1

NEW GENERATION ADMIXTURE FOR IMPROVEMENT

OF
CONCRETE WITH MANUFACTURED SANDS
Barry Corrigan
MBT (Australia) Pty Limited
Bruno DSouza
MBT (Australia) Pty Limited
Ion Dumitru
Boral Construction Materials (NSW)
intermediate slump range of 125 to
160mm led to the introduction of the first of a new class of admixtures that are now
referred to in the concrete industry as medium or mid-range water-reducing (MWR)
admixtures. These admixtures can provide intermediate water reduction without the
retardation associated with higher dosages of a conventional water-reducing admixture.
Currently there are specifications for MWR normal setting admixtures under AS 1478.12000 Part 1: Admixtures for Concrete. The admixture tested for the purpose of this paper
was developed primarily to address natural sand shortage problems, and it is unique in
that it permits the use of increased levels of manufactured sands, fly ash and ground
granulated blast furnace slag without sacrificing setting and early-age strength
development characteristics.
2.0 PROPERTIES OF MANUFACTURED SANDS
Considerable experience and expertise exists in characterization and use of manufactured
sands. However, manufactured sands should not be regarded neither as quarry dust nor
as replicate for natural sands. Shape, texture and the amount of 75- micron fraction
accepted in the concrete mix, together with its mineralogical composition are critical
parameters that must be considered. There are two major aspects that should be
considered in the characterization of the manufactured sands:
a) Manufactured sand has to be produced and engineered for the specific purpose of
producing fine aggregate for concrete and asphalt industries, utilizing
technologies fit for purpose.
b) Research work (2) has indicated that there is a possibility of utilizing a large
proportion of 75-micron fines in concrete if the fines are processed and applied in
the correct fashion. Also, recent work carried out in the USA by the International
Center for Aggregate Research show that in excess of 15% of 75 microns in the
fine aggregate may be suitable in concrete, providing that the crushed fine
aggregate is produced from well known hard rock quarry sources. (3)
It is the type of potential clay present in the 75-micron fraction rather than the amount of
this fraction.
Work carried out (4) demonstrated that bentonite clay has a larger detrimental effect on
concrete quality than kaolin clay. The addition of 0.5, 1 and 2% bentonite clay has
resulted in a definite lower compressive strength, higher drying shrinkage and greater
water demand. The addition of similar quantities of kaolin had little or no effect on the
above- mentioned properties of concrete.
For the purpose of the work carried out for this paper, two manufactured sands sourced
from NSW, one made out of basaltic rock has been used viz. Dunmore Manufactured
Sand and the other, South Coast Sand which is a blend of the Dunmore Manufactured
Sand and Slag fines. The blend (South Coast Sand) has been used in order to have a
product with excellent shape and texture properties. Gradings of the fine aggregates used
in the mixes are presented in Table 1.
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Table 1 Gradings of the different sands used in the trials

Material

Sample
Blended
Natural Sand
Dunmore
Manufactured
Sand
(DMS)
Kurnell Fine
Sand
(NFS)
South Coast
Sand
(SCS)
Sieve Size
(mm)
% Passing % Passing % Passing
6.7 100 100 100
4.75 99 97 99
2.36 97 70 77
1.18 92 47 100 51
0.6 70 32 98 33
0.425 54 28 67 27
0.3 29 24 56 21
0.15 6 18 2 14
0.075 2 15 0 10
3.0 HISTORY OF MWR ADMIXTURES
The very first MWR admixtures were introduced in 1984, but it was not released for
widespread use until the late 1980s in the USA and the 1990s in Australia. MWR
admixtures were ushered in with the full scale introduction of a normal setting
lignosulphonate based product with proprietary set balancing, strength and finishability
enhancing ingredients. Unlike conventional water-reducing admixtures, this MWR
admixture (referred to as MWR-PC in this paper) provides a higher degree of water
reduction without affecting setting characteristics.
The first MWR-PC was introduced into the Australian market place in 2002. Though
relatively new to the concrete industry in Australia, polycarboxylate dispersion
technology has been used extensively in other parts of the world since 1992, the Far East
in particular.
MWR-PC has been introduced in Australia to provide a solution to issues associated with
harsh aggregates and facilitate the use of higher replacement levels of manufactured
sands in concrete.
4.0 DISPERSION MECHANISM OF POLYCARBOXYLATE TECHNOLOGY
A uniquely engineered molecule based on polycarboxylate chemistry is the reason for the
water reduction exhibited by the MWR-PC. This molecule has been engineered to be
different from the chemical structures of the predominant chemistries available in the
concrete industry (e.g. lignosulphonates, naphthalene sulphonates, melamine
sulphonates). While these may be characterized by the polymer chains with charged
sulphonate groups along the length of the polymer that are adsorbed onto the cement
particles, as shown in Fig. 1, the MWR-PC molecule architecture may be characterized
by molecules of polycarboxylate ether that have long side chains attached at various
points on the polymer backbone. This comb- like structure is adsorbed on the cement
particle and is depicted in Fig. 2 (5). MWR-PC admixtures can also be combined with a
multi- ion polymer to reduce friction and improve workability and cohesion in mixes

containing harsh aggregates such as manufactured sands.

5

-Figure 1 Cement particle with Figure 2 Cement particle with MWR-PC

conventional dispersant.
5.0 EVALUATION OF MWR-PC WITH NATURAL & MANUFACTURED
SANDS
Trials were conducted in the laboratory on concrete mixes at an ambient temperature of
23 degrees Celsius, to evaluate the performance of manufactured sands in conjunction
with a new generation Medium-range Water Reducer (MWR-PC).
The type of fine aggregates used in the mixes are listed below:
Mix 1: Blended Natural Sands
Mix 2: 100% replacement of blended natural sands with Dunmore Manufactured Sand
Mix 3: Blend of Dunmore Manufactured Sand and Natural Fine Sand
Mix 4: 100% replacement of blended natural sands with South Coast Sand
Mix 5: Blend of South Coast Sand and Natural Fine Sa nd
With varying percentages of 75- micron fraction present in the fine aggregates, the slumps
and admixture dosages were maintained constant in all the five mixes so that the water
demand could be ascertained for each of the different mixes.
The mix proportions for the five mixes are given in Table 2. The measured slumps, air
contents and densities are also tabulated and presented in Table 2.

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Table 2 Mix proportions

Mix
Material (kg/m3)
Mix 1
Blended
Natural Sand
Mix 2
Manufactured
Dunmore Sand
(MDS)
Mix 3

MDS/NFS
Mix 4
South Coast
Sand
(SCS)
Mix 5
SCS/NFS
Cement 225 225 225 225 225
Fly ash 100 100 100 100 100
Water 143 193 173 176 166
Dunmore 20mm 725 716 730 717 719
Dunmore 10mm 304 300 306 301 302
Kurnell Fine Sand (NSF) 304 0 409 0 412
Emu Coarse Sand 552 0 0 0 0
Manufactured Dunmore
Sand
0 811 419 0 0
South Coast Sand 0 0 853 453
-75 mm (% Passing) 2 15 7.5 10 5
MWR-PC
(mls/100kg binder)
600mls 600mls 600mls 600mls 600mls
Density (kg/m3) 2358 2344 2369 2373 2379
Slump (mm) 90 80 90 85 85
Air content (%) 1.9 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.4
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6.0 TEST RESULTS

A series of other tests were also carried out to determine Flow properties, AS2350.3
(Fig. 1), Percentage of bleeding, AS1012.6 (Fig. 2), Setting times, AS1012.18 (Fig. 3)&
Compressive strength, AS1012.9 (Fig. 4) & Drying shrinkage AS1012.13 (Fig 5).
Results were tabulated and are represented in the graphs below.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0Min 45 Min 90 Min
Lapsed Time
% Flow
Mix 1
Mix 2
Mix 3
Mix 4
Mix 5
Fig.3 Percentage Flow versus Lapsed Time

1.9
0.6
1.5 1.6
3.7

0
1
2
3
4
Mix 1 Mix2 Mix3 Mix 4 Mix 5
% Bleed
Fig.4 Percentage of bleeding
8

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Mix 1 Mix 2 Mix 3 Mix 4 Mix 5
Time (Hrs:Mins)

Initial Set
Final Set
Fig.5 Initial / Final Set

0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Mix 1 Mix 2 Mix 3 Mix 4 Mix 5
Compr.
Strength
(MPa)

1 Day
7 Days
28 Days

Fig.6 Compressive strength versus Age

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0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Shrinkage
(m/strain)
7 Days 14 Days 21 Days 28 Days
Mix 1
Mix 2
Mix 3
Mix 4
Mix 5
Fig. 7 Drying Shrinkage versus Age
* 90-day compressive strengths & 56 days drying shrinkage results were not available at
the time of submission.
7.0 ATTRIBUTES OF MWR-PC ADMIXTURES
In addition to their mid-range water reducing capability, these admixtures also impart
other characteristics to concrete that have facilitated their acceptance and use within the
concrete industry. Some of these unique attributes are described as follows:
7.1 Enhanced Finishability
One of the attributes of MWR-PC admixtures that have led to their widespread use is the
enhanced finishability characteristic that they impart to concrete. This characteristic is
primarily due to their effects on the rate of bleeding of concrete and the rate of stiffening
prior to initial set.
The enhanced finishability of concretes treated with MWR has been demonstrated in
laboratory studies using a test method that was developed to measure how easily concrete
can be finished without the subjectivity inherent to the finishing process (6). The effort
required to finish concrete over a 1-hour period was reduced by 38 to 52 percent with a
260ml/100kg dose rate of MWR. These reductions in finishing effort are particularly
desirable in flatwork applications since the tendency to spray water onto the surface as a
finishing aid and overfinishing are minimized. Ultimately, this can lead to an
improvement in the durability of the concrete surface.
7.2 Pumpability
In addition to improving finishabililty, the workability, pumpability and placeability of
concretes treated with MWR-PC admixtures are also significantly better than that of
untreated concretes or concretes treated with conventional water-reducing admixtures.
The enhanced pumpability of MWR-PC-treated concrete results in lower pump pressures.
It has been reported that hydraulic pressure has been reduced by 500 psi to 1000 psi
compared to 1500 psi, and that treated concrete with a slump of 90mm has been pumped
as though the slumps were at least 25mm more.
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The reductions in pump pressure may be due to the fact that MWR-PC adds texture to
concrete mixtures and reduce stickiness and friction within the matrix of concrete. (5)
8.0 APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS
MWR admixtures have found a niche in concreting applications that require mid-range
water reduction (5 to 10%), particularly, in the mid-range slump range of 125mm to
160mm. These admixtures are currently used in the following applications:

Flatwork
Pumping
Formed surfaces
Low slump machine placement (such as kerb and gutter)
MWR-PC admixtures provide several benefits for concrete producers as well as
contractors. For concrete producers, MWR-PC admixtures provide controlled setting
characteristics and excellent performance viz. enhanced workability, pumpability and
finishability across a wide slump range. Benefits for contractors include easier
consolidation and reduction in labour costs.
9.0 CONCLUSIONS
Some of the preliminary test results with the MWR-PC and Manufactured sands in
concrete appear to be promising for practical and commercial purposes.
However, the authors are of the opinion that:
1. The properties of concrete in mix designs using manufactured sands to partially
replace natural sand (Mix 3 & 5) are comparable with the control mix (Mix 1)
containing 100% natural sand.
2. The early age drying shrinkage values of Mix 3, 4 & 5 are well within acceptable
limits, if not better than the control mix (Mix1).
3. The use of a MWR-PC type admixture in conjunction with concrete mixes
containing manufactured sands can be beneficial, where for example the bleed
water and set times need to be minimized, particularly for cold weather
concreting.
4. Due to its unique characteristics and properties the MWR-PC imparts distinct
advantages, making a normally harsh mix more workable, cohesive and easy to
place and finish.
5. More investigation and research needs to be carried out to establish mixes that are
acceptable to concrete producers, contractors and their clients. Furthermore, these
trials will provide an opportunity to properly assess the scope for savings through
optimization of mix designs.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank the lab technicians of Boral Construction Materials, Materials
Technical Services NSW for their efforts in generating the data collected for the publication of
this paper and to MBT (Australia) Pty Limited for permission to publish this work.
REFERENCES
1. Lee, L., Sabaa, B., Study of Alternatives to Fine Sand in Concrete and Fill
Applications in the Sydney Region, Proceedings of 19 th Biennial Conference of
Concrete Institute of Australia, Sydney 1999 pp302-313
2. Dumitru, I., Smorchevsky, G., Formosa, M., (1998). Further investigation into
the effects of shape, texture and gradings of Manufactured Sands on the plastic
and hardened properties of concrete. Institute of Quarrying, 42 nd Annual
Conference, Launceston, Australia.
3. ASTM C33 (Draft) 2002. Designation C33-02.a.
Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregate (ASTM Committee C09).
4. Dumitru, I., (2000). Manufactured Sand Research in Australia.
Aggregates Manager, May 2000, USA.
5. Nmai, C.K, Schagbaum,T., Violetta, B., A history of Mid-range Water-Reducing
Admixtures, Concrete International vol. 20, No 4, April 1998 pp.45-50
6. Bury, M. A; Bury, J R.; and Martin, D., Testing Effects of New Admixtures on Concrete
Finishing, Concrete International, V. 16 No. 1, January 1994, pp. 26-31