Concrete admixtures are any materials added to the concrete mix apart from water, cement and aggregates before the mixing process begins. The admixture is used to make the concrete mix more fit for the purpose it was made for or reduce its cost or environmental impact.
Using admixtures in concrete effectively can significantly reduce the cost of construction, protect the structure from water ingress, and increase concrete quality & strength after hardening.
ECMAS offers a wide range of concrete admixtures (ECMAPLAST, ECMAS HP) based on their purpose, like reducing the water or cement usage, waterproofing, accelerating, and more.
Waterproofing
Waterproofing admixtures are incorporated into concrete to absorb water and other liquid contaminants. The crystalline technology reacts with water and un-hydrated cement particles by forming needle-shaped crystals to block the routes for entry and movement of water and the water-borne contaminants.
Water Reducing
Water reducing or plasticizing admixtures are incorporated to reduce the water required for the concrete mix by around 5 to 10%. The resultant concrete has a lower cement-to-water ratio and reduces any chances of excessive bleeding by minimizing the amount of free water available.
Surface Retarding
Retarding admixtures are generally used to slow down the setting rate of the concrete mix to ensure that it stays in the fresh state for a longer time before hardening. This is especially useful in case of complex concrete placements, special surface finishing, preventing cold joint formations and more.
Super Plasticizing
Superplasticizers or high-grade water-reducing admixtures are of a higher grade and reduce the water content by 12 to 30%. They significantly reduce the water intake required in concrete, transforming low slump & stiff concrete into a pourable and flowing one. Moreover, they also reduce the shrinkage in concrete and boost its strength.
Accelerating
As concrete takes some time to turn from flowing to a hardened state, accelerating admixtures are used to speed up the setting time and hardening rate or boost the early strength gain for faster removal of concrete formwork. These are generally used in the winter to minimize the risk of frost damage.
Air Entraining
Air entraining admixtures are similar in purpose to detergents as they are used to make foam in the concrete during mixing. It primarily protects the concrete paste if it saturates with water and freezes. With the added air bubbles, the enhanced cement paste is impervious to any damage through freezing, except if totally saturated.
Viscosity Modifying
Viscosity modifying admixtures are used to change some properties of the fresh concrete, like viscosity, cohesiveness and workability. Apart from increasing the viscosity of concrete, it also leads to a slight increase in the yield point.
Shotcrete Accelerator
Shotcrete accelerators are accelerating admixtures added to sprayed concrete in shotcreting or guniting applications. They are used in the dry process of shotcrete to improve early strength & minimize dust and in the wet process to get quick setting & early strength.
ECMAS is one of the top concrete admixture manufacturers in India and supplies a plethora of concrete admixtures that meet the various demands of the client and have proved highly effective in achieving their goal of increased strength, durability, corrosion resistance, and waterproofing.
As one of the leading concrete admixture companies in India, ECMAS helps our clients reduce the challenges faced during construction and meet their goals.