Water Absorption, Sorptivity and Permeability Properties of Concrete Containing Chemical and Mineral Admixtures

Abstract

Concrete durability, especially in water-logged environments might not be possible with conventional constituents of concrete. A  combination of mineral and chemical admixtures in different proportions is used to study water absorption, sorptivity, and permeability  behavior of concrete. The water absorption, sorptivity, and permeability test were carried out using nine (9) trial mixes of different  proportions of Calcined Clay (CC), Sawdust Ash (SDA), Crystalline Based Admixture (CBA), and Superplasticizer (SP). The results showed  that treating concrete with 5% CC + 5% SDA+1% CBA combination gives optimum performance in terms of sorptivity with reduced water  absorption value of 4.60%. While the permeability coefficient of concrete is reduced when CC and SDA are added to concrete mix  separately, the reactivity between their combination (CC and SDA) significantly increased permeability coefficient of the concrete. The  study demonstrates that production of concrete with the right proportions of admixture and pozzolanas improve the durability of  concrete structures.