Application of Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP) in Concrete Construction [electronic resource] : State-of-the-Art Report Prepared by Technical Committee 225-SAP / edited by Viktor Mechtcherine, Hans-Wolf Reinhardt.

Foreword -- 1. Introduction, by Viktor Mechtcherine -- 2. Terminology, by  Hans-W. Reinhardt, Daniel Cusson, Viktor Mechtcherine -- 3. Superabsorbent Polymers (SAP), by Stefan Friedrich -- 4. Kinetics of Water Migration in Cement-Based Systems Containing Super Absorbent Polymers, by Pietro Lura, Karen Friedemann, Frank Stallmach, Sven Mönnig, M. Wyrzykowski, Luis P. Esteves -- 5. Effect of Superabsorbent Polymers on the Workability of Concrete and Mortar, by Romildo D. Toledo Filho, Eugenia F. Silva, Anne M. M. Lopes, Viktor Mechtcherine, Lukasz Dudziak -- 6. Effect of Superabsorbent Polymers on Hardening Process of Binder Paste and Microstructure Development, by Guang Ye, Klaas van Breugel, Pietro Lura, Viktor Mechtcherine -- 7.  Effects of Superabsorbent Polymers on Shrinkage of Concrete: Plastic, Autogenous, Drying, by Viktor Mechtcherine, Lukasz Dudziak -- 8. Effect of Superabsorbent Polymers on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete, by Konstantin Kovler -- 9. Effect of Superabsorbent Polymers on Durability of Concrete, by Hans W. Reinhardt, Alexander Assmann -- 10. Practical Applications of Superabsorbent Polymers in Concrete and Other Building Materials, by  Daniel Cusson, Viktor Mechtcherine, Pietro Lura -- Subject Index.

This is the state-of-the-art report prepared by the RILEM TC “Application of Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP) in concrete construction”. It gives a comprehensive overview of the properties of SAP, specific water absorption and desorption behaviour of SAP in fresh and hardening concrete, effects of the SAP addition on rheological properties of fresh concrete, changes of cement paste microstructure and mechanical properties of concrete. Furthermore, the key advantages of using SAP are described in detail: the ability of this material to act as an internal curing agent to mitigate autogenous shrinkage of high-performance concrete, the possibility to use SAP as an alternative to air-entrainment agents in order to increase the frost resistance of concrete, and finally, the benefit of steering the rheology of fresh cement-based materials. The final chapter describes the first existing and numerous prospective applications for this new concrete additive.