HIGH RANGE & ULTRA-HIGH RANGE WATER REDUCERS
ViscoCrete products provide outstanding water reduction properties, providing up to 45% water reduction. Enjoy consistency in plastic & hardened properties with products that exceed expectations.
About High Range & Ultra-High Range Water Reducers
What are water reducing admixtures?
Water reducing admixtures consist of chemicals that aim to reduce the water-to-cement ratio in concrete. As a result, they increase strength while minimizing their impact on other concrete properties.
When are water reducing admixtures used?
Water reducing admixtures should be used when a plasticization effect is desired. This is ideal for the production of conventional slump concrete, Self Consolidating Concrete (SCC), ready mix applications, and more. Water reducing admixtures can have an effect on the following properties:
- Workability/placeability
- Pumping speed
- Compressive and/or flexural strength
- Setting time
- Slump
- Strength
- Water-to-cement ratio
How do the high range & ultra-high range water reducers work?
Our ViscoCrete line of products encompasses a group of polycarboxylate based, high-performing, water-reducing concrete admixtures. This line is specially formulated to provide full range water reduction with a variety of cementitious materials allowing for ultimate versatility. As the world's largest supplier of polycarboxylate technology developed specifically for cement and concrete production, we truly understand the building blocks of polymer design. The result is products that are less sensitive to the many variables that can affect concrete, providing our customers greater consistency.
Do High Range Water Reducers increase air content in concrete? Or do PCEs (polycarboxylate ethers) increase air in concrete?
The issue of polycarboxylate chemistries and air entrainment is complex. Polycarboxylate chemistry describes a family of chemistries and compounds that differ in their overall performance and effects on concrete. Meaning, not all polycarboxylates are created equal, and not all polycarboxylate water reducers are equal. While it is true some polycarboxylate chemistries increase air entrainment, there are polycarboxylate chemistries that have negligible effects on air entrainment.
Concrete is a combination of various raw materials. These materials include cement, slag, fly ash, silica fume, aggregates, water, admixtures, and other fine materials. The optimal combination of the raw materials is the base for a high-quality concrete and the mix design must adhere to a set of general rules from the ACI (American Concrete Institution), AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and other standards bodies.
Various concrete mixes and materials have varying consistency and varied intrinsic abilities to entrain air. This is only compounded by the mixer used, mix durations, transportation time from the ready-mix concrete plant to the job site, method of placement, etc.
The admixtures used in the mix have very tight controls and tend to be the most consistent end of the concrete mix and concrete mix design.