The last two decades in the building industry have been marked by a rapid development of concrete from a relatively simple three-component system to the five-component system that is used more and more often nowadays, and which also contains additives and admixtures alongside the traditional concrete raw materials, cement, water and aggregate. Through the use of these additional components it has been possible on the one hand to develop a series of new types of concrete with special, outstanding characteristics and a high potential for innovation: self-compacting concrete, high strength concrete, high-ductility short fibre concrete etc. On the other hand, the use of additives and admixtures enables a purposeful, efficient and economic adjustment of the desired combinations of the relevant fresh and set concrete characteristics of ‘conventional’ concretes within broad variation limits. The lecture provides an overview of the most important groups of concrete additives in their functional method and use. Since the traditional mixing scheme is no longer usable in many cases due to the use of additives and admixtures, new procedures for the development of recipes are additionally spotlighted.
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