Slump loss and compressive strength of concrete made with WRR and HRWR admixtures and subjected to prolonged mixing

The effect of four water-reducing and retarding admixtures, and three superplasticizers on the consistency (slump) of fresh concrete, was studied at 21°C and 32°C in concrete mixes, made of OPC containing 10% fly ash, and subjected to prolonged mixing for up to 180 min. The effect of such mixing on compressive strength of concrete, at the ages of 3, 7, 28 and 90 days, was also studied. It was found that the admixtures in question accelerated the rate of slump loss at all ages, concrete compressive strength linearly increased with mixing time. The rate of slump loss, and the water demand of the concrete mixes increased within the temperature range studied.     

掺合料对硫铝酸盐水泥基混凝土耐久性影响的研究

研究了掺合料复掺(矿渣∶粉煤灰=2∶1)、单掺矿渣、单掺粉煤灰对硫铝酸盐水泥基混凝土强度、抗渗性、抗冻性的影响,并与相同水灰比下掺合料复掺对普通硅酸盐水泥基混凝土对应性能的影响进行对比。结果表明:在硫铝酸盐水泥基混凝土中,掺合料的加入使混凝土的早期和后期强度都明显降低,抗渗性稍微降低,抗冻性明显降低,且掺量越高,其强度、抗渗性、抗冻性降低越明显;但复掺时的效果比单掺时的效果好,粉煤灰的效果最差;而在普通硅酸盐水泥基混凝土中,掺合料的加入使混凝土的早期强度降低,但后期强度超过空白样的强度,抗渗性、抗冻性明显提高,但是,在无掺合料时其抗渗性、抗冻性大大低于相同水灰比下硫铝酸盐水泥基混凝土的抗渗性、抗冻性。     

钢渣微细粉在砼中的应用研究

利用粉磨至不同比表面积的转炉钢渣微细粉取代部分水泥进行了C40砼的3 d和28 d抗压强度及坍落度试验,考察了钢渣微细粉比表面积及掺入量、水胶比和减水剂掺入量对砼性能的影响,并用PoreMaster-60孔测定仪测定了硬化砼的孔分布。试验结果表明,钢渣微细粉比表面积为450 m2/kg、掺入量为15％～20％时,可获得令人满意的砼3 d和28 d抗压强度;随着水胶比的增大,砼3 d和28 d抗压强度显著降低,坍落度明显增大;减水剂掺入量对砼坍落度影响显著,但对砼强度影响不大。     

减水剂的品种和掺量对预拌混凝土坍落度/扩展度经时损失的影响

伴随着预拌混凝土的普及应用,混凝土坍落度由于经失损失造成搅拌车不能正常卸料、泵送或密实成型的现象时有发生,从而影响施工效率和混凝土质量.本文通过对两个品种、2种不同掺量减水剂的对比试验,分析了减水剂的品种和掺量对预拌混凝土坍落度、扩展度以及抗压破坏荷载值经时损失的影响.试验结果表明,聚羧酸系减水剂较奈系减水剂有更好的水泥适应性,且掺量少、减水率高、混凝土坍落度及扩展度经时损失少.     

Influence of recycled sand and gravel on the rheological and mechanical characteristic of concrete

The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of type and dosage of recycled sand (RS) and gravel on the fresh and mechanical properties of concrete. Experimental program was conducted on concretes made with different ratio of substitutions (15, 30, 70, and 100%) of natural sand and gravel with RS and gravel. At the fresh state, slump, air content, and density were measured at the exit of the mixer, and then at 30, 60, and 90 min after mixing. Tests were also performed for compressive strength at the age of 1, 7, and 28 days, whereas elastic modulus measurements were done at 28 days. The results indicated that maintaining the workability of recycled aggregate concrete depends on sand or gravel substitution and their rates. Up to 30 min, slump values were decreased, but after that, no substantial change in slump values was observed. Air content increased and density decreased, with increasing recycled aggregate content (sand or gravel). Mechanical properties, such as compressive strength and modulus of elasticity, were lower than those of reference concrete.     

Assessment of the “rheoplasticity” of concretes

In the present paper it is proposed to evaluate the rheological behaviour and the plasticity of fresh concrete by means of the determination of a so-called “rheoplasticity” index defined as RPI = 1/∫ BdS or RPI′ = 1/B′, where B is the bleeding capacity, S is the slump, and B′ is the bleeding capacity of very flowable concrete (S = 20 cm). Since concretes with high value of RPI or RPI′ can be obtained only with relatively low water/cement ratio and by using certain highly fluidifying additives, the properties of these hardened concrete are in general very good.     

Influence of moisture states of natural and recycled aggregates on the slump and compressive strength of concrete

The influence of moisture states of natural and recycled aggregates on the properties of fresh and hardened concretes was investigated. Concrete mixes were prepared with natural and recycled aggregates at different proportions. The moisture states of the aggregates were controlled at air-dried (AD), oven-dried (OD) and saturated surface-dried (SSD) states prior to use. The ratio of cement to free water was kept constant for all of the mixes. At the fresh state, the slump loss for various concrete mixtures was determined, while the compressive strength was determined after curing for 3, 7 and 28 days. The test results showed that the initial slump values of the concrete mixtures were dependent on the initial free water contents, and the slump loss values of the mixtures were related to the moisture states of the aggregates. Slump loss was significant when 100% AD or OD recycled aggregate was used. The effect of the moisture states of the aggregates on the strength of the concretes prepared with OD and SSD state aggregates at early age (i.e., 3 and 7 days) was noticeable. The concrete prepared with the AD aggregates achieved the highest average strength values at 3, 7 and 28 days. However, at 28 days, the concrete strengths prepared with different types of aggregates were similar. The results suggested that an AD aggregate that contains not more than 50% recycled aggregate is optimum for producing normal strength recycled aggregate concrete.     

混凝土减水剂最新研究进展

减水剂是混凝土最常用的外加剂之一,其主要类型有:木质素磺酸盐类、三聚氰胺类、萘磺酸甲醛缩合物类、聚羧酸盐类和聚苯乙烯类。本文概述了混凝土减水剂研究的最新进展,并讨论了应进一步研究的问题。     

Mechanical properties of concrete elaborated with igneous aggregates

Intrusive and extrusive igneous stones are natural sources of aggregates in volcanic regions. This article describes the mechanical properties of concrete elaborated with these two types of coarse aggregates. Portland cement Type I was used to prepare four different admixtures: two with crushed intrusive volcanic gravel, one with and the other without accelerating additive; and two with extrusive volcanic gravel, one with and the other without superplasticizer additive. The four admixtures, cured on a saturated bed of sand, had a slump of 100 mm. Tests of compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of rupture and dynamical elastic modulus were performed on the concrete specimens at ages of 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 45 days. All of these concretes proved to possess excellent mechanical behavior. This is important because it means that it is possible to lower the overall cost of concrete by using cheap and abundant aggregates.     

High-strength lightweight concrete made with scoria aggregate containing mineral admixtures

This paper presents a part of the results of an ongoing laboratory work carried out to design a structural lightweight high strength concrete (SLWHSC) made with and without mineral admixtures. In the mixtures, basaltic-pumice (scoria) was used as lightweight aggregate.A control lightweight concrete mixture made with lightweight basaltic-pumice (scoria) containing normal Portland cement as the binder was prepared. The control lightweight concrete mixture was modified by replacing 20% of the cement with fly ash. The control lightweight concrete mixture was also modified by replacing 10% of the cement with silica fume. A ternary lightweight concrete mixture was also prepared modifying the control lightweight concrete by replacing 20% of cement with fly ash and 10% of cement with silica fume. Two normal weight concrete (NWC) were also prepared for comparison purpose.Fly ash and silica fume are used for economical and environmental concerns. Cylinder specimens with 150 mm diameter and 300 mm height and prismatic specimens with dimension 100×100×500 mm were cast from the fresh mixtures to measure compressive and flexural tensile strength. The concrete samples were cured at 65% relative humidity with 20 °C temperature. The density and slump workability of fresh concrete mixtures were also measured.Laboratory test results showed that structural lightweight concrete (SLWC) can be produced by the use of scoria. However, the use of mineral additives seems to be mandatory for production of SLWHSC. The use of ternary mixture was recommended due to its satisfactory strength development and environmental friendliness.     

Comparison of ASTM saturation techniques for measuring the permeable porosity of concrete

The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of the ASTM saturation techniques for measuring the permeable porosity of concrete. The permeable porosity of two ordinary concretes has been determined by three ASTM saturation techniques, namely cold-water saturation (CWS), boiling-water saturation (BWS) and vacuum saturation (VAS). The concretes were prepared with the water-cement ratios of 0.50 and 0.60, and tested at ages of 7 and 28 days. Based on the test results of permeable porosity, the efficiency of the saturation techniques has been compared. In addition, the compressive strength of concretes was determined to justify the results of permeable porosity. The slump test was also performed to observe the workability. The overall experimental results reveal that vacuum saturation technique is more efficient than cold-water or boiling-water saturation and therefore this technique should be recommended for measuring the permeable porosity of concrete.     

Influence of amount of recycled coarse aggregates and production process on properties of recycled aggregate concrete

In this study recycled coarse aggregates obtained by crushed concrete were used for concrete production. Four different recycled aggregate concretes were produced; made with 0%, 25%, 50% and 100% of recycled coarse aggregates, respectively. The mix proportions of the four concretes were designed in order to achieve the same compressive strengths. Recycled aggregates were used in wet condition, but not saturated, to control their fresh concrete properties, effective w/c ratio and lower strength variability. The necessity to produce recycled aggregate concrete with low-medium compressive strength was verified due to the requirement of the volume of cement. The influence of the order of materials used in concrete production (made with recycled aggregates) with respect to improving its splitting tensile strength was analysed. The lower modulus of elasticity of recycled coarse aggregate concretes with respect to conventional concretes was measured verifying the numeral models proposed by several researchers.     

Mechanical properties of polymer-modified lightweight aggregate concrete

This paper deals with the properties of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)-modified lightweight aggregate concretes (LWACs) for thin precast components, made with two Brazilian lightweight aggregates (LWAs). Properties in the fresh state, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and water absorption of LWACs were tested. The 7-day compressive strength and the dry concrete density vary from 39.7 to 51.9 MPa and from 1460 to 1605 kg/m³, respectively. The inclusion of SBR latex in LWACs decreases the water-(cement+silica fume) [W/(C+S)] ratio and water absorption and increases the splitting tensile and flexural strengths. The results of this pilot study suggest that there are possibilities of producing thin precast components using SBR-modified LWACs with Brazilian LWAs.     

复掺高性能矿物掺合料对高强机制砂混凝土性能的影响

为定量研究S105矿粉与其他矿物掺合料共同作用对C80高强机制砂混凝土的和易性、抗压强度和干燥收缩性能的影响规律,通过试验得到不同龄期(3 d、7 d、28 d、60 d)下,S105矿粉单掺,以及掺S105矿粉的同时以不同含量的微珠、超细矿粉、硅灰分别取代水泥时,高强机制砂混凝土的坍落度、扩展度、抗压强度和干燥收缩率,并利用图表分析及拌合物实际状态对比等对其性能的变化趋势进行分析。结果表明:在一定掺量范围内复掺多种矿物掺合料,有利于提高高强机制砂混凝土的和易性和抗压强度,并显著减小其干燥收缩。在保证混凝土和易性良好的条件下,相比于单掺S105矿粉,S105矿粉与不同矿物掺合料双掺对提高混凝土的综合性能有更显著的作用。综合考虑对和易性、抗压强度和干燥收缩性能的影响,当超细矿粉取代水泥的质量分数为3%时,即水泥与S105矿粉和超细矿粉的质量比为33:11:1时,高强机制砂混凝土的性能处于较好的水平,其粘聚性和流动性都有显著改善,其3 d和60 d抗压强度分别增长3.1%和5.1%,其干燥收缩率则减小了4.0%。     

Combined effects of mineral admixtures and curing conditions on the sorptivity coefficient of concrete

The effect of mineral admixture and curing condition on the sorptivity of concrete are investigated. In the present work, the maximum particle size and the grading of coarse aggregate, the cement content and water/cement ratio of the concrete are kept constant. Then, in the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) 42.5 concrete, a portion of the sand is replaced by a mineral admixture such as fly ash (FA), limestone filler, sandstone filler or silica fume (SF). This paper presents the results of both the sorptivity coefficient and the compressive strength of OPC 42.5 concretes with these mineral admixtures, and concretes with OPC 32.5, blended cement (BC) or trass cement (TC). The results obtained indicate that the sorptivity coefficient of concrete decreases as the compressive strength of concrete increases. It is also shown that the sorptivity coefficient of concrete is very sensitive to the curing condition. The effect of curing condition on the sorptivity coefficient of concrete seems to be higher in low-strength concretes.     

Effect of retempering with superplasticizer admixtures on slump loss and compressive strength of concrete subjected to prolonged mixing

To have concrete possesses the specified engineering properties, its slump loss has to be compensated somehow at construction site so that concrete could be placed and compacted properly. Several attempts have been tried so far to render concrete workable at construction site including starting with a high initial slump at the stationary plant, or retempering with water and/or with chemical admixtures at construction site. In this investigation, ASTM C 494 Type F superplasticizer was used for retempering concrete to restore its initial slump. Concrete mixes having an initial slump of about 19 cm were prepared and subjected to prolonged mixing with different mixing duration such as 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 min following an initial mixing of 5 min to ensure homogeneity. At the end of each mixing period, cube specimens of 15 cm were cast from concrete retempered to its initial slump level and tested at the age of 28 days for compressive strength. Results revealed that compared to the concrete retempered with water, those retempered with a superplasticizer admixture have yielded significantly higher strength regardless of the mixing duration.     

The patch microstructure in concrete: The effect of superplasticizer

It has been previously shown that laboratory- and field-mixed concretes exhibit dense areas or patches of hardened cement paste (hcp) which are sharply delineated from adjacent, highly porous areas. Direct experiment with long-continued concrete mixing showed that this microstructural pattern is not due to inadequate mixing. An experiment was conducted to determine whether this distinctive microstructure was associated with the flocculation inherent in most fresh concretes. A conventional laboratory concrete was batched and after preliminary mixing a polycarboxylate-type superplasticizer was incorporated. The superplasticizer was added in two successive stages, a modest dose causing some increase in slump, and then a heavy additional dose sufficient to cause complete collapse of slump. SEM examination indicated that the patchy microstructure existed in the ‘base’ concrete, and was retained in the superplasticized concretes as well. Thus the patchy microstructural pattern is not generated as a consequence of the flocculated state that exists in most fresh concretes.     

基于组合混料设计的高性能混凝土配合比优化研究

为了更加科学合理地进行高性能混凝土配合比设计,研究各个组分对高性能混凝土的影响,将水泥、矿粉、粉煤灰视为一组总质量不变的混料,细集料和粗集料视为另一组混料,通过组合设计分析了矿物掺合料、水泥、砂率的混料效应,同时得到了以坍落度和抗压强度为目标的回归方程,实现了配合比的优化设计.结果表明,为了得到工作性和抗压强度都较好的高性能混凝土,矿物掺合料的掺量和砂率均不宜过大.矿粉比粉煤灰先发挥强度作用,后期水泥与矿粉对高性能混凝土的抗压强度影响较大.砂率的增大对高性能混凝土的抗压强度影响较小,但会使高性能混凝土的坍落度先增加后降低.粉煤灰和矿粉的增加均会使高性能混凝土的坍落度增加.研究结论能够为高性能混凝土矿物掺合料、砂率的选择和配合比设计提供参考依据.     

Properties of fresh and hardened concrete

The present paper reviews the literature related to the properties of fresh and hardened concrete published after the previous (12th) International Congress on the Chemistry of Cement held in Montreal in 2007.Workability and fundamental rheological properties, reversible and non-reversible evolution, thixotropy, slump loss, setting time, bleeding, segregation and practical issues related to formwork filling and pressure, are addressed among the properties of fresh concrete.Among hardened concrete properties compressive strength and other mechanical and physical properties of hardened concrete, such as tensile strength, elastic properties, shrinkage, creep, cracking resistance, electrical, thermal, transport and other properties are covered. Testing, interpretation, modeling and prediction of properties are addressed, as well as correlation with properties of fresh concrete and durability, effects of special binders, recycled and natural aggregates, fiber reinforcement, mineral and chemical admixtures. Special attention is given to the properties of hardened lightweight and self-compacting concrete.     

The effects of different cement dosages, slumps and pumice aggregate ratios on the compressive strength and densities of concrete

Compressive strengths of concretes made up of mixtures of pumice aggregate (PA) and normal aggregate were measured. To determine the effect of PA ratio, different cement dosage and slumps on the compressive strength of concrete, (1) 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% pumice ratios were used instead of normal aggregate by volume, (2) 200, 250, 350, 400 and 500 kg/m³ cement dosages were used and (3) 3±1, 5±1 and 7±1 cm slumps were also used in this study.The analysis of the test results leads to the conclusion that PA decreased the density of concretes up to 41.5% and reductions occurred due to the increase of the PA ratio in the mixes. With the increase of cement dosage in the mixes, both density and compressive strength of concretes increased up to 3.2% and 265%, respectively, when compared to the control sample that contain 200 kg/m³ cement dosage. The effect of the slump on the density and compressive strength was varied. Elasticity moduli were decreased with an increase of PA ratio and increased with an increase of cement dosage. Water absorption improved with an increase of cement content.