Effect of the use of nanomodifiers of mixing water on the quality characteristics of fine-grained concrete on blast furnace cement

Abstract

Portland cement is a highly energy-intensive and unecological material. In contrast, blast furnace cement does not require the consumption of significant energy resources and is more environmentally friendly. Therefore, the use of blast furnace cement in fine-grained concrete seems reasonable. However, its widespread use is constrained by the fact that compared to Portland cement, it has a slower rate of structure formation and, consequently, strength gain. Of the currently known methods of accelerating the curing rate of concrete and increasing its strength, the use of structured water by applying surfactants in ultra-low concentrations is of considerable interest. However, such studies have not paid attention to the issue of concrete strength uniformity.  This is an important issue, because when assessing the quality of concrete, not only its strength is important, but also the coefficient of variation, which characterizes the uniformity of the strength distribution. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effect of surfactants used in ultra-low concentrations to structure the water of fine-grained concrete mixing on blast furnace cement on the stability of its quality characteristics. As a result of the studies, it was found that the use of ultra-low concentrations of surfactants to structure the water of fine-grained concrete mixing on blast furnace cement leads to a significant increase in concrete strength at an early age. It was determined that simultaneously with the increase in the strength of fine-grained concrete on blast furnace cement, there is a decrease in the coefficient of variation of strength. This indicates an increase in the homogeneity of the concrete strength distribution. Therefore, the modification of fine-grained concrete on blast furnace cement by structuring the mixing water with ultra-low concentrations of surfactants improves the quality characteristics of such modified concrete.