Performance and Compatibility of Permeability Reducing and Other Chemical Admixtures in Australian Concretes

A substantial research program has been undertaken at the Australian Centre for Construction Innovations of the University of New South Wales to determine the benefits resulting from the use of permeability reducing admixtures as integral components of concrete required to demonstrate superior durability in aggressive environments. This program used commercial concretes which contained conventional water reducing admixture, different types of supplementary cementitious materials and permeability reducing admixtures at various dose rates. The program included testing of both plastic state and hardened state properties of these concretes to asses the compatability and impact on performance properties. Both concrete and mortar testing have been undertaken in order to determine a range of properties including setting time, strength, drying shrinkage, chloride resistance, and sulphate resistance. Assessment of these tests indicates that these permeability reducing admixtures can positively influence the key performance properties indicative of improved durability.