Introduction to Concrete Additives (2)

As the world deals with potential supply shortages, oil prices are soaring again, with more dramatic spikes and sudden drops expected.

For consumers, that means more expensive gas for longer - prices at the pump remain above $4 a gallon. For the economy, that means more inflation. In addition to the pressure on consumers, any business that relies on oil -- from airlines and truck drivers to chemical companies and plastics producers -- will face higher costs.

Mr Pickering estimates that 2m to 3m barrels a day of Russian oil shipped by water are frozen out of the market with no direct buyers. Due to the soaring oil price, the price of the Concrete Additive in the chemical industry will also be greatly affected. He said China and India are continuing to buy Russian crude. "I'm sure there will be others willing to take on more over time," he said. Mr Pickering said he did not expect oil to return to $130 a barrel, but added that it could happen. Francisco Branch, head of commodities and derivatives at Bank of America, said the US market was ready for cyclical price spikes and price swings in the Concrete Additive.

The concrete additive is a material that can improve the properties of the concrete mixture or hardened concrete by adding not more than 5% of the weight of cement in the process of mixing concrete (except for special circumstances).

Using concrete additives is one of the most effective ways to improve concrete strength, improve performance and save cement and energy. 

There are various types of concrete additives. In the last article Introduction to Concrete Additives (1), we talked about concrete water reducers and early strength agents. In this article, the set retarder, the air-entraining agent, and the accelerating agent are going to be talked about.

Set retarder:

Set retarders are additives that slow the hydration rate and heat of cement and gypsum, and prolong the setting time. The purpose of adding retarder in commercial concrete is to prolong the hydration and hardening time of cement so that the new mixed concrete can maintain plasticity for a longer time, so as to adjust the setting time of the new mixed concrete.

Hardening effect: 

1. The impact on strength: Excessive mixing will cause concrete 24 hours or even 72 hours is still not solidified, thus affecting the need for early strength of concrete and delaying the construction progress. There is no obvious influence on the concrete of proper age. 

2. The impact on shrinkage: Moderate use has no obvious effect on shrinkage. When excessive use can cause coping concrete because moisture evaporates excessive generation dry crack contraction and contraction crack. 

3. The impact on antifreeze durability: The antifreeze durability of concrete mixed with retarder is similar to that without retarder. 

Air entraining agent:

The air entraining agent is a hydrophobic surface-active agent, dissolved in water after joining the concrete mixture, in the mixing process can produce a large number of tiny bubbles. 

Air entraining agents can improve the workability, water retention, and cohesion of concrete mixture, improve the fluidity of concrete, and introduce a large number of admixtures evenly distributed, closed, and stable small bubbles in the mixing process of concrete mixture. 

The main varieties of air entraining agents include rosin resin, alkyl and alkyl aromatic sulfonic acid, fatty alcohol sulfonic acid, saponin and protein salt, petroleum sulfonic acid, and so on. The commonly used dosage is cement weight 50 ~ 500ppm. Air entraining agent is mainly used for structures with high freezing resistance requirements, such as concrete dams, road surfaces, bridge decks, aircraft yard track surfaces, and other large areas vulnerable to freezing. 

Accelerating agent:

The accelerating agent is a kind of additive that can make concrete quickly set and harden when added to concrete. The main types are inorganic salts and organic species.  Powdery solid, its admixture dosage accounts for cement dosage in concrete only 2% ~ 3%, but can make concrete in 5min initial coagulation, accelerating agent in 12min condensation. In order to achieve the purpose of rush repair or fast condensation of concrete in the tunnel. It is an indispensable additive in the shotcrete construction method.  Their function is to speed up the hydration and hardening of cement, forming sufficient strength in a very short period of time to ensure the requirements of special construction. 

Suppliers of Concrete Additives

TRUNNANO is a reliable concrete additives supplier with over 12-year experience in nano-building energy conservation and nanotechnology development.

If you are looking for high-quality concrete additives, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. (sales@cabr-concrete.com)

We accept payment via Credit Card, T/T, West Union, and Paypal. Trunnano will ship the goods to customers overseas through FedEx, DHL, by air, or by sea.

Southern Copper Corp (SCCO.N) recently said its Peruvian mine remained closed after a six-week standoff with protesters and blamed the Peruvian government for failing to intervene in the safety of its 1,300 workers and their families.  

The company said in a statement that a recent agreement to end protests at the Cuajone mine required the company to withdraw complaints against protest leaders because railways transporting minerals and supplies remained blocked. Production has been suspended since the end of February.  

Peru's Energy Ministry said in a separate statement that it had also reached an agreement with Southern Copper to start talks to find common ground with local communities.  

"If we shut down for a year, the government will stop receiving more than 3.1 billion soles ($830 million) in taxes and royalties, and 8,000 direct and indirect jobs will be lost. This is what we want to avoid, "Southern Copper added in the statement.

Peru has faced a wave of protests from indigenous communities, who accuse mining companies of not providing enough jobs and funding to poor local residents.  

Central bank officials said last week that protests against copper mines such as MMG's Las Bambas and Southern Copper's Cuajone were dragging down the economy.  

Peru is the world's second-largest copper producer and mining is an important source of tax revenue for the country. It is estimated that the supply and prices of the Concrete Additive will be influenced by that.

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