Title: Admixtures and HPC: A Happy Marriage

Author(s): William Phelan

Publication: Concrete International

Volume: 20

Issue: 4

Appears on pages(s): 27-30

Keywords: air entrainment; high-performance concretes; water-cement ratio; water-reducing agents

DOI:

Date: 4/1/1998

Abstract:
The three major innovations in the concrete industry during this century are: 1. The water-cement ratio rule discovered by Duff Abrams. 2. The use of properly entrained air to provide resistance to freezing and thawing. 3. The invention of the high-range water-reducing admixture that allows for great water reduction and/or a significant slump increase. High-performance concrete (HPC) is based on proper utilization of all three. The proper admixtures are essential for HPC in both the plastic and hardened state. The future of our industry is dependent on a significant increase in the use of HPC so that concrete increasingly becomes the product of choice in buildings, infrastructure construction, environmental projects, highways, and pavements of all types.