CENGR 2230 - Construction

Materials & Testing

ENGR. RUEL V. VERGARA

• A material other than
water, aggregates, or
cement that is used as an
ingredient of concrete or
mortar to control setting
and early hardening,
workability, or to provide
additional cementing
properties.
Over decades, attempts have been
made to obtain concrete with
certain desired characteristics such
as high compressive strength, high
workability, and high performance
and durability parameters to meet
the requirement of complexity of
modern structures.
The setting and hardening of
concrete is accompanied by
nonlinear temperature distributions
caused by developing heat of
hydration. This leads to tensile
stresses that may exceed the
strength of the young concrete, and
cracks occur.
Concrete is completely fluid before
the cement sets, then
progressively hardens.
Workability of concrete is the
property of freshly mixed concrete
which determines the ease and
homogeneity with which it can be
mixed, placed, consolidated and
finished
When the water to cement ratio of
concrete lowered, the strength of
the concrete increased in direct
relationship with the water
reduction.
Physical seperation of cement
particles.
Air entrainment is the process
whereby many small air bubbles
are incorporated into concrete and
become part of the matrix that
binds the aggregate together in
the hardened concrete.
An ability of concrete to resist
pressurized water penetration.
The durability of concrete is
defined as its ability to resist
weathering action, chemical
attack, abrasion, or any other
process of deterioration.
CHEMICAL ADMIXTURES MINERAL ADMIXTURES
Water soluble compounds. Finely ground solid material.
1. Water-reducing admixture / Plasticizers:
FABRIGAS, Kristel Via C.
BSCE 4-2
These admixtures are used for following purposes:

• To achieve a higher strength by decreasing the water cement ratio at the same
workability as an admixture free mix.
• To achieve the same workability by decreasing the cement content so as to reduce the
heat of hydration in mass concrete.
• To increase the workability so as to ease placing in accessible locations
• Water reduction more than 5% but less than 12%
• The commonly used admixtures are Ligno-sulphonates and hydrocarbolic acid salts.
• Plasticizers are usually based on lignosulphonate, which is a natural polymer, derived
from wood processing in the paper industry.
• WRA has been used primarily in hot weather concrete
placing, pumping, and tremie.
• The use of WRA will give a higher initial concrete
compressive strength (up to 28 days) by 10% compared to
the control mixture. Other benefit of using WRA is that
higher concrete density is achieved which makes the
concrete less permeable and have a higher durability.
Actions involved:
Dispersion:
Surface active agents alter the physic
chemical forces at the interface. They are
adsorbed on the cement particles, giving
them a negative charge which leads to
repulsion between the particles.
Electrostatic forces are developed causing
disintegration and the free water become
available for workability.
Actions involved:
Lubrication:
As these agents are organic by
nature, thus they lubricate the mix
reducing the friction and increasing the
workability.
Actions involved:
Retardation:
A thin layer is formed over the
cement particles protecting them from
hydration and increasing the setting
time. Most normal plasticizers give some
retardation, 30–90 minutes
• Give 16–25%+ water reduction.
• SMF gives little or no retardation.
• SMF generally give a good finish and are
colorless, giving no staining in white concrete.
• Often used where appearance is important.
• give 16–25%+ water reduction.
• They tend to increase the entrapment of
larger, unstable air bubbles.
• Retardation is more than with SMF but will
still not normally exceed 90 minutes.
• very cost-effective.
• Typically give 20–35%+ water reduction.
• Relatively expensive per liter but are very powerful so
a lower dose (or more dilute solution) is normally
used.
• Dosage levels are usually higher than with
conventional water reducers, and the possible
undesirable side effects are reduced because they do
not markedly lower the surface tension of the water.
 ACCELERATORS

• increases the rate of hydration of hydraulic cement

• shortens the time of set in concrete
• increases the rate of hardening or strength
development.
• Calcium chloride is the most effective accelerator and
gives both set and hardening characteristics.
However, is limited due to acceleration of corrosion
of steel reinforcement and decrease resistance of
cement paste in a sulfate environment.
• Chloride-free accelerators are typically based on salts
of nitrate, nitrite, formate and thiocyanate.
a) Set Accelerating Admixtures
Reduce the time for the mix to change from the plastic
to the hardened state

b) Hardening Accelerators
Increase the strength at 24 hours by at least 120% at
20ºC and at 5ºC by at least 130% at 48 hours.
4. SET RETARDERS
• is to delay or extend the setting time of
cement paste in concrete. These are
helpful for concrete that has to be
transported to long distance, and helpful
in placing the concrete at high
temperatures.
• When water is first added to cement there
is a rapid initial hydration reaction, after
which there is little formation of further
hydrates for typically 2–3 hours. The exact
time depends mainly on the cement type
and the temperature.
• This is called the dormant period when
the concrete is plastic and can be placed.
At the end of the dormant period, the
hydration rate increases and a lot of
calcium silicate hydrate and calcium
hydroxide is formed relatively quickly
• This corresponds to the setting time of the
concrete. Retarding admixtures delay the end
of the dormant period and the start of setting
and hardening. This is useful when used with
plasticizers to give workability retention. Used
on their own, retarders allow later vibration of
the concrete to prevent the formation of cold
joints between layers of concrete placed with
a significant delay between them.
• The mechanism of set retards is based on
absorption. The large admixture anions
and molecules are absorbed on the
surface of cement particles, which
hinders further reactions between cement
and water i.e. retards setting.
• The commonly known retards are Calcium
Ligno-sulphonates and Carbohydrates
derivatives used in fraction of percent by
weight of cement.
TYPES OF ADMIXTURE:

5. AIR-ENTRAINED
ADMIXTURE

MEDINA, JESSAMIN F.
AIR-ENTRAINED ADMIXTURES
An addition for hydraulic cement or an
admixture for concrete or mortar which causes air,
to be incorporated in the form of minute bubbles
in the concrete or mortar during mixing. Usually to
increase its workability and frost resistance. The
bubbles are mostly below 1 mm diameter with a
high proportion below 0.3 mm.

Those are surfactants that change the

surface tension of the water.

Add a footer MEDINA, JESSAMIN F.

 FR
AIR-ENTRAINED ADMIXTURES

MEDINA, JESSAMIN F.
 FR
AIR-ENTRAINED CONCRETE

• This concrete is used for lining walls

and roof for heat and sound insulation
purpose.

MEDINA, JESSAMIN F.
 FR

The benefits of entraining air in the concrete

include:

• Increased resistance to freeze – thaw degradation.

• Increased cohesion, reducing the tendency to bleed and
segregation.
• Improved compaction in low-workability mixes.
• Stability of extruded concrete.

However because of air

entrainment the strength of the concrete
reduces and as such the quantity of air
entrained should not exceed 5% Add a footer 44
Mineral Admixtures in
Concrete
 Types of Mineral Admixtures
• Cementitious
-These have cementing properties themselves.
For example:
Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS)
 Types of Mineral Admixtures
• Pozzolanic
A pozzolan is a material which, when
combined with calcium hydroxide (lime),
exhibits cementitious properties. Pozzolans
are commonly used as an addition (the
technical term is "cement extender") to
Portland cement concrete mixtures to
increase the long-term strength and other
material properties of Portland cement
concrete and in some cases reduce the
 Pozzolanic Action

• The additive act in three ways

1. Filler
2. Nucleating
3. Pozzolanic
 1. Filler

-These additives/admixtures are finer than

cement, so when added to concrete they
occupy the small pores previously left vacant.
 2. Nucleating

-These fine particles accelerate the rate of hydration

and precipitation starts.
 3. Pozzolanic

-When cementing material reacts with water the following reaction

take place:
C2S + H CSH + CH
C3S + H CSH + CH
-CSH is responsible for strength while CH is a soluble material reacts
and dissolves in water leaving behind pores. So when admixture is
added
SiO3 or Al2O3+ CH CSH
-Thus, it reduces the amount of CH & increase CSH
 Conditions to Declare a Material Pozzolan:

• Having silica + Alumina oxide+ ferrous oxide more

than 70%.
• Surface area on normal admixture is more than
300m²/kg.
• Surface area should be more than cement used.
Granular material formed when
molten iron blast furnace slag (a by-
product of iron and steel making) is
rapidly chilled (quenched) by
immersion in water. It is a granular
product, highly cementitious in
nature and, ground to cement
fineness, hydrates like Portland
cement.
GGBFS has been widely used in
Europe, and increasingly in the United
States and in Asia (particularly in
Japan and Singapore) for its
superiority in concrete durability,
extending the lifespan of buildings
from fifty years to a hundred years.
1. DURABILITY

• GGBFS cement is routinely specified in concrete to provide

protection against both sulphate attack and chloride attack

• GGBFS is also routinely used to limit the temperature rise in

large concrete pours. The more gradual hydration of GGBFS
cement generates both lower peak and less total overall
heat than Portland cement.
2. APPEARANCE

• In contrast to the stony grey of concrete made with Portland

cement, the near-white color of GGBFS cement permits
architects to achieve a lighter colour for exposed fair-faced
concrete finishes, at no extra cost.
3. STRENGTH

• Concrete containing GGBFS cement has a higher ultimate

strength than concrete made with Portland cement. It has a
higher proportion of the strength-enhancing calcium silicate
hydrates (CSH) than concrete made with Portland cement
only, and a reduced content of free lime, which does not
contribute to concrete strength. Concrete made with GGBFS
continues to gain strength over time, and has been shown to
double its 28 day strength over periods of 10 to 12 years.
FLY ASH
Class F Fly Ash:
Class C Fly Ash:
Silica fume
• By-product of semiconductor industry
• The terms condensed silica fume,
microsilica, silica fume and volatilized
silica are often used to describe the by-
products extracted from the exhaust
gases of silicon, ferrosilicon and other
metal alloy furnaces.
• However, the terms microsilica and silica fume
are used to describe those condensed silica
fumes that are of high quality, for use in the
cement and concrete industry.
• Silica fume was first ‘obtained’ in Norway, in
1947, when environmental restraints made the
filtering of the exhaust gases from the furnaces
compulsory.
• Silica Fume consists of very fine particles
with a surface area ranging from 60,000 to
150,000 ft²/lb or 13,000 to 30,000 m²/kg, 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.
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 of concrete to chloride
ions; and therefore helps in protecting reinforcing steel
from corrosion, especially in chloride-rich
environments such as coastal regions.
 RICE HUSK ASH

• A bio waste from the husk left from the grains of rice.
It is used as a pozzolanic material in cement to
increase durability and strength.

Silica is grinded to fine powder which is used as

pozzolana.