The effect of cement type and plasticizer addition on concrete properties

It is important to select a certain type and amount of plasticizer for successful cement application in concrete. In the paper, the dynamic viscosity test was adopted to verify the impact of the type and dosage of plasticizers lignosulphonates (LS), polycarboxilate acid (P) and polycarboxylate ester (SP) on limestone cement (L) and normal cement (N) paste viscosity. The results show that the SP addition most efficiently reduces viscosity in the pastes of both types of cement, P addition moderately and the LS addition increases viscosity. It has been estimated that the increase of SP content further extends the hydration process in a concrete mixture with N, than in a mixture with L. Examination of the physical–mechanical properties of hardened concrete using both types of cement show that in order to get satisfactory properties of concrete using L cement, the application of a higher amount of SP is recommended. For concrete with N cement a high amount of SP is undesirable, because it slows down the hydration process of cement and concrete properties are significantly deteriorated.