Impact of admixtures used in underwater concrete on cement hydration process and rheological properties

This paper presents test results of the impact of chemical admixtures used in the underwater concrete technology, i.e. a superplasticizer (SP), an anti-wash admixture (AWA) and SiO2 nanoparticles (NP) on the cement hydration process, rheological properties and the setting time. The impact of admixtures was tested in combination and separately, with the use of microcalimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and rheology. It was demonstrated that AWA and SP admixtures caused a delay of the hydration process, while the impact of SP was much greater. The above statement was also confirmed by results of rheological tests. Combined application of AWA, SP and NP causes even a larger delay of the hydration process and the increase of paste rheological parameters, with the impact of the superplasticizer particularly visible.