How can Concrete be Made more Impermeable?

A concrete mass consists of well graded aggregate having compacted well and of which segregation, bleeding and any sources of air voids are avoided successfully, is impermeable. This is more or less known to all engineers. In this post we will discuss about some compounds that render impermeable property to concrete.

These compounds are found as both liquid and powder form. Compounds like talc, chalk, fuller’s earth are used successfully in concrete industry to fill/eliminate the unexpected voids in concrete which makes concrete permeable.Thus concrete becomes water proof.

Some compounds applied in concrete like aluminum sulfate, calcium chlorides, alkaline silicates etc, chemically reacts with concrete and produce a water proof mass of concrete.

Many prepared water proofing compounds are now available in the market. The most common compounds are Impermo, Pudlo, Permo, Sika etc. The application guidelines of water proofing compounds are printed in the package. The manufacturers provide amount of water proofing compounds per bag of cement and application method of them. The amount of water proofing compounds may be vary depending on the exposure condition of concrete. Normally 1 Kg of water proofing agent is added to 1 bag cement to produce a water proof concrete or mortar.