Hydro

Hydro is a combination of organic and inorganic chemicals which react with portland cement to produce more complete hydration, and other unique properties.   Water requirements, bleeding and shrinkage are reduced.    Placeability and finishability are improved.   The increased hydration causes internal curing and a much herder cement paste.   Hydro increases the compressive strength of concrete at all ages.   This combination of effects produces a dense, hard and impermeable concrete. 

The integrally waterproofing and hardening qualities that Hydro Imparts to concrete makes it ideal   for integrally waterproofing and damp-proofing concrete slabs on grade.  This eliminates the need for polyethylene vapor barriers which can be deleterious to good concrete placing and finishing and which under most field conditions are improperly laid down and are not effective. 

Hydro is compatible with air entraining admixtures and does not effect (their Properties or performance.   Hydro actually utilizes more of the mixing fluid in the concrete mass, making the cement paste more dense.  It is through this unique reaction that capillaries are greatly reduced and even eliminated.  The increase In the cement gel production reduces the overall shrinkage of the mass concrete.

Hydro reacts with portland cement to produce the various properties that make it useful for waterproofing and hardening concrete and mortars.   The reaction can be broken down into the following components:

1. Greater hydration of portland cement - By more completely hydrating the cement, Hydro  reduces the water  soluble by-products of hydration, calcium hydroxide and calcium aluminum hydroxide.  Hydration of cement is a process by which water in the paste dissolves material at the surface of the cement grains and forms a gel that increases in volume.  By more completely hydrating the cement, Hydro increases the volume of the cement gel.
2. Increased water utilization - By increasing the hydration of the cement, more of the mix water is utilized in the hydration process.
3. Increased workability  -  Hydro imparts greater workability allowing for placement with  reduced water requirements. Hydro will normally reduce the water/cement ratio by 5% and still allow for placement at the same slump as a control.
4. High Early Strength - The increased hydration of Portland Cement with 1.5 gallons per yard dosage of HYDRO yields accelerated intitial setting times, 28 days strength in 7 days and 28 day strengths are increased 15% - 25%.
5. Internal curing - The increased hydration and greater water utilization provide internal curing.  Hydro concrete and mortars also tend to hold moisture longer due to the increased density of the mass.

The combination of these effects reduces capillaries in the hardened concrete or mortar, produces a harder cement paste and results in dense, impermeable and durable concrete or mortars.

View a Hydro all purpose technical data sheet.