BASF’s latest technology in cement additives presented the Azelis labs with the ability to selectively retard fast setting cement. Hycon R 6450 is specially developed for mortars using calcium aluminate cement (CAC). Unlike conventional retarders, Hycon R 6450 selectively controls the early setting behavior of the CAC cement, allowing for a comfortable amount of initial working time without sacrificing early strength properties.
Performance Results
High performance tile adhesive formulated with Hycon R 6450 has a nice delay in reactivity early on and then immediately “wakes up” to reach its full exothermic heat output. Conventional retarders do not suppress the entire initial reactivity of the CAC cement or they reduce the overall reactivity of the cement, which negatively impacts strength.
During the retardation period created by the use of HyCon R 6450, the mortar is workable and does not harden early. This allows for a more comfortable open time compared to conventional retarders.
Shear Bond Strength
This resulted in significantly more strength in the tile adhesive that used Hycon R 6450, especially in early strength.
BASF Lithium Carbonate Reduction Testing
Lithium carbonate is very costly due to supply constraints with much of the material reserved for battery manufacturing. It is a real struggle for the construction market to compete at the pricing demanded for the lithium carbonate. It has been shown in BASF testing that the lithium could be reduced as much as 75% of a standard dosage.
Method
Azelis Construction Solutions Lab was tasked to improve upon an existing stone tile adhesive to compete with a competitive mortar currently in the market. The lab needed to match the competitive mortar’s performance in open time, set time, workability, and strength, as well as excellent sag resistant for the heavy and large stone tiles provided.
Formulation
The cement tile adhesive utilized both ordinary Portland cement and calcium aluminate cement to achieve high strength performance. Hycon R 6450 allows for maximum binder efficiency and extended open time. Several other Azelis additives are included in these formulations.
A starting point formulation for the Azelis large format tile adhesive is available from your Azelis representative, or can be requested through Chat.
Conclusions
The Azelis lab has formulated with Hycon R 6450 to maximize early strength and ensure delayed early setting in high performance tile adhesive.
By allowing the cement in tile mortar formulations to get the most “bang for its buck,” Hycon R 6450 has the potential to reduce binder levels because there no longer a fight to overcome the reactivity reducing effects of conventional retarders. This results in a more sustainable formulation.
There have been several successful incorporations of selective retarders to predictably retard a binder package without sacrificing its strength properties. Azelis is proud to be a part of the newest generation in cement retarders.
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