Water pipes      03/04/2020

What are the additives to concrete for strength? Types and characteristics of materials. The best cement additives to increase the strength of concrete. Preliminary adjustment of mixing water amounts. Probe method

When constructing any building, as well as fencing, it is often necessary a large number of concrete mortar. But the quality of such material is often associated with its cost, so many people who are in one way or another connected with construction are interested in how to make a plasticizer for concrete with their own hands.

Features of plasticizer for concrete


Cement - photo

Plasticizers are special substances that are added to concrete mortar to improve its characteristics. Among these characteristics, elasticity is predominantly found, which has a positive effect on the entire construction process. To put it simply, such additives simply reduce the percentage of liquid in the solution, which, in turn, not only greatly facilitates the laying of the concrete structure itself, but also improves its quality characteristics. Next, I would like to note the main properties that plasticizers for concrete have:

  1. They increase mobility.
  2. They greatly facilitate the procedure of laying concrete in appropriate forms.
  3. Water consumption is reduced several times.
  4. Extend the shelf life and, accordingly, the shelf life of the finished product concrete mixture.
  5. Prevents solution stratification and liquid separation.
  6. Prevents moisture penetration.
  7. Improves the adhesion of concrete to the working surface.
  8. Prevents the formation of cracks and splits.
  9. Improves the thermal stability of the material.

If you make plasticizers with your own hands during the construction process, this will help avoid possible problems related to the quality of the solution and its further installation. It is necessary to add such plasticizers in strictly designated proportions, which for each separate material different.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7eR4pRunDQ

In addition, there are certain rules for the manufacture of plasticizer, compliance with which improves the quality of the starting material. The additional mixture must:

  1. Be non-toxic.
  2. Be chemically stable.
  3. Do not contain volatile substances.
  4. Finally, the temperature of its processing should be slightly higher than the decomposition temperature.

What is concrete plasticizer made from?

If you make a mixture and at the same time a plasticizer for it, you can significantly save on construction. Please note that the reliability and stability of the structure will directly depend on the quality of the materials and the work itself. And if you have gained confidence in yourself and your own capabilities, then go ahead - make the plasticizer yourself! Below we have provided a list of required materials:

Previously, the quality of concrete was improved chicken protein- this made it possible to achieve maximum durability of the structure. The recipe for such a mixture was kept secret and passed down by masters from generation to generation. But today there is no secret in this - any information can be easily found on the Internet.

The proportions in which plasticizer must be added to the contents vary


  1. For example, if the solution is planned to be mixed with expanded clay, then 200 milliliters should be mixed into it liquid soap. Consequently, the solution will harden for three whole hours, which is the main advantage when operating with it.
  2. Soap is added only to initial stage manufacturing - otherwise it will surround the stones with some kind of film, therefore, the solution will not have the characteristics for which it was all started.

In addition to all this, a plasticizer can be made from slaked lime. This material gives concrete elasticity and strength, which are necessary when working with difficult areas. If done this way brickwork, then it will turn out even and smooth.

The use of soap compositions also has its disadvantages - take, for example, the foam that forms during the process of mixing concrete. Then you will have to resort to substances that form less foam, or you can wait until the foam simply settles before further working with the solution

What other additives are there for concrete?

Using a homemade plasticizer not only improves the characteristics of concrete, but also significantly reduces material costs during construction. But sometimes circumstances arise in which it is necessary to use special supplements that can hardly be made at home. If you are aware of the qualities of each of the additives, you can determine whether they will be needed in the further construction process. So let's look at them.

Hardening accelerators

Usage various kinds elements sometimes involves the fact that a special mortar hardening accelerator will be added to the concrete mixture. It is necessary when the quality of the procedures performed will directly depend on the speed of hardening. This could be, for example, the construction of a swimming pool in which the formwork is combined. In this case, to fill the walls, you should wait until the bottom has completely hardened, and the use of such an additive can significantly speed up the process itself. In addition, these accelerators are often simply irreplaceable, especially in winter time. As is known, low temperature helps slow down the hardening process, which can worsen the final quality of the solution.

Hardening retarders

These additives are needed when a conventional plasticizer is no longer enough. For example, long-term transportation or the impossibility of further work. Thus, the final hardening is, as it were, postponed for two to three hours, thereby allowing the difficulties that have arisen to be quickly resolved. These additives include, first of all, water reducers, which promote a slower progression of all reactions in the mixture.

Air enrichment additives

During mixing of the concrete mixture, enriching additives seem to create minor air bubbles in it, which significantly increases the frost resistance of the finished structure. Moisture that is distributed around the entire perimeter of the structure can expand, turning into air pores. This method can be considered the most cost-effective for achieving frost resistance of concrete structures.

But the supplement also has its own disadvantages. So, with such “bubbles” you will never get high-strength concrete. But if you need such concrete, then you can, of course, reduce the amount of liquid in the solution, or use fly ash for this. After this, the finished concrete structure will be extremely resistant to moisture penetration.

So, we have looked at the main methods for producing plasticizer for concrete, now you can begin the necessary work yourself.

06.07.2014

Modern European technologies nowadays use new floor hardeners from a mixture for upper layers concrete floor for various purposes.

Manufactured using a wide range of dry mixtures:

  1. Industrial floors.
  2. In warehouses.
  3. Garage floors.
  4. In parking lots.
  5. At car washes and others. Floors with a reinforced layer best technology increase service life.

Before you build a building, you need to design its construction. In the same way, before starting to install a new concrete floor or reconstruct an old concrete floor, it is necessary to check the bearing capacity of the foundation and determine the groundwater level.

The use of concrete hardener in floor construction

Correct and reliable concrete flooring with the addition of a reinforced top leads to increased strength, durability, and eliminates the formation of floor cracks. This allows the thickness of the concrete floor base to be reduced. Presence studies groundwater on the site and other important results you will receive based on the results of work carried out by specialized institutes or from specialized companies. They will be the main basis for issuing a design solution for laying a concrete floor with the addition of material that strengthens the top layer. Order execution is carried out using modern Western technologies.

  1. Thickness.
  2. Brand of concrete and others.

Advantages of laying a floor with the addition of a hardener

  • Due to this mixture, strength increases significantly.
  • There is no need to purchase expensive wear-resistant coating. If you add a mixture to the concrete floor for strength and impregnate it with an inexpensive sealer, you can completely prevent the floor from becoming dusty using polymer impregnation.
  • The advantage of choosing a floor using concrete protection is the absence of dust and reliable resistance to the aggressive influence of petroleum products.
  • The aesthetics of the surface of concrete slabs is improved.

It is possible to give the coating different colors. Such mixtures are very convenient to work with; it is possible to produce flooring within one working cycle. Leveling the flooring is a mandatory step; a lot depends on it.

First you need to prepare the base. A layer of crushed stone with a sand cushion is being prepared as waterproofing, which is designed to protect against water ingress. Then the waterproofing is laid, as well as guides and reinforcing mesh, which should be immersed in the concrete slab to the permissible depth. Then the concrete mixture is poured and leveled along the guide. After this, a technical break of 2-7 hours is needed. Concrete will gain ductility and strength.

Before grouting the floor special machine(by helicopter) with a grouting disk, a protective solution is distributed on its surface. This mixture contains cement, fillers of various durable materials (depending on the loads). The strength enhancer is added using dosing carts. Mixture consumption 3-7 kg per square meter purchased from planned loads. The strengthening mixture begins to absorb moisture from the surface of the concrete (you can see how its top darkens). The first grouting on the discs of the finishing machine must be done before the mixture is completely saturated with milk from the cement.

It completely merges with the concrete floor. Then we add the last part of the remaining mixtures. The next grouting is done after the concrete has darkened to a matte color. Touching will cause contamination of hands. The top layer is sanded to a metallic mirror finish. The quality of the top layer will depend both on the time setting for the start of the grinding machine and on the termination of its operation.

First, the junction of the floor with walls, supports and other elements is processed. Here the concrete sets faster. When the floor surface is ready, it is processed special means according to concrete content. This process helps retain moisture in the concrete floor. After drying, a vapor-proof film is formed on top, which gives the floor strength.

The sanded floor is coated with a varnish special for concrete. Its base is acrylic or water. Varnish closes the pores in concrete. Moisture is retained, which prevents microcracks from forming. You can cut them in a day or three after finishing the work.

The seams of the floor slabs must be combined with the supporting axis. And only after one month it is necessary to seal the seams. The thickness of the concrete floors of the prepared base is allowed 12 cm (not less).

The strengthened mixture has low resistance, therefore it is not recommended for food and chemical production, as well as agricultural facilities.

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Micro-reinforcing construction fiber (MRF)– these are the latest additives for reinforcing any concrete mixture based on cement or gypsum. Fiber is quite often used to strengthen floor screeds (fiber is an inexpensive but high-quality substitute for metal mesh), for plastering (instead of serpyanka), for the manufacture of gas blocks, foam blocks and other products from lightweight concrete mixtures.

VSM fiber - strengthening the strength of concrete

VSM fiber, consisting of polypropylene, helps prevent the formation of cracks during shrinkage, as well as after it, gives concrete strength and durability, preserves and increases all important quality characteristics. VSM also plays an important role in the reinforcement of small decorative products made of concrete and gypsum. By adding fiber to the mixture, the amount of defective goods can be reduced by almost half. The resistance of such concrete to impacts and splitting is 5 times greater than that of concrete without the addition of VSM fiber, and the abrasion resistance increases to 60%.


After adding micro-reinforcing fiber into the mixture, concrete reduces its permeability, moisture and various liquid substances are absorbed much less, concrete increases its strength and frost resistance. Micro-reinforcing building fibers significantly reduce the likelihood of microcracks appearing at any stage: concrete acquires the property of deforming without destruction within two hours after pouring. After passing the critical period, when the concrete has completely become hard, it begins to shrink, the high-pressure material fastens the edges of the cracks and the risk of fracture becomes minimal. The use of polypropylene fiber increases the effectiveness of hydration control by reducing moisture release. Due to this, the internal load on the concrete becomes lower.

On early stage the appearance of shrinkage cracks is eliminated by 60-90%, which is 10 times more than with reinforcing metal mesh (about 6%). The use of VSM increases the efficiency of screeding for both domestic and industrial floors. In this case, microfiber serves as an economically viable replacement for metal mesh; it is widely used when pouring concrete floors and screeds together with the Thermoplast or Superplast plasticizer, but it cannot replace steel reinforcement structures in monolithic construction. During concrete shrinkage, steel reinforcement mesh shrinks and increases tensile stress, revealing its value only after cracks appear. VSM fiber prevents in advance the appearance of microcracks that form even in the plastic state of concrete.


Micro-reinforcing polypropylene building fibers are in great demand among enterprises producing cellular concrete blocks. When using VSM, during the production and transportation of goods, the risk of defects is reduced, and the quality of gas blocks and foam blocks increases. Thanks to the fibre, the initial and final hardening times are reduced, which speeds up mold turnover, thereby increasing productivity.

  • reduction in the appearance of cracks up to 90%;
  • frost resistance increases to 35%;
  • wear resistance increases to 70%;
  • moisture resistance increases to 50%;
  • bending strength increases up to 35%;
  • The fiber prevents the formation of chips and splinters.

VSM fiber, how to use?

Also, VSM fiber is used in the construction of docks, bridges, settling tanks, ports, drainage systems and other hydraulic structures, in which resistance to moisture is an integral part.

The fiber should be poured into the dry mixture, preferably in small parts as it is stirred. Then water is added to the solution and everything is mixed for about 15 minutes. Polypropylene fiber is compatible with all plasticizers and additives.

VSM is resistant to chemicals, which are part of the structure of the concrete mixture, and to physical damage during mixing. Unlike metal reinforcing mesh, fiber does not corrode, has excellent heat resistance, and is evenly distributed throughout the entire volume of the mixture, reinforcing and strengthening it on all sides.

We hope our article was useful to you, read more useful articles about concrete on our

Because this thing is not quite ordinary. If you don't know how to calm down your rowdy neighbors... good manners They don’t allow them to make a scandal, which means they need to act quietly but confidently. When requests to turn down the music and calm conversations do not work on them, you should move on to the heavy artillery.

Try to let them know how you feel about extraneous noise at late hours. Buy a vibration speaker, and it won’t take you much time to re-educate your neighbors. In addition, you will not hear the vibration and sound that they will hear.

Vibrodynamics. What is this?

The vibration speaker looks like a small steel washer with a diameter of 5 centimeters, located on a flat round leg. The leg unscrews and there is a membrane underneath it.

At the top there are two wires that have negative and positive poles. The vibration speaker stand is used to create vibration. As soon as you lean this device against any surface, all the sound and vibration will move to it. The device is made of high quality steel. Excellent tightness. The vibrating column will be able to work even in conditions high humidity. By purchasing a vibration speaker, you will give a “great” gift to your neighbors and restore peace of mind to yourself.

How to connect a 25W vibration speaker? Take a regular column. Connect the speaker and speaker wires, matching the poles. Don't forget to extend the wire if you plan to move the speaker from one place to another. Now turn on the speaker, turn on the music and lean the speaker against the wall or any other surface.

You don't have to turn up the volume at full volume; a speaker for your neighbors will transmit sound and vibration to the surface 1000 times stronger than what you hear. For a clear and powerful sound, it is advised to remove everything from the surface small parts. If you place the speaker on a table, make sure there are no handles or other small items. Vibration will be transmitted to objects, which will significantly degrade the sound quality.

If you connect the device to a home theater, the effect will be even stronger. If your cinema has an output power of less than 30 W, then you can safely connect a vibration speaker to your music center. But many people buy an “anti-neighbor” vibration speaker to combat noisy neighbors. This is especially true for houses with concrete floors. You simply lean this device against the ceiling, floor or wall, depending on which neighbors you want to “please” and turn on music or a movie.

Wireless Bluetooth Vibrating Speaker Adin - “Neighbor Killer”

If you are uncomfortable pulling wires and don’t want unnecessary red tape with cables, then there is a solution for you - a Bluetooth vibration speaker. The speaker can be connected via Bluetooth to any of your devices, be it a phone, tablet, computer, laptop or player. The power of this speaker is noticeably higher (26 watts) and the neighbors will definitely hear you.

Buy a vibrating speaker and organize an educational week for your neighbors. Night revelers are unlikely to be surprised by music at night. Record the sounds of a hammer drill or electric drill on a flash drive and turn on the “neighbor killer” vibration speaker at 7 am when leaving for work. After all, if you can listen to music at night, then why can’t you do repairs in the morning?

With a show like this every morning, your neighbors will quickly guess what they are hinting at. In addition, when approaching your door, the neighbors will not hear any noise from your apartment. They will have nothing to say against you.

Everyone will find their own application for a vibrating speaker. One of the popular ones, judging by the reviews, is the fight against ill-mannered neighbors. Press the speaker to the ceiling and turn on the music. Believe me, your upstairs neighbors will feel like you’re visiting a nightclub, and barely audible music will be playing in your apartment.

To enhance the effect of the vibration speaker for neighbors above, you need to secure it to the ceiling with something, for example, with tape, placing a tennis ball on top. will press the speaker tightly to the ceiling, and the tape will help fix it. Anyone who is tired of staying up until the morning from their neighbors' night discos is worth buying a vibration speaker. The price of a vibrating speaker is acceptable, and really the question should concern the price if your nerves and healthy sleep are at stake.

Vibration speaker for neighbors (anti-neighbor)

Buying a vibrating speaker and using it to enhance the resonance of sound will be good decision. If you place the device on a table with the membrane facing up, this will greatly enhance the sound and bass power. A great reason to make the party even bigger high level. But remember that noisy discos should be held only during the daytime and not disturb the people living in your neighborhood.

If you come to work without sleep because the loud music behind the wall did not allow you to sleep a wink. If you can’t put your children to bed for a long time because of the constant screams of your neighbors upstairs, buy a vibration speaker and repay your neighbors in the same coin.

By purchasing a vibration speaker for your neighbors, you will let them know what discomfort they are causing with their lifestyle. Many people still don’t know what a vibration speaker is and what it is needed for. It may not be a multifunctional device, but, as they say, all means are good in war. Especially if this is a war between neighbors.

Characteristics (wired vibration column)

  • Case material: metal;
  • Resistance: 4 ohms;
  • Power: 25 W;
  • Size: 5 x 3 cm;
  • Weight: 270g.

Equipment

  • 1 x Vibration speaker.

Characteristics (wireless Bluetooth vibration speaker)

  • Power: 26 Watt.
  • Line-in: 3.5mm jack.
  • Line Out: 3.5mm Jack.
  • Connection: 3.5 mm audio cable, bluetooth 4.0, NFC support.
  • Material: Aluminium alloy, acrylic (top cover).
  • Battery: Li-ion, 3.7 V, 1400 mAh.
  • Charging time: 2-3 hours.
  • Working time: 6-7 hours.
  • Bluetooth operating distance: up to 10 m.
  • Frequency: 30 Hz - 18 kHz.
  • Volume: from 65 dB. (depending on surface type).
  • Dimensions: 85 x 90 mm.
  • Weight: 500 grams.

Equipment

  • Bluetooth vibration speaker Adin S8BT - 1 pc.
  • USB charging cable - 1 pc.
  • Audio cable 3.5 mm - 1 pc.
  • Instructions - 1 pc.
  • Box - 1 pc.

In order for the concrete structure to gain increased strength, it is recommended to use special materials added directly to the prepared cement-sand mortar. When hardening, the mixture to which a concrete hardener has been added acquires much more useful characteristics, contributing to its more long term services. In addition to strength, these may also include water resistance, corrosion resistance, etc.

Application

As a rule, additives to concrete, which are needed to increase its strength, are not always used. The use of such materials is permissible in the following cases:

  • the presence of high requirements for concrete or reinforced concrete structures by water resistance or frost resistance;
  • use of non-standard fillers such as fine sand in the solution;
  • production of concrete products that will be subject to high loads (for example, paving stones made of heavy or fine-grained concrete);
  • construction of monolithic structures that use mineral expansion additives.

Classification and characteristics of additives

Strengthening mixtures and concrete additives are specially prepared chemical products. They are added to the structure or product during preparation and harden along with the base materials.

The main advantage of the additives is the complete protection of the entire volume of concrete. A disadvantage is the inability to strengthen an already created structure (this function is performed by strengthening impregnations intended for concrete).

The task of the plasticizers included in the composition concrete solutions, is to increase their mobility. In this case, it is possible to both increase the strength of the resulting concrete by 120-140 percent, and give it the following properties:

  • frost resistance increased by 1.5 marks;
  • water resistance is 3–4 grades higher.

Also, the use of plasticizers reduces cement consumption by up to 25 percent, which allows saving on construction work.

Strengthening accelerators are characterized by an increase in the rate of hardening of concrete, as well as an increase in its grade strength. One of these substances is granulated calcium chloride, used in the manufacture of foam concrete, paving slabs, wall stones and polystyrene concrete.

With its help, the production process is accelerated due to less downtime of the product in a special mold, and the number of products produced accordingly increases. In this case, concrete strengthening by several percent is observed. And the number of chips on products that worsens their presentation is reduced.

In number useful qualities, which a concrete hardener with an anti-frost effect adds to the material, includes not only an increase in strength, but also the elimination of the influence of low (down to minus 25 degrees) temperatures on the hardening process.

One of the most popular substances of this type is neutralized resin, used in conjunction with water repellents (for example, Sofexil-gel and Tiprom-S).

Another advantage of the additive is that it increases the ease of processing the mixture.

In addition, the resulting product becomes waterproof (and thus does not require waterproofing). And when transporting the solution, its delamination noticeably decreases.

Modifiers for concrete solutions

Modifiers are additives to concrete to increase strength, which also increases frost resistance and workability of the composition. There are modifiers that can improve the anti-corrosion properties of concrete.

Complex Supplements

Complex additives to increase the strength of concrete provide additional positive effects. For example, some substances increase the workability of concrete, its construction and technical characteristics (water resistance and frost resistance), reduce the amount of water spent on preparation, and reduce cement consumption. At the same time, all components of the additive interact perfectly with each other.

Nuances of use

Knowing how to increase the strength of concrete, which additive is best suited for the intended purpose, all that remains is to figure out how to carry out the work correctly. First of all, the substance is diluted in warm water until it dissolves. If the additive is mixed with sand-cement mortar in a liquid state, it begins to act immediately. Dry material requires some time to completely dissolve and mix.

The calculated amount of the additive depends on the dosage indicated on the specific material by its manufacturer, as well as on the degree of increase in strength that needs to be obtained. The recommended amount for plasticizers does not exceed 1% by weight of cement.

Other methods of strengthening concrete

Strengthening materials include not only those materials that are added to concrete during its creation to increase strength. When the structure is already ready and cannot be replaced, other substances and other techniques are used. Most popular in construction and when carrying out repair work strengthening concrete using liquid and solid hardeners. They are generally best suited for floors and other horizontal surfaces.

Liquid hardeners or impregnations contain water-soluble inorganic compounds. They are capable of penetrating into ordinary concrete (which was not previously treated with water repellents) to a depth of 3–5 mm. Inside the material, the liquid reacts with it, forming insoluble compounds that act as hardeners.

This strengthening impregnation for concrete is applied both to old structures and to new ones, the increase in strength of which was not provided for during the manufacturing process. The disadvantage of impregnations is the impossibility of application in aggressive environments. The advantage is that it gives concrete the ability to withstand stronger loads.

To strengthen concrete, you can also use a dry hardener that contains cement. A structure whose strength has been increased in this way can withstand up to 70 MPa. In addition, the low tensile strength of concrete and its wear resistance increases.

The process of applying dry hardener is not affected by the aggressiveness of the environment. However, it is applied (diluted with water) only to a smooth and dust-free surface. At the same time, the service life of the structure increases by at least 10–15 years.