Effects of the sole or combined use of chemical admixtures on properties of self-compacting concrete

Chemical additives are very important in determining the behavioral characteristics of self-compacting concrete. For this reason, determining the building materials that make up the chemical structure of self-compacting concrete and the interactions of these materials is of great importance. The present study pertains to the effects of the use of different chemical admixtures (high-range water-reducing, i.e., superplasticizer, hydration accelerating, air-entraining, shrinkage reducing, and hydration heat reducing admixtures) on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete. The influence of using a single one or a hybrid combination of the air-entraining, hydration-accelerating, heat-reducing, and shrinkage-reducing admixtures on the mechanical properties of fresh and hardened SCC was investigated through a set of tests. For this purpose, sixteen different SCC mixtures with different combinations of chemical additives were prepared and tested. The properties of fresh concrete were examined as well as the compressive and tensile strengths of the mixtures. SCC mixtures with shrinkage-reducing admixtures were evaluated in terms of shrinkage development. The effect of the use of admixtures was found to be more pronounced on the early-age concrete strength. The use of any type of additive in addition to the shrinkage-reducing admixture increased the speed of flow of fresh concrete.

Automated summary

Chemical additives play a crucial role in determining the performance of self-compacting concrete, especially in influencing the early-age concrete strength. The combination of different chemical admixtures can impact the mechanical properties of fresh and hardened concrete, with shrinkage-reducing admixtures helping to minimize concrete shrinkage.