Possible Damage
Freezing water causes expansion.
ETONIS®: the Double Agent
For stadiums, freeway interchanges or bold bridge designs – no other material is as versatile and economical as concrete. Thanks to intense research over the past few decades, the property profiles of today’s concrete grades have opened up entirely new applications in the construction industry. And ETONIS® concrete admixtures have played an important role in driving the innovations behind this development. ETONIS® additives have a doubly positive effect on concrete: they improve the behavior of fresh concrete and optimize the qualities of hardened concrete.
Chemistry with an Impact
ETONIS® concrete admixtures are based on vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) and are produced by emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate, a hard, polar monomer, and ethylene, a soft, hydrophobic monomer. As a result, adhesion, flexibility and hydrophobicity are also the main properties that ETONIS® lends to concrete, and the positive impact of these is evident in both freshly poured and hardened concrete.
Improved Workability
Addition of ETONIS® makes fresh concrete more pliable, which has a positive effect on its flow properties, pumpability and sedimentation stability.
Higher Elasticity
In hardened concrete, ETONIS® lowers the modulus of elasticity while increasing compressive strength, making concrete ductile, even though it is a brittle material on its own. In actual construction applications, this translates to higher tensile and flexural strengths, greater elongation at break and reduced susceptibility to tearing – advantages anytime absorbing thermal stress, vibrations or pressure is important.
Better Adhesion
ETONIS® improves cohesion and adhesion in concrete, even bonding on damp substrates and smooth surfaces like metals.
Highly Resistant
In solid concrete, ETONIS® provides outstanding anti-abrasion properties, along with excellent resistance to chlorides dissolved in water. ETONIS® also acts as a protective shield against acids, gases and other aggressive media.
Effects of ETONIS® in Pervious Concrete
Improved Tensile Adhesive Strength
Improves resistance to freeze/thaw damage and mechanical stress.
Polymer-Modified Cement Mixture
Water Repellency
Resistance even in the face of hydrostatic pressure prevents ice from forming in pores and keeps concrete from absorbing salt.
Film Formation
Protects aggregates from an alkali-silica reaction
For Concrete 2.0
Redefining the Limits of Possibility
Polymeric binders open up new design options for architects and planners. Extra-lightweight, curved components made of architectural concrete, water-absorbent roads and plazas – projects that would have been unthinkable until just recently but that are now feasible for the first time thanks to polymer modifiers.
Increasing Building Longevity
Today we can improve the performance and longevity of concrete far beyond what was possible in the past. That, in turn, impacts the quality of the building fabric: modern modified concrete doubles the service life of a building.
Building for Greater Sustainability
Today’s infrastructure projects are drawing more attention than ever before. The focus is now no longer on cost alone – project sustainability is important too. Modified concrete has benefited greatly from this trend: modifying materials, after all, reduces the amount of cement used, which prevents unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.
More Information?
Go to our product portal and learn more about our ETONIS® product group.
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