85 to 90%
silicon oxide)
Very fine particles – less than 0.1um (100
times finer than cement)
Highly pozzolanic and very reactive
Amount replacement : 10 to 20%
 Rice Husk Ash (RHA)
Is an agricultural fly ash which is
obtained from burning and
grinding of rice husk
Contains silica
Amount replacement : 10 to 30%
Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA)
Obtained from the burning of
palm oil clinker
Amount replacement : 10 to
30%
 Factors Affecting the Suitability and
Performance of Admixtures in Concrete

Type of cement
Mix proportions and method of
mixing
Temperature and time when the
admixture is added into the mix
Chemical composition of the
admixture
Monitoring and Precaution

Selection of material
Trial mix
Short-term and long-term effect
Eliminate overdosing – on site
Manufacturer’s advice
Thank You

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