Introduction to Concrete Additives (1)

The concrete additive is a material that can improve the properties of the concrete mixture or hardened concrete by adding not more than 5% of the weight of cement in the process of mixing concrete (except for special circumstances).

Using concrete additives is one of the most effective ways to improve concrete strength, improve performance and save cement and energy. 

Classification of Concrete Additives: 

According to chemical composition, it can be divided into: 

1. Inorganic compounds, mostly electrolyte salts; 

2. Organic compounds, mostly surfactants; 

3. Organic and inorganic compounds. 

According to functions, it can be divided into: 

1. To improve rheological properties: water reducing agent, air-entraining agent and pumping agent, etc.

2. To adjust the setting time, hardening performance: retarder, early strength agent and accelerator, etc. 

3. To improve durability: air entrainment agent, waterproof agent, and rust inhibitor. 

4. To improve other properties: expansion agent, antifreeze and colorant, etc. 

Commonly used admixtures: 

Water reducing agent: It is an additive that can significantly reduce the amount of water used for mixing while keeping the slump of concrete basically unchanged. 

It has a dispersive effect on cement particles after adding the concrete mixture, can improve its workability, reduce water consumption per unit, improve the fluidity of the concrete mixture and save cement. It is especially suitable for concrete projects with high durability, high flow state, high collapse protection, and high strength. 

According to the efficiency, water-reducing agents can be divided into ordinary water-reducing agents (water reduction rate is < 10%) and high-efficiency water-reducing agents (> 10%), also known as superplasticizers or fluidizing agents.

According to the influence of condensation time, water reducing agents can be divided into standard type, slow coagulation type, and promote coagulation type.

According to the effect on gas content, water reducing agents can be divided into air-induced and non-air-induced.

Early strength agent: Early strength agent refers to the additive that can improve the early strength of concrete and has no significant effect on the late strength. 

The cement in the concrete used in construction takes a long time to set and harden before it reaches strength. But in some large engineering concrete precast components or in the cold season construction, often need to obtain higher strength within a short time.  Therefore, in the process of concrete mixing, it is common to add the early strength agent to achieve the purpose of hardening in a short time. Early strength agent can be not less than -5℃ in the environment of the use of cement in a short time hardening, can greatly improve the strength of cement slurry, mortar, and concrete. Adding the early strength agent into the concrete mixture not only ensures the effect of reducing water, strengthening, and compacting of concrete, but also gives full play to the advantage of the early strength agent. Adding the early strength agent into concrete can ensure the quality of concrete and improve the progress of the project, greatly simplifying and reducing the requirements for curing conditions. 

Suppliers of Concrete Additives

TRUNNANO is a reliable concrete additives supplier with over 12-year experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development.

If you are looking for high-quality concrete additives, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com)

We accept payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union, and Paypal. Trunnano will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea.