Combined effect of mineral admixtures with superplasticizers on the fluidity of the blended cement paste

The new concrete often incorporates several organic and mineral admixtures which interact with the various constituents of the cements and cause some problems of hardness and workability. In the present study, limestone cement (C1) and pozzolanic cement (C2) were used to make cement paste with two types of superplasticizer; SP1 based on polynaphthalene sulphonate (PNS); and SP2 based on resins melamines (PRM). Marsh cone test was adopted to check the combined effects of the following factors on the fluidity namely the type of cement, the type and the dosage of the superplasticizer, the type and the replacement rate of the mineral admixture and the water–cement ratio (W/C). The results of this work show that limestone cement presents a high fluidity with low loss after 1 h relatively to the pozzolanic cement within the saturation proportioning. Superplasticizer SP1 constitutes an incompatibility case when it is mixed with cement containing high C3A or alkali content such as C2 cement. Also, limestone powder is found to be the best mineral admixture when it replaces a part of cement, where more fluidity is exhibited caused by the dilution effect.