Remicon Association Develops 'High-Performance Water Reducer' to Enhance Concrete Strength

[Financial News] The Korea Remicon Industry Cooperative Association's subsidiary, Korea Concrete Testing Institute, announced on the 29th that it has developed the country's first 'composite high-performance water reducer' that maintains a consistent unit quantity of concrete despite variations in aggregate quality.
Recently, due to the depletion of natural aggregates such as forest aggregates and difficulties with permits, the use of selected crushed aggregates is on the rise. In particular, in the metropolitan area, its usage has exceeded 70%.
Selected crushed aggregates are aggregates used in concrete manufacturing by blasting rock masses discharged in large quantities during road and apartment construction to an appropriate size. During the blasting and extraction process, soil and dust are mixed, which is known to reduce the strength of concrete by 30-40% by weakening the adhesion between cement paste and aggregate during concrete manufacturing.
In the past, the concrete industry has secured the required strength of concrete by increasing the amount of cement added, but rising material costs have increased the management burden.
After about two years of research and development, the product developed by the Korea Concrete Testing Institute is a one-component type composite high-performance water reducer that does not require additional storage facilities and can utilize existing equipment as is.
In addition, in a concrete physical property comparison test conducted by the Central Research Institute of Dongnam Enterprise, a concrete admixture manufacturing company, last April, it was found that the composite high-performance water reducer resulted in increased strength due to reduced unit quantity, although workability was the same compared to general high-performance water reducers.
This product features the ability to control fine aggregate dust (fine particles) that lowers concrete strength, in addition to the performance of existing high-performance water reducers that improve workability and fluidity, such as reducing concrete unit quantity and maintaining slump. 
Bae Jo-woong, chairman of the Korea Remicon Industry Cooperative Association, said, "This newly developed product will be used primarily by over 900 small and medium-sized remicon member companies to enhance trust in the quality of small and medium-sized remicon companies among construction companies and ordering parties such as LH and SH," and "We will actively support the Korea Concrete Testing Institute to play a greater role as a core research institute for improving the quality of small and medium-sized remicon companies, including new product development."

stand@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter