Hydration retarding admixtures

ASTM recognizes three types of retarding admixtures type B, which simply retards the hydration of Portland cement type D, which not only provides set retardation but also water reduction and type G, which is a retarding supeplasticizer. The materials that are generally used in these admixtures include ... 

The replacement of Portland cement by fly ash class F (ASTM C 618) has been found to reduce the rate of slump loss in a prolonged mixed concrete, and the extent of the reduction is greater with increased cement replacement (Fig. 7.37). Fly ash also was found to be beneficial in reducing slump loss in concretes with conventional water-reducing and retarding admixtures [95], The effect of fly ash on reducing slump loss can be attributed to chemical and physical factors. It was found that the surface of fly ash particles may be partly covered with a vapor-deposited alkali sulfate that is readily soluble [103, 104], Thus the early hydration process of Portland cement is effected because sulfate ions have a retarding effect on the formation of the aluminates. Indeed, fly ash was found to be a more effective retarder than an... 

Concrete, Mortar, and Plaster. Citric acid and citrate salts are used as admixtures in concrete, mortar, and plaster formulations to retard setting times and reduce the amount of water requited to make a workable mixture (172—180). The citrate ion slows the hydration of Portland cement and acts as a dispersant, reducing the viscosity of the system (181). At levels below 0.1%, citrates accelerate the setting rate while at 0.2—0.4% the set rate is retarded. High early strength and improved frost resistance have been reported when adding citrate to concrete, mortar, and plaster. 

The addition of a water-reducing admixture to a cement suspension can be shown to disperse the agglomerates of cement particles into smaller particles [33,38, 47] and can be seen clearly in photomicrographs as shown in Fig. 1.21. Maximum dispersion occurs at a level of 0.3-0.5% by weight of calcium lignosulfonate [33, 34] which would indicate the presence at the surface of about 0.2-0.4% calcium lignosulfonate. The separation of particles results in an increase in the surface area of the system by 30-40% [33, 38], which may explain the more rapid rate of cement hydration after the initial retardation period. 

The calcium ion concentration of the solution phase is slightly increased in the early stages of hydration, but subsequently the concentration approaches that of a system containing no admixture. It has been found that the greater the period of set retardation, the larger is the difference in calcium concentration, and it takes longer to reach the same level as a... 

The hydroxyl ion concentration is initially reduced due to the retardation of the C3S hydration to form Ca (0H)2 and the sudden increase in hydroxyl ion concentration is smoothed out probably due to the gradual breakdown of the inhibiting admixture monolayer to give a faster diffusion of hydration products. 

As far as the final hydration products of ordinary Portland cement are concerned, there is an indication from isothermal calorimetry [57] that there is very little difference in the presence or absence of a calcium lignosulfonate water-reducing admixture. In this work, the heat evolved per unit of water incorporated into the hydrate has been determined for two cements, with the results shown in Fig. 1.25. It can be seen that the relationship between the amount of heat evolved and the amount of water combined with the cement is maintained whether the admixture is present or not. This work also indicated that the retardation in the early stages is compensated for at later times by an acceleration. 

The stabilizer may consist of carboxylic acids and phosphorus-containing organic acid salts such as hexametaphosphates, polyphosphates and phosphonates. The mechanism of action of the stabilizer admixture is thought to be related to the inhibition of CSH and CH nucleation. It is claimed that the nucleation process is controlled more comprehensively than that obtained with conventional retarders [10], Cement hydration is arrested by the admixture acting on all phases of cement hydration including the C3A fraction. The claim is... 

When added at dosage of 2% by weight of cement to a concrete mixture with 460 kg m of cement without adjustment for the volume of the water introduced by the admixture, the concrete s slump and porosity are increased. However, when substituted for an equal volume of water, the SRA has little or no effect on concrete slump. It does have a slight retarding effect on the rate of hydration and may extend the setting time up to about an hour. The admixture also affects the air content of fresh concrete and therefore when used in air-entrained concrete, the air-entraining admixture dosage must be increased to achieve a specified air content. 

Abstract. Polyvinylalcohol (PVA) is a polymer soluble in hot water, it has the property of film formation and it can improve the concrete performance. The effects of PVA modified with nano clay on the cement hydration reaction have been investigated by means of semiadiabatic calorimeter, FTIR spectroscopy and SEM. FTIR spectroscopy was employed to monitor chemical transformation of cement. The morphology of the different samples was compared by means of SEM micrographs. With the semiadiabatic calorimeter the hydration kinetic was measured to compare the heat rate of the admixtures materials. Fixing the water-cement ratio, w/c, in 0,45, the ratio of polymer to cement (p/c) was 2 wt% and the ratio of clay to polymer was 4 wt% (0.8wt.% related to cement). The polymer and modified polymer admixtures produced a retardation effect on the kinetic of cement hydration, but the clay acts as nucleating agent. The increase of the temperature with time was measured and a new model with four parameters was employed and the kinetic parameters were determined for each sample. 

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