Effect of ultrafine natural steatite powder, super plasticizer and VMA on the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting cement paste and mortar

For the past few decades innovation in construction material has grown a lot. This leads to special concrete such as self-compacting concrete, geopolymer concrete, self-healing concrete, etc. To prepare a special concrete apart from regular concreting material some sort of special materials was also needed, like mineral and chemical admixtures. Hence it is necessary to study the effect of these admixtures in cement paste and mortar before studying the same in concrete. Hence an attempt is made to study the effect of mineral and chemical admixtures in the fresh and hardened properties of cement paste and mortar. For this study ultrafine natural steatite powder is taken as mineral admixture and polycarboxylic based superplasticizer and glenium stream 2 were taken as chemical admixtures. Ultrafine natural steatite powder was used as additive to cement in various percentages like 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. Superplasticizer and viscosity modifying admixture were taken as 1.5% and 0.5%, respectively. Then various combinations were worked out. To study the fresh property of cement paste consistency, initial setting time and miniature slump cone test were done based on the results yield stress of cement paste also calculated empirically. To study the hardened property compression test on cement mortar was done. Based on the test results it is clear that the addition of ultrafine natural steatite powder increases the water demand hence reduces the workability. On the other hand, it increases the compressive strength up to a certain limit. Adding superplasticizer increases the workability and reduces the water demand and viscosity modifying admixture reduces the bleeding and segregation effects hence increases the compressive strength.

The Influence of HEMC on Cement and Cement-Lime Composites Setting Processes

In this article, the effect of hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC), which is a polymeric viscosity modifying admixture on the mineral based composites setting processes, was studied. Previous studies available in the literature included the evaluation of the influence of this admixture on the hydration processes of cement or lime pastes. In this paper, the analysis of this issue was extended to include cement-lime composites. The composition of the pastes and mortars differed in the type of binder (the tests were carried out on cement-based and cement-lime-based materials, in which the cement was replaced in 50% with hydrated lime), as well as the amount and viscosity of the admixture. The study of mortars setting processes and hardening processes using the ultrasonic method was supplemented in the work with calorimetric measurements and phases analysis by the X-ray diffraction method. Finally, it was found that the HEMC reduces the rate of a hydration reaction in cement and cement-lime pastes. The amount of admixture used has a greater influence on the changes taking place during the setting process than the admixture viscosity or the type of binder.