Case History Spotlight #711: Solving Concrete Set Problems with MCI®-2005 NS

January 10, 2023

Chs 711 - Cortec Corporation A mid-summer concrete pour at a new luxury condo project in Toronto began to turn into a nightmare when the concrete began to set too quickly. High temperatures around 100 °F (38 °C) and the use of calcium nitrite admixture accelerated concrete set time so much that cold joints began to form in the new cast-in-place parking garage. Cold joints can create weak points and lead to future problems, and the contractor began looking for an alternative corrosion inhibiting admixture.

Form & Build Supply introduced them to MCI®-2005 NS, which presented a stark contrast. MCI®-2005 NS did not alter concrete set time, so set retarders needed for calcium nitrite were removed from the mix. The contractors were able to pour the rest of the concrete without early-setup problems and expressed the intention to use MCI®-2005 NS in all future projects where calcium nitrites are specified.

Read the full case history here.

Keywords: concrete cold joints, summer concrete pour, calcium nitrite, concrete admixtures, MCI, Cortec, From Grey to Green, calcium nitrite alternative, concrete set problems, cast-in-place parking garage

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