Admixtures
Admixtures make concrete more malleabe (aka flow-able), more durable and stronger, and improves the eco-friendliness of concrete structures.
When laying the foundation, for example, these additives allowed an almost 5,500 cubic meter concrete pour at a go.
To ensure that the densely packed steel reinforcement bars at the base of the slab are coated quickly and completely within time as short as they come, the concrete has to be particularly “flow-able”. Admixture sees to this. A further advantage of admixture is that it enables pumping of the concrete to higher heights, even in the reaches of 300 meters without problems.
Colossal amounts of concrete are usually essential for casting stable foundations. Because concrete generates heat during setting, alot of concrete means alot of heat. And the hotter concrete becomes, the faster it sets. This creates serious problems; if a layer poured ahead of another sets too quickly, the layer poured onto it, after it, will not bond with it properly. The resulting concrete is neither homogeneous nor stable enough. And a problem will definitely manifest; The only question will be when. If not then, later. We don’t want this
Solving the strength issue we all want solved
High concrete quality ensures that the resulting structure will cope with enormous pressure exerted on it by various factors; its height/dimensions, weight, heavy use, the elements and so forth. Thanks to admixtures, the concrete will offer the structure a helping hand in doing just this; making light work of these pressures. withstands pressure equivalent to the weight of a small car resting on an area the size of a big toe. This outstanding strength ensures a lasting lifetime for structure and makes for safe and sustainable building usage.
Super plasticizers in the admixtures improve not only the structural properties of concrete, but also its eco-friendliness.
Our environment and the lingering carbon question
Because of its versatility, concrete is among the most widely used man-made materials. But has one considerable disadvantage; encourages releases of amounts of climate damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) that should concern everyone. How? Production of its constituents. Consists mainly of cement, which in turn contains cement clinker, a material fired at almost 1,500 degrees Celsius and whose production requires enormous amounts of energy. Cement clinker accounts for about six to seven percent of global carbon emissions.
Using the concrete admixture, up to 50 percent of the cement clinker can be replaced with other Eco friendly materials like fly ash, a byproduct of coal-fueled electric power plants, or blast furnace slag obtained during steel production and recycled for these purposes. This way, admixtures allow savings of up to 60 percent carbon in concrete production.