Effect of delay released welan gum on the performance of cement mortar

Abstract

Welan gum is widely applied in environmental admixtures due to its good thickening and rheological properties. With its powerful charge density in the molecular structure, the competitive adsorption between welan gum and other admixtures happened remarkably during the addition process. So controlling the releasing rate of welan gum will be able to improve the competitive adsorption, while having no disadvantages to its thickening and workability at the same time. The investigation of influences of the delay released welan gum (DRWG) on the fluidity and strength of cement mortar, bleeding rate and rheological properties of cement paste, adsorption amount and zeta potential of clinker single mineralogical phases, shows that there will be a better mortar workability and certain improvement in mortar strength with DRWG. For mortar with DRWG, the standing bleeding rate is 0, and there is less thixotropic, less adsorption, and a lower zeta potential value on the surface of clinker mineralogical phases.