Concrete Additives
Concrete Additives For High Performance Cement
Concrete Additives | Image Resource : static1.squarespace.com
The additives refer to those ingredients which are used in concrete for better construction. The admixtures are always added to the blend of cement and water in small quantities which helps in increasing the resilience of the concrete. Different additives have different functions, for example some of them help in the hardening of the concrete in a faster manner while some help in adding longevity to the structures. It is the added features and the advantages that help in speeding up the process.
Some of the concrete additives are available in liquid form making them ready to be used at the construction site. The use of these admixtures can only be considered to be effective if they are used appropriately during the method of concreting and batching. Each of the concrete admixtures has specific functions and depending on that a contractor will choose the ones which will be apt during the construction process. The two main kinds of concrete additives are –
Some of the concrete additives are available in liquid form making them ready to be used at the construction site. The use of these admixtures can only be considered to be effective if they are used appropriately during the method of concreting and batching. Each of the concrete admixtures has specific functions and depending on that a contractor will choose the ones which will be apt during the construction process. The two main kinds of concrete additives are –
- Mineral, and
- Chemical.
Uses Of Concrete Additives
The mineral admixture helps in increased strength of the concrete, reduces permeability and makes the whole construction process more economical in nature. They help the concrete mixtures through pozzolanic activity. Pozzolans refer to the cementitious materials which includes all of the natural pozzolans like silica fumes and volcanic ash which was used in the Roman concrete.
The chemical admixture on the other hand helps in the reduction of the construction cost and also modifies the properties of the hardened concrete. It ensures the fact that the concrete is of top notch quality during the process of curing, transporting, mixing and placing. It also has the added benefit of overcoming the emergencies which are often face during the process.
Concrete Additives Online | Image Resource : 4.imimg.com
Classification Of Concrete Admixtures Based On Their Performance
The concrete additives which are used in the cement mixtures are segregated on the basis of the performance they provide to the mixture of concrete.
1. Water reducing: these additives help in reducing the quantity of water that is needed in the concrete mixture. The ratio of water is reduced greatly compared to the cement. These additives are used greatly during the larger projects where the reinforcement of steel is required for high amount of workability.
2. Accelerating additives: When this additive is used in the concrete mixture it helps in speeding up of the drying of the cement. These additives help in the modification of the features that cement has.
3. Air entrainment: These help in the introduction of microscopic air bubbles into the concrete. These additives help in preventing the concrete from getting cracked due to the result of frost.
4. Shrinkage reducing: These additives help in minimizing the cracks in the structure which increases the durability of the building. Therefore this additive is focused on decreasing the shrinkage stress.
5. Super plasticizers: Based on either Melamine formaldehyde or Sulphonated naptholene, these additives help in increasing the performance as compared to the normal plasticizer. These are also referred to as the HRWR or high range water reducer.
Therefore, these are some of the examples where we see the performance each of the additives provide to the construction of buildings.