Effect of Thermal Stimulation on Various Characteristics of Superplasticizer

Abstract—It is widely known that basic performance of superplasticizer can be fluctuated by change of ambient temperature. However, it is not known that fluidity of concrete can be improved by thermal stimulation to superplasticizer. It was confirmed that fluidity of the mortar has been improved by heating superplasticizer in the previous study, therefore in this study, Examination of thermal stimulation effect on the molecular weight distribution of superplasticizer, the study of retention effect of fluidity after thermal stimulation of superplasticizer, and its sustainability were examined. As a result, it was confirmed that thermal stimulation doesn't negatively affect the molecular weight distribution and affects only the three-dimensional structure of the polymer molecule. Moreover, it was confirmed that the thermal stimulation effect not only sustained the improvement of the initial dispersion performance well but also did not lower the slump keeping performance thereafter. In addition to it was confirmed that the thermal stimulation effect lasted for about 7 days, and the residual characteristics differed depending on the superplasticizer.