- Superplasticizers are effective water-reducing admixtures used in making concrete.
- They disperse and deflocculate cement particles thus making concrete flowing, pourable and easily placed.
- In normal cement pastes, cement particles tend to form large ‘floes’ due to attractive forces acting between them resulting in more water added increases the W/C ratio and affects the concrete’s properties.
- They are sulphonated melamine formaldehyde condensates or sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde condensates.
- They are used to produce high-strength concrete using normal workability but a very low water/cement ratio to reduce the heat of hydration in mass concrete.
Dig Deeper: Read about Polycarboxylates.
