Water cement system Normal water cement system constitutes a system of particle suspended in high electrolyte concentration bringing

the particle close enough to stick. This process is termed as flocculationi. In normal cement pastes where particles come into close contact with each other there is a tendency for cement pastes to form large flocs due to the attractive van der Waals forces holding particles togetherii. Portland cement in contact with water has a tendency to flocculate due to van der Waals forces, electrostatic interactions between the opposite charges and surface chemical interactions between the hydrating particlesiii. This will result in the formation of an agglomeration of particles with open structure with spaces that entrain water molecules. These water molecules are not immediately available for hydration and do not have a lubricating effect. Effect of Superplasticiser In the presence of a superplasticizer, deflocculation or dispersion of cement particles occurs due to adsorption and electrostatic repulsion due to zeta potential or steric hindrance according to the type of super plasticizer. This process does not allow the formation of entrapped water and discourages surface interaction of the particles. Some steric hindrance is possible especially when high molecular weight superplasticizers are used. Such a phenomenon would also prevent particle-particle interactions. The superplasticiser interact with cement particle, introducing a membrane of absorbed charged molecule around each particle. The apparent viscosity of cement pastes containing superplasticizers depends also on the fineness of cement. There is an apparent increase in viscosity at higher Blaine fineness values. A linear correlation exists between the fine fraction lower than 11 micrometer and viscosity Effect of air entrain admixture Air entraining admixtures introduce spherical air bubbles 10-250um in diameter by modifying the surface tension of aqueous phase in the mix. This is accomplished by compound having negatively charged head group which is hydrophilic and a non polar tail which is hydrophobic. The generated air bubbles with apparent negative charges form bridges between cement particles giving an increased yield value. The bubble acts like ball bearings to allow larger paticles to flow past each other, thus decreasing plastic viscosity. The air-entraining action is known to involve adsorption at the air water and solidwater interfaces. The soluble surfactant ions are adsorbed on cement particles

making them hydrophobic, so that as bubbles are generated during mixing, they adhere to cement.

Concrete technology. ML Gambhir, 3 edition. Tata McGrahill, page 145. Chemical admixture for concrete. Roger Nixom and Noel Mailvaganam, 3 Edition,E & FN Spon, page 44 Concrete Admixture hand book, VS Ramachandran, 2
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edition, Noyes Publication. page