A

SEMINAR ON
CHEMICAL ADMIXTURES AND THEIR
EFFECT ON FRESH AND HARDENED
CONCRETE
BY
MOHAMMED SAMI UDDIN FAZIL
(1604-13-741-012)

ADMIXTURES
Admixture

is a material other than water,

aggregates, cement, used as an ingredient of concrete
or mortar added to the batch immediately before or
during mixing.

These are added to Enhance the properties of the

concrete.

USES OF ADMIXTURES
To increase workability without changing water

content.
To reduce water content without changing
workability.
To adjust setting time.
To reduce segregation and/or bleeding.
To accelerate the rate of strength development at
early ages.
To increase strength.
To improve potential durability by reducing
permeability.
To compensate for poor aggregate properties.

TYPES OF ADMIXTURES

Mineral Admixtures
Chemical Admixtures

MINERAL ADMIXTURES
Silica Fume
Cementitious (Granulated iron blast-furnace slag)
Fly Ash

CHEMICAL ADMIXTURES
Permeability reducing Admixtures
Plasticizers (water-reducing agents)
Accelerators
Air-Entraining Admixtures
Retarders
Bonding Admixtures
Antifreezing Admixtures
Corrosion inhibitors
Shrinkage-Reducing Admixtures
Super plasticizers (high range water reducers)

PERMEABILITY-REDUCING ADMIXTURES
The permeability of concrete is the movement of

water due to a pressure gradient, such as water in

contact with a concrete structure installed
underground.
Admixtures intended to reduce water ingress will be
split into two subcategories:
PRAs for concrete exposed to non hydrostatic
conditions (PRAN) and
PRAs for concrete exposed to hydrostatic conditions
(PRAH).

PRAHs are appropriate for

water-containment structures,
below-grade structures, tunnels and subways,
bridges and dams, and recreational facilities such as
aquatic centers.
PRANs :
reduce the penetration of water into concrete
delays the effects of damage caused by freezing and
thawing by reducing the amount or rate of moisture
entering the concrete.

PLASTICIZERS
When added to a concrete mix, plasticizers (water-

reducing agents) are absorbed on the surface of the

binder particles, causing them to repel each other
and deflocculated.
This results in improved workability and provides a
more even distribution of the binder particles
through the mix.
The main types of plasticizers are Lignosulphonic
acids and their salts, hydroxylated carboxylic acids
and their salts, and modifications of both.

DOSAGE
The typical dosage of a plasticizer varies from 200

ml to 450 ml per 100 kg of cementitious material.

ACCELERATORS
These admixtures speed up the chemical reaction of

the cement and water and so accelerate the rate of

setting and/or early gain in strength of concrete.
Among the main types of accelerators are
chloride based
non chloride bases and shotcrete accelerators.

TYPES OF ACCELERATORS
Admixtures that accelerate the significant parameters

of the air-void system in hardening of concrete

mixtures can be divided into four groups:
(1) soluble inorganic salts, (chlorides, bromides,
florides)
(2) soluble organic (calcium formate)
(3) quick-setting admixtures, and
(4)miscellaneous solid admixtures.(magnesium
carbonates)

EFFECTS ON FRESH CONCRETE

Time of setting-Initial and final times of setting are

reduced.
The amount of reduction varies with
1.

The amount of accelerator used,

2.

The temperature of the concrete,

3.

The ambient temperature, and

4.

characteristics of other materials used in the concrete.

Increase the rate of early strength development to

permit earlier removal of forms.

Less air-entraining admixture may be required to

produce the required air content when an accelerator

is used.
The resistance to sulfate attack is decreased when

Portland cement concrete mixtures contain calcium

chloride(accelerator).

DRAWBACKS
Excessive amounts of some accelerators may cause

very rapid setting;

also, excessive dosage rates of certain accelerators

may cause retardation.

compressive strength may be increased substantially

at early ages; later strength may be reduced slightly.

AIR-ENTRAINING ADMIXTURES
Air-entraining agents provide extremely small and

well-dispersed air bubbles in the paste,

they act as localized stress reducers in the cured
matrix.
This is advantageous in concrete exposed to moisture
and especially to wet deicing chemicals during
freezing and thawing conditions.
A good rule of thumb is that every 1% increase in air
content reduces the strength of a well-designed
concrete 2 to 4%.

EFFECTS ON CONCRETE PROPERTIES

In fresh concrete, it is known to reduce water demand

and the tendency toward bleeding, as well as plastic

shrinkage. It increases slump and workability.
In hardened concrete, entrained air improves deicer
scaling resistance and resistance to freezing and
thawing degradation, although small and predictable
reductions in compressive, flexural, and bond
strengths are to be expected.

RETARDERS
It is used to slow down the initial set of the concrete
Simple retarders typically consist of :
Lignin
borax
Sugars
tartaric acids

They also are used to extend the working time required.

The retarding admixtures tend to form a film around

the cement particles thereby preventing these materials

to react with water and thickness of film indicates the
retardation process.
The appearance of the concrete is greatly improved and
finished concrete has better texturing.
The rates of drying shrinkage and creep increase due to
the addition of retarding admixtures which can cause
cracks and long-term failure.

BONDING ADMIXTURES
Admixtures formulated to enhance bonding properties

of hydraulic-cement-based mixtures generally consist

of an organic polymer dispersed in water.
Greater tensile strength and durability
more fluidity
Less compressive strength
Increase in bond strength
better abrasion resistance
reduced permeability
resistance to freezing and thawing
Increase in flexural strength

ANTIFREEZING ADMIXTURES
This category of admixtures is employed to allow most

types of concrete construction work and precasting to take

place at freezing and well below freezing temperatures.
Antifreezing admixtures work by lowering the freezing
point of the water in fresh concrete.
These antifreeze admixtures tend to seriously retard the
set.
two admixtures antifreeze and acceleratorare often
combined into one complex multi component additive.
Chemicals in this group include ferric sulfate and
aluminum sulfate.

CORROSION-INHIBITING ADMIXTURES
These admixtures are added to concrete during

batching and they protect embedded reinforcement

by delaying the onset of corrosion and also reducing
the rate of corrosion after initiation.
These include an inorganic formulation that contains
calcium nitrite as the active ingredient and organic
formulations consisting of amines and esters

HIGH RANGE WATER REDUCERS

HRWR admixtures are organic products.
The primary difference between these admixtures and

conventional water-reducing admixtures is that highrange Water-reducing (HRWR) admixtures, often

referred to as super plasticizers, may reduce the water
requirement by more than 30%, without the side effect
of excessive retardation.

EFFECTS ON CONCRETE
Significant reduction in Bleeding due to low Water

content
Reduced Shrinkage
Increased workability
Reduced effort required for placement
More effective use of cement
More rapid rate of early strength development
Increased long-term strength and
Reduced permeability.

EXTENDED-SET ADMIXTURES
Highly

potent retarders are called extended-set

admixtures.
Capable of stopping the hydration of Portland cement.
the extended-set admixture is added during or
immediately after batching.
Used to stop or severely retard the cement hydration
process. Often used in wash water and in returned
concrete for reuse, and
can provide medium- to long-term set retardation for
long hauls.
Retain slump life in a more consistent manner than
normal retarding admixtures.

CONCLUSION
It should be noted that all of the many admixtures are intended

to enhance the properties of concrete, but they are not intended

to substitute for proper concrete design, batching, transport, and
finishing practices.

It is often more cost effective to change the mixture proportions

or the aggregate than to use higher quantities of admixtures;

Therefore, it is recommended that a cost analysis be done on

both proposed and alternative batch designs.

The combination of admixtures have to be monitored carefully

as the admixtures should not come in contact while mixing