Influence of Grinding Aids on the Grinding Performance and Rheological Properties of Cementitious Systems

The cement industry is of great importance in terms of raw materials consumed, energy consumed, and greenhouse gases emitted. Grinding aids (GA) are used to reduce energy consumption and costs, as well as to reduce the amount of CO₂ released into the environment. In this study, the effect of GA-polycarboxylate ether-based water-reducing admixture (PCE) compatibility on some fresh, rheological and hardened state properties of cementitious systems was investigated. In order to investigate the rheological properties and thixotropic behavior of the mixtures, a total of 51 cement paste mixtures were prepared, containing 4 different types (molasses, MEG, DEA and ethanol) and ratios (0.025, 0.05, 0.75 and 0.1) of GAs and 2 different ratios (0.08% and 0.16%) of PCE in addition to the control mixture. In addition, the effect of the used GAs on the grinding efficiency and compressive strength value was investigated. Additionally, the predictability of the type of GA, dosage and cure time using the Taguchi method was investigated. It was determined that the highest grinding performance was obtained in mixtures containing MEG. It was determined that in cement paste mixtures containing GAs, the dynamic yield stress and viscosity values generally decrease with the increase in PCE usage rate up to a certain value, and these values may increase if the PCE usage increases further. It was determined that such behavior is not present in cement paste mixtures containing GAs and that the structural build-up value of the mixtures generally increases with the increase in the PCE admixture usage rate. It was determined that the use of GAs had a positive effect on 28-day compressive strength.