You may have seen water dripping under the concrete surface (roof) because of the concrete surface’s tiny pore presence.
Concrete must be impermeable, which should prevent water penetration. At times it loses the impermeable capacity due to the improper quality of materials and water-cement ratio.
Water penetration causes the below damages to the structure.
Waterproofing treatment is the only solution to prevent this moisture seepage.
Brickbat Coba and lime mortar mixing are conventional waterproofing treatments widely used on concrete roof surfaces. Modern days many waterproofing admixtures, which reduce the time and cost, also give efficient results.
Waterproofing treatment can be either done by the membrane, sealants, or concrete lining, but it is expensive.
A waterproofing admixture is a form of liquid added to concrete, which prevents water penetration on concrete surfaces. The other name of waterproofing admixtures is permeability, reducing admixture or damp proofing admixture or water resisting admixture.
Reinforced Cement Concrete is the strongest material, but it may contain pores on the surface. That tiny pores allow the environmental moisture or rainwater penetration into the concrete. When the water reaches the embedded steel, it will start to corrode.
A structure has to be constructed in such a way that it should prevent the water seepage inside the buildings.
The main role of water resisting admixture is to reduce the porosity of concrete elements. The concrete porosity can be reduced by controlling the water-cement ratio. However, reducing the water-cement ratio will eventually affect the workability of concrete.
By adding the admixture in concrete, it reacts with the cement of fresh concrete during the hydration. It forms a layer that fills the concrete surface pores without disturbing the workability even below the 0.45 water-cement ratio.
Waterproofing admixture available in two types. Both types of admixtures prevent water molecules from penetrating the concrete.
This admixture is added to the concrete, forming a nanomolecular layer on the concrete surface and making it an impervious element.
This admixture reacts with the cement and fills the concrete surface pores and makes it an impervious element. The aluminum sulphate, sodium silicate, and aluminum chloride are the pore filling admixtures’ ingredients and will act as a water-resisting agent.
Apart from water penetration & prevention, the admixture also increases the setting time of the concrete and water-cement ratio.
After blending concrete ingredients, the admixture is added at a certain percentage as per the design mix. The percentage of admixture dosage in concrete will be in the range of 2% to 5%.
Happy Learning 🙂
Before starting any civil engineering work, regardless of branches, horizontal, vertical, and angular measurements of…
The data measurements gathered from surveying helps establish the plan and design of all civil…
Surveying is the art and science of civil engineering that determines the relative (comparable) position…
The formation of cracks on the concrete surface may lead to reduce the durability of…
Understanding the different levels of structure seems a bit of a daunting task. Don’t worry…
We knew that pipes are used to transport gas or liquid substance from one place…