Concrete Basics
Flash set
and false set
C ontractors occasionally speak of
getting a “hot load” of concrete,
meaning the concrete stiffens quickly
and is difficult to place, consolidate,
and finish. Though hot loads can be
caused by high concrete and air tem-
peratures, early stiffening also can
result from the use of washout water
as part of the mixing water, or from
very dry, absorptive aggregates.
In some cases, certain cement or
admixture properties can lead to early
stiffening. Dealing with stiffening
from these causes requires an under-
standing of the early reactions of
cement, admixtures, and water.
P o r tland-cement chemistry
Four primary compounds make
up portland cement. Two of these—
tricalcium silicate (C3S) and tricalci-
um aluminate (C3A)—are the first to
react with water and can play a major
role in concrete setting.
C3A reacts so rapidly with water
that if calcium sulfate weren’t present,
formation of calcium aluminate hy-
drate would cause the concrete to
stiffen and set almost immediately.
The calcium sulfate, generally in the
form of gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), is
added to cement clinker before the
clinker is ground during production.
When water is added to the concrete,
the gypsum and C3A react to produce
insoluble calcium sulfoaluminate, de-
laying the formation of calcium alu-
minate hydrate and giving workers
time to complete placing and finishing
operations. When gypsum delays the
rapid set of C3A, C3S forms a calcium
silicate hydrate that’s largely responsi-
ble for initial concrete setting and
early strength gain.
Flash set
If inadequate amounts of gypsum
are added to the cement, flash set can
occur. Flash set is a rapid develop-
ment of rigidity in freshly mixed
portland-cement paste, mortar, or
concrete. Further mixing can’t dispel
this rigidity, and a large amount of
heat is produced in the process.
Other cementing compounds form
within the porous calcium-aluminate-
hydrate framework, producing a low-
strength material.
Flash set at the jobsite is very rare
because setting-time tests at the ce-
ment mill would detect the flash-set
behavior before the cement was
shipped to the concrete producer.
However, a condition similar to flash
set can occur if the cement is under-
sulfated or contains slowly reacting
sulfates and is used with certain
water-reducing admixtures.
Gypsum in cements stored at ele-
vated temperatures in some silos can
F lash set is a
rapid develop-
ment of rigidity in
freshly mixed
portland-cement
paste, mortar, or
concrete. Further
mixing can’t dis-
pel this rigidity,
and a large
amount of heat is
produced in the
process.
slowly dehydrate. The moisture dif-
fuses to cooler regions near the silo
wall and prehydrates some of the
C3A. This strongly retards the C3A
reaction with calcium sulfate and
results in another type of rapid con-
crete stiffening—false set (see follow-
ing discussion). To prevent prehydra-
tion during storage, cement manufac-
turers sometimes add a mixture of
gypsum and natural anhydrite (calci-
um sulfate without the two molecules
of water attached), then operate finish
mills at high enough temperatures to
dehydrate almost all of the gypsum to
plaster (CaSO4·1⁄2H20).
Natural anhydrite is less soluble
than gypsum, but if there’s enough
plaster to control the initial C3A reac-
tions, natural anhydrite can supply
the additional sulfate needed while
reducing the risk of false set. The
downside is a potential for delayed
flash set, sometimes erroneously
referred to as “admixture set.” This
may occur when the producer adds a
calcium-lignosulfonate (CLS) water-
reducing admixture to concrete con-
taining a marginally undersulfated
cement or a cement manufactured
with natural anhydrite. The CLS is
adsorbed on the natural anhydrite
surfaces, further reducing anhydrite
solubility and retarding the rate at
which it goes into solution. With
insufficient sulfate in solution, the
C3A reaction proceeds rapidly and the
concrete quickly stiffens. You can
avoid this situation by using a non-
CLS water-reducing admixture or
delaying addition of the CLS admix-
ture during the mixing cycle.
False set
False set is the rapid development
of rigidity in freshly mixed portland-
cement paste, mortar, or concrete
without the generation of much heat.
False set occurs because some of the
gypsum dehydrates as a result of con-
tacting hot clinker or high tempera-
tures in the grinding mill. This creates
plaster that rehydrates to form gyp-
sum and stiffen the concrete.
This stiffening can be dispelled by
further mixing the concrete, without
the addition of water, through the
false-set period (usually the first 15
F alse set is the
rapid develop-
ment of rigidity in
freshly mixed
portland-cement
paste, mortar, or
concrete without
the generation of
much heat.
minutes after concrete is batched).
Ready-mixed concrete is often en
route to a jobsite long enough to mix
through the false-set cycle, but you
may encounter false set when the con- Publication #C00I046
crete plant is near the jobsite or when Copyright © 2000 Hanley-Wood, LLC
concrete is mixed at the jobsite in vol- All rights reserved
umetric mixers. You can avoid this
problem by using cement that meets
the optional false-set requirement in
ASTM C 150, “Specifications for
Portland Cement.”
False set also occurs in bagged
cement products used for repair work,
overlay cements, and tile cements.
Instructions usually require that the
materials be mixed and allowed to sit
for at least 5 minutes and then re-
mixed to eliminate false set.
—By Joe Nasvik
References
1. A.M. Neville, Properties of Concrete,
Fourth Edition, John Wiley & Sons,
New York, 1998.
2. F.W. Locher, W. Richartz, and S.
Sprung, “Setting of Cement Part II:
Effect of Adding Calcium Sulfate,”
Zement-Kalk Gips, 1980, pp. 271-277.
3. V. Dodson and T. Hayden, “Another
Look at the Portland Cement/Chemical
Admixture Incompatibility Problem,”
Cement, Concrete, and Aggregates,
ASTM, West Conshohocken, Pa., 1989,
pp. 52-56.