COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF WATER-TREATMENT CHEMICALS ON THE PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

The study examined the effect of water- treatment chemicals on the properties of concrete; using two different brands of Ordinary Portland cement. The compressive strength of the concrete as the important property is taken as the index of its quality and the physical properties such as abrasion was checked. Concrete cubes were cast with Dangote and Ashaka Portland cement, cured in the solution of water-treatment chemicals (Aluminium sulphate and Calcium hypo-chloride) and crushed to obtain their compressive strengths. The results obtained were compared with the results of the compressive strengths of the control cubes cast with the two brands of Ordinary Portland cement cured in water for 28 days. The control cubes cast with Dangote cement attained 29.6N/mm2 at 28 days hydration while 29.1 N/mm2 was attained for cubes cast with Ashaka cement. Concrete cubes made with Dangote cement and cured in water-treatment chemicals attained the average strength of 29.4N/mm2, 29.2N/mm2 and 28.9N/mm2 at 7 days, 14 days and 28 days curing age respectively while the strength of 28.6N/mm2, 28.4N/mm2 and 28.3N/mm2 at 7, 14 and 28 days curing age was attained for the cubes made with Ashaka cement. The strength of the Dangote cubes cured in chemicals decreased from the control cubes by 0.8%, 1.5%, 2.1% from the control cubes at 7, 14 and 28 days curing while for the Ashaka cubes there was decrease in strength from the control cubes by 1.7%, 2.3% and 2.8% of the control cubes at 7, 14 and 28 days curing age respectively