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 finish ability.

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.

Functions of Admixtures
The reasons to use admixtures are:

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);

Types of Admixtures

Mineral Admixtures (Additive)

Mineral admixtures (fly ash, silica fume [SF], and slags) are
usually added to concrete in larger amounts to enhance the
workability of fresh concrete; to improve resistance of concrete to
thermal cracking, alkali-aggregate expansion, and sulfate attack;
and to enable a reduction in cement content.

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 glassy-spherical particles as well as residues
of hematite and magnetite, char, and some crystalline phases
formed during cooling.

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.
Silica Fume
Silica fume, also known as microsilica, is a byproduct of the
reduction of high-purity 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

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.

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)

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.

Chemical Admixtures

Admixtures are added to concrete batch immediately before or

during mixing concrete. Concrete admixtures can improve
concrete quality, manageability, acceleration or
retardation of setting time among other properties that could be
altered to get specific results. Many, not to say all, concrete mixes
today contain one or more concrete admixtures.

1. Concrete Admixtures: Set-Retarding

Set retarding concrete admixtures are used to delay the chemical
reaction that takes place when the concrete starts the setting
process. These types of concrete admixtures are commonly used
to reduce the effect of high temperatures that could produce a
faster initial setting of concrete. Set retarding admixtures are
used in concrete pavement construction, allowing more time for
finishing concrete pavements, reducing additional costs to place a
new concrete batch plant on the jobsite and helps eliminate cold
joints in concrete. Retarders can also be used to resist cracking
due to form deflection that can occur when horizontal slabs are
placed in sections. Most retarders also function as water reducers
and may entrain some air in concrete.

2. Concrete Admixtures: Air-Entrainment

Air entrained concrete can increase the freeze-thaw durability of

concrete. This type of admixture produces a more workable
concrete than non-entrained concrete while reducing bleeding
and segregation of fresh concrete. Improved resistance of
concrete to severe frost action or freeze/thaw cycles. Other
benefits from this admixture are:

High resistance to cycles of wetting and drying

High degree of workability

High degree of durability

The entrained air bubbles act as a physical buffer against the

cracking caused by the stresses due to water volume
augmentation in freezing temperatures. Air entrainers are
compatible with almost all the concrete admixtures.
Typically for every 1% of entrained air, compressive strength will
be reduced by about 5%.

3. Concrete Admixtures: Water-Reducing

Water-reducing admixtures are chemical products that when
added to concrete can create a desired slump at a lower water
cement ration than what is normally designed. Water-reducing
admixtures are used to obtain specific concrete strength using
lower cement content. Lower cement contents result in lower CO2
emissions and energy usage per volume of concrete produced.
With this type of admixture, concrete properties are improved
and help place concrete under difficult conditions. Water
reducers have been used primarily in bridge decks, low-slump
concrete overlays, and patching concrete. Recent advancements
in admixture technology have led to the development of mid-
range water reducers.

4. Concrete Admixtures: Accelerating

Accelerating concrete admixtures are used to increase the rate of

concrete strength development, or to reduce concrete setting
time. Calcium chloride could be names as the most common
accelerator component; however, it could promote corrosion
activity of steel reinforcement. Nonetheless, concrete best
practices such as proper consolidation, adequate cover and
proper concrete mix design could prevent these corrosion issues.
Accelerating admixtures are especially useful for modifying the
properties of concrete in cold weather.

5. Concrete Admixtures: Shrinkage Reducing

Shrinkage reducing concrete admixtures are added to concrete

during initial mixing. This type of admixture could reduce
early and long term drying shrinkage. Shrinkage reducing
admixtures can be used in situations where shrinkage cracking
could lead to durability problems or where large numbers of
shrinkage joints are undesirable for economic or technical
reasons. Shrinkage reducing admixtures can, in some cases,
reduce strength development both at early and later ages.
6. Concrete Admixtures: Super plasticizers

The main purpose of using super plasticizers is to produce flowing

concrete with very high slump in the range of 7-9 inches to be
used in heavily reinforced structures and in placements where
adequate consolidation by vibration cannot be readily achieved.
The other major application is the production of high-strength
concrete at w/c's ranging from 0.3 to 0.4. It has been found that
for most types of cement, super plasticizer improves the
workability of concrete. One problem associated with using a high
range water reducer in concrete is slump loss. High workability
concrete containing super plasticizer can be made with a
high freeze-thaw resistance, but air content must be
increased relative to concrete without super plasticizer.

Dosage and dispensing

The correct dosage of admixture is crucial for satisfactory

mix performance and the proper use of well maintained and
calibrated dispensing equipment is essential.
Admixture suppliers normally provide, install and service
dispensers which are either manual or automatic.
Admixtures should be added to a concrete during mixing
with the last portion of the mix water in order to ensure even
dispersion of the admixture throughout the concrete, unless
delayed addition is necessary for a specific purpose.
The admixture should not be added directly to the dry
cement or aggregates.
For the majority of admixtures it is not necessary to change the
concrete mixing procedure. Any special requirements will be
given in the admixture manufacturers product literature.