CONCRETE ADDITIVE Proven Technology as a concrete additive that is ready to use for your next job.
FEATURES & BENEFITS The advantage is the trademark primary physical and chemical enhancements mixed with portland cement Increased tensile strength while curing (reduces early age shrinkage cracking)
Increased compression and tensile strength in cured concrete
Ionic emulsification and increased density
Active Cure Technology
Reduced porosity
Improved pervious system interface
Increased tensile strength while curing:
The strong ionic emulsion and the induced nucleation of the cement particle by the Mesopouric Inorganic Polymer serves to maintain intra-molecular tension during the initial set and cure period. This nucleation is enhanced by other nano-ceramics that excite water molecules, creating a more efficient hydration of the cement particles. This process also results in faster set times (once exposed to environmental forces) and a general resistance to early age shrinkage cracking due to the lowered water content (reduced initial (volume) and the increased initial concrete density created by the more efficient “stacking effect” created by the NPT (see also below).
Increased compression and tensile strength in cured concrete
The mixed ceramics within the NPT formulation interact to improve compression, tensile and flexion cooperatively. There are three major interactions that cause these strength increases:
(1) the Mesopouric Inorganic Polymer suspends, ionicly bonds and sequesters organic or inorganic molecules to create tensile and flexion within the concrete’s mass (i.e., the MIP is a coil-shaped inorganic polymer that acts as a cross-linker and plasticizer).
(2) NPT ceramics form a polymerizing ceramic lattice within the concrete (after an estimated 60 days).
(3) The NPT creates atomic-scale bonding between aggregate and cement particles (hydrogen, Van Der Waals, and ionic bonds).
Ionic emulsification
The MIP Formula is exceptionally statically charged and will act as an ionic emulsifier within the concrete matrix. The aggregates and fines will be evenly suspended in solution based on their ionic charge and relationship with other charged atoms in the vicinity. This affect will increase the workability of the concrete, creating a custard-like rheology. This ionic suspension, together with the NPT induced nucleation phenomenon, leads to a superior finish-ability, lower porosity and improved surface density.
The problem with water
When water suspends particulate it creates friction within the mass due to hydrogen bonding and irregular suspension of particulate. This type of friction creates heat, forcing the hydration reaction to progress, lessoning the pot life of the concrete. Also, this type of suspension often requires excess solvent (water) that weakens the final concrete. When water-emulsified concrete begins to cure, the chemical reactions at different locations in the mass are reacting at different rates, creating exothermic heat at different rates. This creates harder and softer areas in the concrete’s mass when curing. This process also, together with modern day additives such as fly ash and densifiers, creates early age shrinkage cracking due to the differences in tensile strength within the curing mass, in part because of this differential curing. However, the electro-magnetic-static-electricity created by the NPT serves to suspend particulate matter without friction, which means the cement particles, sand and aggregates are stacked and arranged in symmetrically according to their size, electrical charge (polarity) and relationship to other molecules in the vicinity. This means that as long as the concrete is protected (limited oxygen, no wind shear, solar or other environmental effects that begin the curing process), the concrete will stay suspended longer in solution. This effect stabilizes the concrete during transportation and substantially diminishes cold jointing. With Tetrapore NPT particle stacking is not dominated by gravity, but is instead based on the ionic or electrochemical nature of the particle surface, and how it corresponds to the surface of adjoining particles. (Basically, all the matter “lines up” as if it were set between oppositely charged electrical rods inside a battery.) Accordingly, dispersion and stacking efficiencies are improved creating a denser composite system. This denser system is held together with the NPT-induced hydrogen bonding, Van Der Waals and ionic bonds between surfaces, creating structural stability.
The NPT ceramic-concrete system creates a controlled cure wherein particulate matter is suspended and cured together under balanced electro-magnetic-tensile forces and therefore the exothermic chemical reactions (hydration) are forced to progress more evenly throughout the mass, lessening variations in heat of hydration and density The NPT-induced reduction in exothermic energy (heat) produced by the hydration process in concrete is important for larger concrete pours whose excessive mass create problems with uneven curing, causing early stage stress cracking.
The issue of slump The NPT-induced electromagnetic suspension of the mass imparts added pot life and also added trowel-ability. However, the “slump” may vary according to the induced pseudo-plastic affect (initially firm but with lowered viscosity under increased shear rate, like toothpaste). Accordingly, the concrete may have additional workability while having reduced slump. This affect will also vary depending on the design of the NPT formula.
Active cure technology
The Nano-Clays™ within the NPT matrix, including the MIP, are a combination of ceramics that act cooperatively. The MIP contains pores that are inter-digitally stacked by 180 degrees. This initially allows for cement particle input into these pores. Once in the pores, the particles are now suspended not by the aqueous solution but by the ceramic-polymer matrix of the NanoClays. Thus, the MIP acts as a nucleating agent, while other ceramic molecules attract water toward the now ionicly suspended cement particle to drive the curing process (hydration) forward. Further, the MIP molecule is shaped like a corkscrew, thus, the more the curing process is driving forward the more the NPT-concrete hybrid composite “tightens down” around the MIP (like tightening the lid of a jar), thus densifying the cement. This tightening process at the molecular level also begins to drive excess water out of the ceramic-concrete composite at the macroscopic level accelerating both the set rate and cure time when exposed to environmental factors (wind, solar)
On a molecular level, Active Curing is a result of metallic species finding acceptable attachments to either suspended particles or to inert complexed oxygen atoms. As an alternative to passive curing which is temperature dependent either internally or externally, Active Curing the matrix does not generate excessive heat, thereby allowing a threedimensional even cure to be obtained no matter the humidity or external temperature. Thus, Active Cure Technology creates three-dimensional curing wherein the cure rate within the center of the mass is more similar to the cure rate at the surface, and less effected by outside temperature. The overall affect is to reduce stress and irregular curing in the concrete composite.
Reduced porosity
As stated above, the squeezing effect caused by the nucleation of the mass by the NPT, specifically by the mesoporous inorganic polymer (MIP), causes the concrete mass to contract into an optimized denser pattern; all particulates basically begin to pull inwards in relation to the ironically charges surrounding them. This squeezes the water out, and then eliminates the avenues, or micro-fissures, that water used to exit the concrete. These avenues traditionally allow Chloride ions to enter and penetrate the concrete, oxidizing the rebar. Experimental results show this water-leaving morphological effect is substantially reduced or eliminated by the NPT. Further, the ceramic polymer formed by the natural polymerization of the MIP molecule and other ceramics, increasingly makes the concrete less porous and more waterproof over time. The overall reduction in porosity directly relates to resistance to freeze-thaw damage. Also, this increased density together with the increased electrochemical stability of the concrete composite will resist carbonation at the surface, again leading to increased durability.
Improved pervious system interface
Pervious (zero fines) cement systems are become increasingly popular due to the desire to create better surface water management. This system is held together at the intersection between aggregates’ surfaces, giving the cement “glue” greatly reduced surface area with which to hold the aggregate. This aggregate intersection is therefore more vulnerable to breakage by compression and freeze-thaw damage. Accordingly, the ability of the NPT to create additional bonding at the molecular level, while adding increased tensile and elasticity to the cement system, enhances the durability of the surface-to-surface cementing of the pervious concrete’s aggregate. NPT modified cements will also have less void space for water to collect and freeze-fracture the concrete. The ability of the NPT to resist ice formation and to cause water to evaporate at an accelerated rate, also add to the durability of the pervious concrete system.