Admixture

By Group IV: Alfien Putra Hutama Helda Ayu Wulansari Ika Nurmayanti Regi Faisal Rizki Suryo Dwikatmono Building Construction 1 (Morning Class)

[2013]

ADMIXTURE
I. Definition

Admixtures are ingredients other than water, aggregates, hydraulic cement, and fibers that are added to the concrete batch immediately before or during mixing. A proper use of admixtures offers certain beneficial effects to concrete, including improved quality, acceleration or retardation of setting time, enhanced frost and sulfate resistance, control of strength development, improved workability, and enhanced finishability. Admixtures vary widely in chemical composition, and many perform more than one function. Two basic types of admixtures are available: chemical and mineral. All admixtures to be used in concrete construction should meet specifications; tests should be made to evaluate how the admixture will affect the properties of the concrete to be made with the specified job materials, under the anticipated ambient conditions, and by the anticipated construction procedures.

II.

Functions o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Increase slump and workability; Retard or accelerate initial setting; Reduce or prevent shrinkage; Modify the rate or capacity for bleeding; Reduce segregation; Improve pump ability and finish ability; Retard or reduce heat evolution during early hardening; Accelerate the rate of strength development at early ages; Increase strength (compressive, tensile, or flexural); Increase durability or resistance to severe conditions of exposure, including application of deicing salts and other chemicals (air-entraining); Decrease permeability of concrete; Control expansion caused by the reaction of alkalis with potentially reactive aggregate constituents; Increase bond of concrete to steel reinforcement (bonding); Increase bond between existing and new concrete; Improve impact and abrasion resistance (hardness); Inhibit corrosion of embedded metal; Gas-forming; Anti-washout; Foaming Produce colored concrete.

III.

Types There are two types of Admixtures: Chemical and Mineral (Additive.) A. Chemical Admixture

Chemical Admixture can be classified into the following five major categories:

Retarding Admixtures Accelerating Admixtures Super plasticizers Water reducing Admixtures Air-entraining Admixtures

Retarding Admixtures: These admixtures slow the rate of cement hydration, preventing the cement from setting before it can be placed and compacted. This type of admixture is mainly used in hot conditions and climates or on very large pours. Accelerating Admixtures: These admixtures when added to concrete, mortar or grout increases the rate of hydration of hydraulic cement, shortens the time of set, accelerates the hardening or development of strength of concrete/ mortar. These admixtures function by interaction with C3S (Tri-calcium silicate) component of the cement thus increasing the reaction between cement and water. Super plasticizers: High-range water-reducing admixtures are a class of plasticizers which have fewer deleterious effects when use to significantly increase workability. Alternatively; plasicizers can be used to reduce the water content of a concrete (and have been called water reducer due to this application) while maintaining workability. This improves its strength and durability characteristics. Water Reducing Admixtures: Water reducing admixtures require less water to make a concrete of equal slump, or increase the slump of concrete at the same water content. They can have the side effect of changing initial set time. Water reducers are mostly used for hot weather concrete placing and to aid pumping. A water-reducer plasticizer, however, is a hygroscopic powder, which can entrain air into the concrete mix via its effect on water's surface tension, thereby also, obtaining some of the benefits of air-entrainment

Air Entraining Admixtures: These are used whenever concrete is exposed to freezing and thawing cycles and where concrete is exposed to deicing chemicals. Air entraining agents add microscopic air bubbles in the concrete mix. When the hardened concrete freezes, the frozen water inside the air entrained concrete expands into these air bubbles instead of damaging the concrete. Adding entrained air to concrete also improves the workability and durability of the concrete. Based on ASTM C 494, there are seven types of Admixture. Type A, water-reducing admixtures Type A admixtures, reduce the amount of water required in the mix for a given slump, produce a higher strength, obtain a specified strength at lower cement content and increase the slump without an increase in water content. They may also improve the properties of concrete containing aggregates that are harsh or poorly graded or both. Type A admixtures, may be used for concrete that is placed under difficult conditions. They are also useful for concrete placed by means of a pump or tremie. Type A admixtures will reduce the mixing water content by 5% to 12%. The typical dosage rate is from 130 to 390 ml Type B, Retarding Retarding admixtures delay hydration of cement. They are used to offset high temperature effects, which decrease setting times. Set retarders are used where delay in setting time is required to ensure sufficient placement, vibration or compaction time. Set retarders are used in hot conditions or on very large pours. Set retarders permit application of higher temperature curing of precast/prestressed concrete without negatively affecting the ultimate strength. Set-retarding admixtures are the second most commonly used admixture in highway and bridge construction. ASTM-ASTM C 494, type B is simply a retarding admixture, while type D is both retarding and water reducing. Retarding admixtures consists of both organic and inorganic agents. Organic retardants include unrefined calcium, sodium, NH4, salts of lignosulfonic acids, hydrocarboxylic acids, and carbohydrates. Inorganic retardants include oxides of lead and zinc, phosphates, magnesium salts, fluorates and borates. As an example of a retardant's effects on concrete properties, lignosulfate acids and hydroxylated carboxylic acids slow the initial setting time by at least an hour and no more than three hours when used at 65 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The use of set-retarding admixtures: Enables farther hauling, thus eliminating the cost of relocating central mixing

plants; Allows more time for texturing or plastic grooving of concrete pavements; Allows more time for hand finishing around the headers at the start and end of the production day; Helps eliminate cold joints in two-course paving and in the event of equipment breakdown; Resist cracking due to form deflection that can occur when horizontal slabs are placed in sections; Some retarders entrain air; Slump loss may increase; Ultimate strength is improved; Rates of drying shrinkage and creep could increase; Good for hot-weather concreting; Slow pour rate; and Higher temperature curing of precast/prestressed concrete.

Type C, accelerating Accelerating admixtures are added to concrete to shorten the setting time and accelerate the early strength development of concrete. These are used in cold weather conditions (below 5C or 41F).There is also ASTM C 494 Type E, water reducing and accelerating admixtures. Some widely used and effective chemicals that accelerate the rate of hardening of concrete mixtures, including calcium chloride, other chlorides, triethanolamine, silicates, fluorides, alkali hydroxide, nitrites, nitrates, formates, bromides, and thiocyanates. The benefits of accelerating admixtures are: o Reduced bleeding, o Earlier finishing, o Improved protection against early exposure to freezing and thawing, o Earlier use of structure, o Reduction of protection time to achieve a given quality, o Early removal of form, and o In some case, early load application. o Accelerators do not act as anti-freeze agents; therefore, protection of the concrete o at early ages is required when freezing temperatures are expected. Type D, water-reducing and retarding admixtures The purpose of this admixture is to not only reduce the required water but to offset the unwanted effects of high temperature. As the temperature goes up, the setting time is reduced. Another purpose is the keep the concrete workable during the

entire placing and consolidation period. The benefits from retarding admixtures are: o o o o Greater flexibility in extending the setting time; Prevention of cold joints; Aid in finishing in hot weather; and Permitting full form deflection before the initial set.

Type E, water-reducing and accelerating admixtures Accelerating admixtures are added to shorten the setting time and accelerate early strength development. Some widely used and effective chemicals that accelerate the rate of hardening of concrete mixtures, including calcium chloride, other chlorides, triethanolamine (TEA), silicates, fluorides, alkali hydroxide, nitrites, nitrates, formates, bromides, and thiocyanates. Calcium chloride is one of the most effective and economical accelerators but causes corrosion of reinforcing steel. There are many limits and guidelines on the use of calcium chloride. Non-chloride accelerating admixtures containing salts of formates, nitrates, nitrites, and thiocyanates are available. These non-chloride accelerators can be used in cool weather and for sub-freezing protection. High-range water-reducing admixtures (HRWR) ASTM C 494 Type F or Type G HRWR admixtures may reduce the water requirement by 12-40%. They are used to produce normal workability at a lower w/c ratio. They may be used to produce a highly flowable concrete (slumps of 8 to 11 inches). When used to produce a flowable concrete the admixtures should also meet the requirements of ASTM C 1017 Type 1 or Type 2. The types of ingredients used fall in three groups: Sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde condensate (SMF); Sulfonated naphthalene-formaldehyde condensate (SNF); Modified lignosulfonates (MLS); and Polyether-polycarboxylates. HRWR admixtures are very efficient at dispersing fine grained particles like cement, fly ash, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and silica fume. HRWR admixtures may have adequate resistance to freezing and thawing. HRWR admixtures based on polyether-polycarboxylates are more effective and are gaining widespread acceptance.

HRWR Type F admixtures have a slump-increasing effect that is retained for 30-60 minutes, after which the concrete reverts to its original slump. That means they can make a low-to-normal slump concrete into a high-slump concrete which can be placed with little or no vibration in a short period of time. Because of the limited workability time, HRWR Type F admixtures are usually added at the job site. Type G can be added either during batching or at the job site. This admixture will delay setting, but cause the concrete to be flowable for a longer period of time. Re-dosing is also possible with this type. The strength of HRWR concrete is normally higher than predicted by w/c ratio alone. Because the w/c ratio is normally low, shrinkage and permeability may be reduced and overall durability may be increased. POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF HRWR: Significant water reduction; Reduced cement contents; 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.

POTENTIAL DISADVANTAGES OF HRWR: Additional admixture cost (the concrete in-place cost may be reduced); Slump loss greater than conventional concrete; Modification of air-entraining admixture dosage; Less responsive with some cement; Mild discoloration of light-colored concrete; and Air-void and color blemishes on exposed and formed finishes.

B. Mineral Admixture (Additive) 1. Fly Ash Fly ashes are finely divided residue resulting from the combustion of ground or powdered coal. They are generally finer than cement and consist mainly of glassyspherical particles as well as residues of hematite and magnetite, char, and some crystalline phases formed during cooling. Use of fly ash in concrete started in the United States in the early 1930's. The first comprehensive study was that described in 1937, by R. E. Davis at the University of California (Kobubu, 1968; Davis et al., 1937). The major breakthrough in using fly ash in concrete was the construction of Hungry Horse Dam in 1948, utilizing 120,000 metric tons of fly ash. This decision by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation paved the way for using fly ash in concrete constructions.

In addition to economic and ecological benefits, the use of fly ash in concrete improves its workability, reduces segregation, bleeding, heat evolution and permeability, inhibits alkali-aggregate reaction, and enhances sulfate resistance. Even though the use of fly ash in concrete has increased in the last 20 years, less than 20% of the fly ash collected was used in the cement and concrete industries (Helmuth 1987). One of the most important fields of application for fly ash is PCC pavement, where a large quantity of concrete is used and economy is an important factor in concrete pavement construction. FHWA has been encouraging the use of fly ash in concrete. When the price of fly ash concrete is equal to, or less than, the price of mixes with only portland cement, fly ash concretes are given preference if technically appropriate under FHWA guidelines (Adams 1988). 2. Silica Fume Silica fume, also known as microsilica, is a byproduct of the reduction of highpurity quartz with coal in electric furnaces in the production of silicon and ferrosilicon alloys. Silica Fume is also collected as a byproduct in the production of other silicon alloys such as ferrochromium, ferromanganese, ferromagnesium, and calcium silicon (ACI Comm. 226 1987b). Before the mid-1970s, nearly all Silica Fume was discharged into the atmosphere. After environmental concerns necessitated the collection and landfilling of Silica Fume, it became economically justified to use Silica Fume in various applications. Silica Fume consists of very fine vitreous particles with a surface area ranging from 60,000 to 150,000 ft^2/lb or 13,000 to 30,000 m^2/kg when measured by nitrogen absorption techniques, with particles approximately 100 times smaller than the average cement particle. Because of its extreme fineness and high silica content, Silica Fume is a highly effective pozzolanic material (ACI Comm. 226 1987b; Luther 1990). Silica Fume is used in concrete to improve its properties. It has been found that Silica Fume improves compressive strength, bond strength, and abrasion resistance; reduces permeability; and therefore helps in protecting reinforcing steel from corrosion. 3. Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag Although portland blast furnace slag cement, which is made by intergrinding the granulated slag with portland cement clinker (blended cement), has been used for more than 60 years, the use of separately ground slag combined with portland cement at the mixer as a mineral admixture did not start until the late 1970s (Lewis 1981). Ground granulated blast-furnace slag is the granular material formed when molten iron blast furnace slag is rapidly chilled (quenched) by immersion in water. It is a granular product with very limited crystal formation, is highly cementitious in nature and, ground to cement fineness, hydrates like portland cement.

Bibliography
UStudy. Admixtures. http://www.ustudy.in/node/1548. (accessed on May 6th, 2013) Administration, Federal Highways. Admixtures. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/materialsgrp/admixture.html. (accessed on May 6th, 2013) YouTube. Waterproof Concrete Admixture. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=n5IJGoEuR50 (accessed on May 5th, 2013)