Influences of shrinkage reducing admixture on the mechanical properties, drying shrinkage, water absorption and porosity of Portland cement mortar

Drying shrinkage is the main cause of early age cracking of concrete and mortar. A wide range of research has been conducted to reduce the drying shrinkage, including using fibres or chemical admixtures. This paper investigated the effect of shrinkage reducing admixture on the flexural strength, compressive strength, drying shrinkage, water absorption and porosity of mortar. The mix compositions were ordinary Portland cement (OPC) : sand : liquid = 1: 1: 0.38 in which liquid consisted of water and shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA). SRA was used at the proportions of 2%, 4%, and 7% by weight of cement. The test results show that SRA reduces the flexural and compressive strengths of mortar. The reduction in flexural strength and compressive strength at 28 days is 14% and 25%, respectively at 7% SRA dosage. In addition, SRA significantly reduces the drying shrinkage and water absorption of mortar. At 7% SRA dosage, the drying shrinkage at 53 days is reduced by 60% while the water absorption rate at 24 hours is reduced by 54%. However, SRA has a minor effect on the pore size distribution, effective porosity, and cumulative intrusion volume of mortar.

Strength Development and Shrinkage of Superabsorbent Polymer Concrete with Calcium Sulfoaluminate Clinker and Shrinkage Reducing Admixture

In this study, we analyzed the strength and shrinkage properties of concrete with three additives, superabsorbent polymer (SAP), calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) clinker, and shrinkage-reducing admixture (SRA), to verify the internal curing and shrinkage reduction effects. According to compressive strength tests, the use of SAP as an additive resulted in a slight decrease in compressive strength, whereas using 10% CSA clinker as an additive resulted in a compressive strength 8 MPa higher than that of ordinary concrete. In the shrinkage tests, we observed the shrinkage behavior at the surface and in the middle of the concrete while exposing the surface to ambient air for 80 days. According to the results, SAP and SRA had greater shrinkage reduction effects on the concrete than CSA clinker. In particular, the shrinkage reduction rate achieved by adding SAP to the mixture was approximately 32% compared with ordinary concrete. Based on this result, we concluded that the shrinkage of the mixture reduced due to the internal curing effect (humidity adjustment within the concrete) of the SAP. In addition, the shrinkage reduction effect was maximized when we added these materials simultaneously. In particular, the shrinkage reduction rate achieved by adding SAP and SRA together was found to be approximately 69% compared with ordinary concrete. When we added CSA, SAP, and SRA to the concrete mixture, the shrinkage reduction rate was approximately 96% compared with ordinary concrete, making this the best shrinkage reduction effect achieved.

Study of Development of Hydrating Temperatures and Reduction of Volume Changes in Concretes

One of the main characteristics in the concreting of massive waterproof structures and dam bodies is the prediction of crack formation. This prediction is associated with an understanding of the mechanics of development of hydration temperatures that affect in particular the selected binder parts of concrete. A suitable combination of cement with mineral admixtures, as well as the use of so-called shrinkage-reducing admixtures, seems to be an effective tool for influencing the dynamics of development and maximum values of hydration temperatures. Appropriate selection of the formula itself can significantly extend the lifetime of the mentioned structures. The paper is focused on monitoring the influence of different types of mineral admixtures on the effect of volume changes of cement pastes. The association of these volume changes with the development of hydration temperatures of these pastes was also observed. In order to minimize both of these phenomena, the possibility of using a shrinkage-reducing admixture was verified.

A review on the influence of shrinkage reducing admixtures on concrete

Shrinkage cracking is a common source of distress in concrete structures. In addition to being unsightly, these cracks serve to accelerate other forms of damage in concrete, thereby shortening the service life of structures. One solution to reduce the potential for shrinkage cracking is to incorporate a shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) in concrete mixtures. SRAs belong to a special type of organic chemicals (i.e., surfactants) that when mixed in water, reduce the surface tension of the liquid, and thereby reduce the magnitude of capillary stresses and shrinkage strains that occur when concrete is losing moisture. Various studies show that SRAs have proven to reduce drying, autogenous, and plastic shrinkage, which has been summarized in this literature. Keywords—Shrinkage Reducing Admixtures, Surfactants, Drying shrinkage, Plastic shrinkage, Autogenous shrinkage.

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.

Effect of Shrinkage Reducing Admixture on Drying Shrinkage of Concrete with Different w/c Ratios

The reduction of the moisture content of concrete during the drying process reduces the concrete’s volume and causes it to shrink. In general, concrete shrinkage is a phenomenon that causes concrete volume to dwindle and can lead to durability problems. There are different types of this phenomenon, among them chemical shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage, drying shrinkage including free shrinkage and restrained shrinkage, and thermal contraction. Shrinkage-reducing admixtures are commercially available in different forms. The present study investigates the effect of liquid propylene glycol ether on mechanical properties and free shrinkage induced by drying at different water-cement (w/c) ratios. Furthermore, the effect of shrinkage-reducing admixtures on the properties of hardened concrete such as compressive and tensile strength, electrical resistivity, modulus of elasticity, free drying shrinkage, water absorption, and depth of water penetration was investigated. The results indicated that shrinkage reducing agents performed better in a low w/c ratio and resulted in up to 50% shrinkage reduction, which was due to the surface reduction of capillary pores. The prediction of free shrinkage due to drying was also performed using an artificial neural network.