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ADMIXTURES

Admixtures, unlike cement, aggregate and water are not an essential component of the
concrete mix but they are important and increasingly widespread component that are used
to improve certain properties of concrete.

An admixture can be defined as a chemical product which is added to the concrete mix in
quantities no larger than 5% by mass of cement during mixing or during an additional
mixing operation prior to the placing of concrete, for the purpose of achieving specific
modification to normal properties of concrete.

Benefits of Admixtures

The reason for the large growth in the use of admixtures is that they are capable of
imparting considerable physical and economic benefits with respect to concrete. These
benefits include the use concrete under difficulty circumstances, making possible the use
of a wider range of ingredients in the mix.

It should be stressed that, while properly used admixtures are beneficial to concrete, they
are no remedy for poor quality mix ingredients, for use of incorrect mix proportions, or for
poor workmanship in transporting, placing and compaction.

Types of Admixtures

Admixtures are commonly classified by their function in concrete. The classification of

ASTM is as follows:

Type A – Water reducing

Type B – Retarding
Type C – Accelerating
Type D – Water reducing & retarding
Type E – Water reducing & accelerating
Type F - High range water reducing or super plasticizing and
Type G – High range water reducing and retarding or super plasticizing and retarding

Water-reducing admixtures (Type A)

According to ASTM, admixtures which are only water – reducing are called Type A, but
if the water reducing properties are associated with retardation, the admixture is classified
as Type D.
As their name implies, the function of water- reducing admixtures is to reduce the water
content of the mix, usually by 5 or 10 %. The purpose of using a water – reducing
admixture in a concrete mix is to allow a reduction in the water/cement ratio while
retaining the desired workability or, alternatively, to improve its workability at a given
water/cement ratio.

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Retarding admixtures (Type B)

A delay in the setting of the cement paste can be achieved by the addition to the mix of
retarding admixtures. They are also called retarders.

Retarders are useful in concreting in hot weather, when the normal setting time is
shortened by the higher temperature.

The delay in hardening caused by the retarders can be exploited to obtain an architectural
finish of exposed aggregate: the retarder is applied to the interior surface of the formwork
so that the hardening of the adjacent cement is delayed. This cement can be brushed off
after the formwork has been struck so that an exposed aggregate surface is obtained.

The use of retarders can sometimes affect structural design: for example, continuous
massive pours can be used with controlled retardation of various parts of the pour, instead
of segmental construction.

The retarding action is exhibited by sugar, carbohydrate derivatives, soluble zinc salts,
soluble borates and some other salts.

Accelerating admixtures (Type C)

These are also called accelerators. Their function is primarily to accelerate the early
strength development of the concrete, that is hardening.

Accelerators may be used when concrete is to be placed at low temperatures, say 2 to 4 oc,
in the manufacturer of precast concrete ( where rapid removal of formwork is desirable)
or in urgent repair work.

Conversely, at high temperatures, accelerators may result in too high a rate of

development of heat of hydration and in shrinkage cracking.

The most common accelerator used over many decades was calcium chloride. Calcium
chloride is effective in accelerating the hydration of calcium silicates, mainly C3S.

Various standards and codes prohibit the use of calcium chloride in concrete containing
embedded steel or aluminium, owing to its corrosive effect in the presence of water and
oxygen.

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