Most of the borewell are unable to pump required amount of water as we know that groundwater table decrease day by day and curing is necessary for concrete. Currently most of the contractors/supervisors are unable to provide the required amount of curing which reduces the workability of concrete.
Is there any alternative to increase the workability of concrete?
curing and workability are both different issues for concrete. Curing is carried out for proper hydration of cement in the matrix (assuming some water is lost due to evaporation etc) while workability associates itself with the ease with which the concrete can be brought into use. A requisite amount of water is maintained in mix design which is sufficient for complete hydration of cement as well as to make concrete workable, however increasing amount of water volume tends to reduce the strength of concrete, thus chemical admixtures such as super-plasticizers are adviced to be brought into use which can limit the usage of water in the concrete while providing requisite workability and not reducing the strength. However, it is always advised to check for cement- superplasticizer compatibility and optimum superplasticizer content before using it into concrete.
There is a type of concrete called ' Self-cured concrete'. The aggregate contain some voids which stores water to be used later to cure concrete after setting.
- Badges
- Science topic